On-demand sports streaming platform fuboTV has obtained exclusive broadcast rights of the English Premier League (EPL) in Canada for the next three years. DAZN’s current deal expires at the end of the 2021/22 EPL season, with Canadians having to switch subscription plans to get access to all 380 EPL games next season. The EPL is one of the most covered competitions in world sport. As such, it’s also one of the most popular events for sports bettors, specifically those who receive sign-up offers from reputable sportsbooks, attributed as a reward for using their services for the first time. The final day of the 2021/22 EPL season is one of multiple events that bettors will watch and wager on this month, alongside the likes of the French Open tennis and golf’s US PGA Championship.

In Canada, the EPL is certainly one of the most popular soccer leagues among viewers, encouraging fuboTV to land its highest-profile media rights acquisition yet. The financial terms of the deal have not been publicly disclosed. The EPL’s media rights in the US would be an interesting comparison. NBC landed the current broadcasting rights of the EPL for the next six seasons at the cost of over $2.7 billion, according to The Associated Press.

fuboTV’s soccer coverage for 2022/23
In August 2021, fuboTV’s Canadian subscribers benefitted from an exciting media rights deal when it landed the English-speaking rights to the Italian Serie A in Canada, as well as the nation’s premier cup competition, the Coppa Italia. It has also tested the water with other major European leagues, notably the French Ligue 1, due to its partnership with OneSoccer. FuboTV is also the number-one port of call for soccer fans to catch a glimpse of Canada’s very own Premier League, which was only recently established in 2019.

Following the announcement of fuboTV’s EPL rights acquisition, its head of content strategy and acquisition, Ben Grad, labelled the move “fair value” for what the platform believes is “great property” for its loyal subscriber base. The platform’s co-founder and chief executive, David Gandler, also said this latest partnership gives Canadian soccer fans “another reason to cut the cord.”

FuboTV’s aggregated platform of broadcasters also includes BeIN Sports and Benfica TV, as well as OneSoccer, ensuring its subscribers will be able to catch every kick from the EPL, as well as the Canadian Premier League, the French Ligue 1 and all of Benfica’s Portuguese Primeira Liga games in 2022/23.

The platform has been on a steady upward curve since its owners’ decision to go public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Outside of Canada, it landed media rights to broadcast all South American 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to its US-based subscribers.

Looking deeper into its financial credentials, fuboTV anticipates having over 1.1 million active subscribers by the end of its latest financial year. Meanwhile, its revenue forecasts for the same period have also been revised upwards to a projection between $617m and $627m.

What’s next for DAZN?
DAZN’s Canada subsidiary still retains exclusive media rights for many of the biggest sporting events in North America and beyond. It still covers every play of the NFL, as well as Europe’s biggest soccer club competition, the UEFA Champions League. Norm Lem, senior vice president of revenue at DAZN Canada, says the platform is “continuously exploring opportunities” to add greater value to its sports streaming portal.

DAZN has had bigger fish to fry in recent months too, as it’s secured a new multi-year broadcast arrangement with Red Bull TV. The distribution deal gives DAZN freedom to stream the Red Bull TV channel to its subscribers, bringing Red Bull’s unique brand of sport and daredevil entertainment content to streamers worldwide. Red Bull’s extreme sports events like the Cliff Diving World Series and the Drift Masters European Championship will now be aired to DAZN subscribers.

This is a big deal for DAZN and a major pick-me-up for the brand overall after missing out on the chance to acquire British broadcaster BT Sport.

Featured image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.