Viacom’s Bellator MMA organization has signed a multi-year deal with DAZN, the Perform Group-owned live sports streaming service. Under the agreement, DAZN will be the exclusive home to seven fight cards per year, as well as an additional 15 cards that are simulcast across Paramount Network and DAZN.
All fights will stream in countries where DAZN is available, including Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. DAZN plans to launch in the U.S. and Italy in 2018.
“The exciting new partnership with DAZN is a game-changer for Bellator,” said Bellator president Scott Coker. “The investment will enable us to continue expanding our roster with free agents that make sense, so we can put on PPV-worthy fight cards that fans want to see. Plus, on DAZN’s worldwide platform, our fights will be seen live for the first time to new audiences around the globe.”
“It’s simple; fans want to see great fighters in competitive fights so we’ve handed the keys to Scott Coker and his venerable team to go out and recruit even more top-level talent to further stack Bellator fight cards and build on their success,” said DAZN CEO James Rushton. “With the combination of this investment and our recent announcement to bring more than 30 nights of boxing to the platform annually, DAZN will be a must-have for fight fans in the U.S.”
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“The DAZN partnership speaks to the incredible growth of Bellator into a global sports powerhouse and high-valued franchise in the Viacom portfolio,” said Kevin Kay, president, Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT.
The first event covered under the deal will take place Sept. 29 in San Jose, and include a fight pitting Gegard Mousasi against Rory MacDonald.
