Converting Visibility Into Value Key As Dazn Move UWCL To Pay TV Model

Two seasons into their exclusive four-year deal to broadcast the UEFA Women’s Champions League around the world, Dazn claim “converting visibility into value and viability” is key as they move 42 of 61 games behind a pay-wall next season.

In 2021, the European governing body, UEFA, introduced a group stage for its premier women’s soccer competition, centralizing all commercial rights and signing an exclusive broadcast deal with Dazn Group. For the first two seasons, all 61 matches in the competition from the group stage onwards have been streamed live for free on the Dazn YouTube channel.

From next season, only 19 games will be made available for free, including the final, one semi-final and two quarter-finals. This leaves just 12 of the 48 group stage matches – two for each of the six matchdays – which will be streamed for free as the competition moves to what Dazn call a ‘pay/free hybrid mix.’

All 61 matches will continue to be broadcast on YouTube but the remaining 42 games will require viewers to subscribe to the Dazn channel. Alison Lomax, the YouTube Managing Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland believes “YouTube is the best place for every type of sports fan. Meeting fans where and when they want, whether that’s live streams, long-form match highlights, the best moments via Shorts, podcasts or features with players and athletes.”

“Our vision is a world where women’s and men’s sports are viewed and perceived equally and equitably and the starting point is to create more demand and access for women’s sport.”

The results from a Value and Impact Report undertaken by industry specialists Crux Sports reveal how Dazn’s coverage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League has stimulated significant growth not only in the competition itself but throughout the women’s game. Using extensive data analysis and interviews with all stakeholders across European women’s soccer, they believe they have found that the game is “a compelling and viable sporting and commercial proposition.”

Thet claim that since 2021, the UEFA Women’s Champions League has been viewed in over 230 territories around the world with the Dazn YouTube channel gaining 362,000 subscribers. The highest viewership figures were from Spain, USA, France, Germany, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Italy with Chile and Mexico also registering sizeable audiences despite their clubs not being involved.

The majority of viewers (65%) are in the 18-34 age group suggesting that the game is a growth industry. However, 83% of viewers were male, highlighting how the female market is still yet to be tapped into. Google
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searches for the ‘UWCL’ have increased sixfold year on year and data reveals a sustained search interest throughout the competition. Speaking to Bloomberg earlier in the year, Richard Lewis, YouTube’s Director of Media and Sports Partnership explained, “the more popular it is, the better for advertising and hence the more interest from sponsors.”

According to the report, players involved in the competition have reported an increase in their own value with global visibility giving them larger social media followings, in turn generating interest from other clubs and sponsors. They have even become bigger fans of their own sport because they can watch more matches and learn more about other players.

One of the players interviewed the study was Beth Mead, the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. Questioned about the coverage on Dazn, she said, “you’ve got people who can access it really easily and yeah the game in general I think is projected to new heights. The social media side of things from Dazn and YouTube has been incredible, and advertising and putting the games out there, so that the women’s game does get that exposure. I think we’ve got such a long way to go still within the women’s game that this is still helping to project it in the right direction.”

However Mead’s club, Arsenal were one to raise concerns over the restrictive nature of Dazn’s exclusive coverage of the competition stating that “embargoes are far too restrictive – waiting three days to share highlights on club channels means that the conversation has moved on by the time we’re allowed to post it,” adding that the “frequency of the ads is off-putting” and “YouTube streams naturally make it feel like a cheaper product.”

Nonetheless, 10 of the 13 clubs who took part in the study reported a positive impact on sponsorship interest from the coverage with seven claiming it had a positive impact on revenue. While the loss of domestic television coverage had caused a decrease in viewing figures for some established clubs, the creation of a more global fan base had opened up new markets and revenue streams for clubs from smaller cities such as reigning champions, Lyon, and this year’s finalists, Wolfsburg.

“Dazn is absolutely committed to helping grow women’s football in our core markets, across Europe, and globally,” said Veronica Diquattro CEO of Global Markets for Dazn. “Our partnership with YouTube has been a huge success as Crux Sports’ Value and Impact Report demonstrates. We expected to see significant growth in viewership – when you combine Dazn’s production values with YouTube’s reach and UEFA’s high-level of competition it’s a winning formula.”

“However, to hear about the increase in commercial and sponsorship interest, matchday attendances and visibility in other media is especially pleasing. We want to help the women’s game realize its potential, by reaching audiences, and by developing its obvious commercial appeal to create a virtuous circle of investment, growth, raising standards and overall interest.”

Former New Zealand captain and now CEO of Crux Sports, Bex Smith added “the ground-breaking partnership between YouTube and Dazn helped bring the UEFA Women’s Champions League to new heights of visibility allowing Crux Sports to identify even broader and more significant results than expected: a positive ripple effect of increased accessibility, publicity, and growth for participating teams, players, media, sponsors and fans in the women’s game.”

“We believe that the growth of women’s sports creates a more inclusive sporting culture reflective of a world we want to live in.”