DAZN and YouTube join forces to bring NFL Game Pass to UK and Germany
DAZN, the sports streaming giant, has forged a partnership with global video platform YouTube to bring National Football League (NFL) games to the UK and Germany through the NFL Game Pass service.
NFL Game Pass, the international counterpart to the NFL+ OTT platform in the US, will now be featured as a ‘primetime channel’ on YouTube in these two countries. The channel, accessible through a subscription payment model, will offer live NFL games, exclusive content, supplementary programming and a library of NFL game replays.
In Germany, every NFL game will be available live on Game Pass, while in the UK, all games except for two each week will be accessible live, with the two delayed by 24 hours after airing on local TV.
This landmark agreement marks YouTube’s first international sports offering within its primetime channels service, which also includes channels from Paramount+ streaming service and US media brand Lionsgate.
“DAZN’s global partnership with YouTube underscores our commitment to making the premium sports content more accessible and engaging for fans,” said DAZN Group Chief Executive Shay Segev.
“Launching our relationship by making NFL Game Pass available in the UK and Germany demonstrates the quality of content we plan to distribute via YouTube globally.”
THE CJ SHOW CAN’T BE STOPPED! 🤯
📺 Watch NFL Game Pass on DAZN pic.twitter.com/HLrddDo6B7
— NFL on DAZN (@NFLonDAZN) November 19, 2023
Richard Lewis, Director of Partnerships at YouTube UK & Ireland, echoed these sentiments.
“This is exciting news for American Football fans in the UK and Germany, who will now be able to enjoy seamless access, an expanded sports line-up, and a frictionless subscription experience all within the YouTube app,” Lewis enthused.
“Our mission is to grow the NFL fanbase globally and add value to our incredible partners by creating a community of passionate subscribers.”
This collaboration follows DAZN’s February agreement, securing a 10-year deal with the NFL to distribute NFL Game Pass in international markets. The deal, extending until at least 2033, offers Game Pass International through the DAZN app as a standalone subscription or an add-on to existing DAZN packages worldwide, excluding China.
Expanding the NFL’s presence in the UK and Germany is a strategic goal for the league, considering they are the largest NFL markets in Europe and host games as part of the NFL International series alongside Mexico. Looking ahead, the NFL aims to add another country to this list by 2024, with Spain or Brazil emerging as likely contenders.
YouTube TV, the streaming service, previously secured an exclusive domestic rights deal with the NFL for its Sunday Ticket out-of-market package, valued at just over $2 billion annually, signalling the platform’s growing influence in the sports streaming landscape.
Image credit: All-Pro Reels
