Bellator MMA and streaming service DAZN have signed a nine figure, multi-year distribution deal that will see DAZN carry Bellator events starting with Silva vs. Jackson 4.
Some interesting news from Bellator MMA on Tuesday. The Viacom-owned promotion has announced a multi-year, nine figure distribution deal with streaming provider DAZN which will see Bellator events air live, without tape delay, in multiple markets including the U.S. Bellator will continue to air on Paramount Network, but DAZN earns the rights to seven events exclusively on its service.
“The exciting new partnership with DAZN is a game-changer for Bellator,” said Bellator President Scott Coker via press release. “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,” DAZN CEO James Rushton was quoted as saying. “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.”
The DAZN deal is valued at nine-figures, per Tuesday’s release. It will begin in time for the promotion’s hotly anticipated show on September 29 in California, which sees Wanderlei Silva meet Rampage Jackson for the fourth time, as well as a champ vs. champ fight between Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald, and the launch of the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix.
