Sportcal

Daily Newsletter

24 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

DAZN acquires US Open Cup rights in Italy

DAZN will exclusively stream the semifinals and final of the country’s oldest soccer competition.

International sports streaming platform DAZN has picked up exclusive rights in Italy to the semifinals and final of the 2023 edition of the US Open Cup, that country’s oldest soccer competition.

As part of the deal, DAZN exclusively streamed the first semi-final match between MLS leaders FC Cincinnati and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on August 23 and will stream the second semi-final between Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake later today (August 24).

DAZN will then show the final of the ninety-nine-team competition on September 27.

Last week CazéTV, the Brazilian YouTube channel run by prominent streamer Casimiro Miguel, secured exclusive rights to the semifinals and final of the US Open Cup in Brazil.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, DAZN also picked up exclusive rights in Italy to soccer’s top-tier Liga Portugal ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season.

The deal, which will run through the 2025-26 season, will see DAZN air the best games each matchday during the Liga Portugal campaign.

Soccer stands as the most active and main beneficiary of the payment sector's sponsorship spend

Engagement with the payments sector is not a new trend for sports rights holders, considering the year 2023, the sector remains one of the most profitable partners to the sports industry, with close to $2.5 billion commitment through 1385 active partnerships. Soccer is the primary recipient of the payment sector's $2.5 billion commitment to the sports industry in 2023, with soccer deals accounting for over 30% of total payment sponsorship value. Some of the largest payment sector companies, such as MasterCard and Visa, are at the forefront of sports sponsorship, aligning with popular sports entities to boost customer preference and increase their market share globally.