As anticipated by media observers, DAZN (formerly Perform Group) is reported to be close to selling its entire data and content division to San Francisco based private equity fund Vista Equity Partners.
The move sees DAZN divest its entire sports data collection and media rights inventory, which includes the assets of OPTA, Omnisport Video, SportsCloud, Watch & Bet, and RunningBall services.
During the course of 2018, rumours circulated that Len Blavatnik’s hedge fund Access Industries, the owner of DAZN, would move to sell all non-OTT assets.
In previous communications, Blavatnik has made it clear that DAZN, a £700 million investment of Access Industries aims to dominate the global OTT sports market.
Meanwhile, deal-partner Vista Equity, which maintains one of global PE’s largest tech portfolios, seeks to enhance its sports data and media rights capacity, amid a changing US sports landscape.
In 2014, Vista Equity acquired US-centric sports data provider STATS, a transaction which would see the California-based tech investor trigger a series of sports-centric acquisition – including the buyouts of Prozone, Bloomberg Sports and The Sports Network.
The sale of DAZN data assets would see Vista Equity secure the third largest sports data/content inventory, following EQT Partners’s sale of its minority stake in Sportradar in July, and Apax Partners acquisition of Genius Sports Group.