DAZN viewers to access free-to-air Women’s Champions League

In a bid to increase the sport’s exposure and growth, DAZN has lifted its paywall of all live women’s football coverage and associated content.

The removal will allow DAZN viewers to watch free-to-air Women’s Champions League matches until the end of the season, along with matches from the Frauen Bundesliga, Liga F, D1 Arkema and Serie A Femminile. 

Coming off the back of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the growing interest in women’s football, the move was made to grow a “really important asset” according to DAZN Co-Chief Executive of Women’s Sport, Hannah Brown. 

She said: “The decision marries with the broader commitment to the launch of free. So, we announced this year what we’re going to be doing around ‘freemium’ content, and women’s football sits as part of that strategy. 

“For us as a business it’s the growth of a really important asset and about building a first-party relationship with customers on a global basis.”

“What we see in women’s football is if you put a paywall up, there is a small proportion of people that are prepared to pay for it. 

“But women’s football fans don’t exhibit those strong pay‑TV characteristics that we’ve seen around premium football in domestic markets, where you see customers make a real pay choice in order to interact with something. Women’s football fans are just not there yet.”

The sports streaming platform announced last November that it would be removing the paywall behind the Women’s Champions League after striking a partnership with YouTube to share games across platforms in 2021. 

DAZN is also launching the ‘New Deal’ campaign which calls on stakeholders within the women’s game to strategise plans to help grow the game to its full capabilities.

Outside of broadcasting, DAZN has also begun to make its mark in the betting space as it seeks to crack convergence between media and wagering in sports entertainment, launching DAZN Bet last year.