• Sports streamer expands payment options  
  • Subscribers can pay for DAZN via their mobile phone bill 
  • Partnerships with Telefónica Germany (O2) and Swisscom 

DAZN football

DAZN: Diversifies its payment options for customer ease

Source: DAZN

Global sports streamer DAZN is to allow customers to pay for their subscription via their mobile phone bill as part of a move to expand its payment options for subscribers. 

DAZN has worked with telcos Telefónica Germany and Swisscom to enable ‘Direct Carrier Billing’, in what it says is a faster and easier way for customers to sign up to its sports service.  

The billing initiative comes as live sports, including the Bundesliga, start to return to the service as coronavirus lockdown measures ease. 

DAZN’s current payment options for subscribers include credit and debit cards, Paypal, Klarna and prepaid gift cards. Customers can also register and pay via Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Fire TV through in-app purchases.  

The streamer said the telco initiative forms part of its ‘DAZN for Operators’ partnership programme through which it collaborates with mobile carriers, broadband ISPs and pay TV operators. The programme is designed to make live sport streaming more accessible to fans, and to enable telco partners to build deeper relationships with their customers. 

DAZN has been hard hit by coronavirus lockdowns which have led to most competitive sport being put on hold around the world. Last month DAZN reportedly wrote to the Premier League to defer payments due to the suspension of the competition since early March. 

The streamer holds the rights to stream all English top-flight matches in Brazil, Canada, Japan and Spain. The 2019/20 Premier League season will resume next week. 

Ben King, SVP global distribution and business development at DAZN said he expected the direct carrier billing initiative to be first of many operator payment partnerships in Europe and globally: “Our customers have clearly told us how they enjoy the speed, simplicity and convenience of paying for digital entertainment through their mobile phone.” 

Amir Peled, VP of OTT at Swisscom, said: “Swisscom is committed to letting our customers transact quickly and securely with a wide range of goods and services. This partnership with DAZN ensures a streamlined and frictionless means of accessing premium sport that we are sure our customers are going to love”. 

Since launching in 2016, DAZN has expanded to nine countries - Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. This year, the streamer is planning to expand to more than 200 countries and territories. The first phase of DAZN’s global expansion will be an English-language service focused on boxing. 

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