March 10 – Following in the steps of ‘All or Nothing’, Amazon Prime has just released ‘For the Win: NWSL’, the first docuseries devoted to the National Women’s Soccer League, and the story of the 2024 play-offs.
February 28 – The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is making another push for international relevance, this time through digital content aimed at younger audiences. Footballco has teamed up with the SPL to launch Yalla SPL, an English-language YouTube show designed to bring the league’s “best goals, moments, and stories” to Gen-Z fans worldwide.
February 28 – Piracy used to be a problem relegated to the seven-seas, however in the 21st century, the piracy crisis is fought in the airwaves.
DAZN’s, Head of Global rights, Tom Burrows, speaking at The Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit on Wednesday, said piracy is a huge problem for the broadcaster.
February 25 – The English Premier League has severed its four-year deal with Fox Sports México following the broadcaster’s failure to make payments for this season.
February 23 – Following in the footsteps of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and F1’s ‘Drive to Survive’, Apple TV+ in conjunction with the league and production company Box to Box has released ‘Onside: Major League Soccer’.
February 21 – Sports broadcaster DAZN can’t keep itself out of the news in one way or another. Hot on the heels of agreeing to a billion-dollar investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, they are now embroiled in a row with Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).
February 18 – The rumours surrounding the Saudi Arabian investment in DAZN can now be confirmed as fact, after SURJ Sports Investment agreed to buy a minority stake in the sports broadcaster.
SURJ Sports Investment is part of the Saudi fund known as PIF (Public Investment Fund) and was launched in 2023. It will work with DAZN to create DAZN MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
February 17 – In the latest broadcast crisis in French football, the Professional Football League (LFP) has taken legal action against rights-holder DAZN over withheld payments.
February 14 – Streaming platform DAZN and US Spanish-language broadcaster Univision have agreed a sublicense deal for 18 Club World Cup matches across its channels.
February 10 – The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) is pursuing a class action lawsuit against DAZN, alleging unjustified price increases.
February 3 – Evision, the media and entertainment subsidiary of UAE mobile telecoms business e& (formerly Etisalat), has announced a strategic partnership with FIFA+ to bring the football-focused channel to STARZ ON, its free ad-supported streaming platform. This collaboration aims to enhance football content offerings in the MENA region by providing 24/7 access to premium FIFA programming at no cost.
February 3 – Women’s football is perhaps the fastest growing sector within the game, and that theme looks set to continue now that East London Ladies FC and MOLO have teamed up to celebrate one woman’s impact on grassroots football over the last decade in their new documentary ‘The New Gaffer’.
January 31 – The MLS’s groundbreaking 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple is starting to show cracks after just two seasons, with not even Lionel Messi driving the subscriber growth that was predicted for the streaming service both within the US and internationally.
January 28 – Major League Soccer (MLS) is moving its productions to WWE Headquarters in Stamford Connecticut from East Harlem, New York.
January 20 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has signed a TV rights agreement with broadcaster HT Spor for Nesine 2nd League and Nesine 3rd League matches. The agreement will run until the end of this season in June.