DAZN Acquiring EverPass Media In U.S. Expansion

Global sports platform DAZN is acquiring EverPass, the three-year-old media tech company founded by RedBird Capital and NFL strategic investment arm 32 Equity that helps bring live sports and events to bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues.

Financial details weren’t disclosed. Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird, 32 Equity, and early EverPass investor TKO Group will become DAZN minority shareholders.

EverPass has the exclusive commercial distribution rights for NFL Sunday Ticket, which includes every live out-of-market Sunday regular-season afternoon NFL game. Last month, it inked a new deal with DirecTV to provide distribution of Sunday Ticket via satellite and streaming.

Its other commercial programming includes English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NWSL, NASCAR, PGA Tour, MLS, Formula 1, college football and basketball. EverPass also has distribution partnerships with Peacock, Netflix, Paramount, Apple the YES Network and Chicago Sports Network.

DAZN already has an existing international commercial business. The EverPass acquisition builds on the continued expansion of its direct-to-consumer U.S. sports offering, including recent partnerships with Top Rank Boxing and Premier Boxing Champions.

EverPass technology will now serve as the foundation for DAZN’s next generation of commercial venue distribution. It will rebrand to DAZN for Business, led by EverPass CEO Alex Kaplan, who will also take on a larger role within DAZN.

“This is an important step in DAZN’s journey to become a global home of sport,” said CEO Shay Segv. “EverPass Media gives us a proven commercial distribution platform, deep relationships across U.S. venues, and an attractive portfolio of premium rights that perfectly complements our growing U.S. business. DAZN can now serve every type of customer in the U.S. – from individual sports fans using the DAZN app to commercial venues looking to provide the best possible viewing experience for their customers.”

EverPass’ capabilities include centralized management of multiple screens and venues, smart content scheduling, integration with existing audiovisual infrastructure, commercial-grade streaming devices and tools that allow businesses to promote offers, engage with customers and measure performance.

The platform is designed to simplify the transition from traditional satellite and cable distribution to streaming, while giving rights holders and content partners a scalable and secure route into the commercial market.

DAZN will invest in expanding the platform’s capabilities, content offering and geographic reach.