After Saturday night’s action, global sports streaming platform DAZN jumped to the top slot across iOS and Android as the No. 1 free app for the first time in the U.S.
The app enjoyed strong traffic, capitalising on not only the megastar status of Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez, but also the rising popularity of MMA with Bellator 213.
Canelo’s convincing title victory over Liverpool’s Rocky Fielding was also a top 10 search on Google and a top 10 trend on Twitter.
Securing Canelo’s contests on the channel was always seen as a major coup for DAZN, reacting to his immediate success, Joseph Markowski, DAZN EVP, North America emphasised: “Canelo proved to be the attraction we anticipated and, in fact, went beyond our expectations. We’re encouraged by Saturday’s warm reception from fight fans and look forward to building on this momentum in 2019.”
The fight marked the first of Canelo’s 11 on the platform, with the Mexican megastar becoming a becoming a three-division world champion in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden.
Canelo’s next move is being widely speculated, with it seemingly most likely that he will take on fellow DAZN fighter and IBF middleweight champion, Danny Jacobs a contest that will once again elevate the popularity of the DAZN.
Following Canelo’s victory, combat sports fans on DAZN also saw Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defeat Valerie Letourneau in the main event of Bellator 213, live from Honolulu. In 2019, DAZN plans to deliver more than 100 fight nights from Golden Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, Combate Americas and the World Boxing Super Series, for $9.99 per month following a 30-day free trial.
DAZN also recently confirmed that it will launch its OTT services for the Spanish market in early 2019. Seeking to become the ‘Netflix of Sports’, it will make its Spanish debut securing the streaming rights for English Premier League matches and MotoGP racing.
