The DAZN dossier also arrived on the Amazon table. The strategy of the streaming platform owned by the tycoon Len Blavatnik has brought the dossier to the table of various entertainment companies and beyond, reaching that of the giant led by Jeff Bezos, as explained by MF – Milanofinanza.
Last April, Dazn co-CEO James Rushton explained: “Under the right conditions, in the next few years we could look at the market for public or private capital.” Words that aroused immediate interest in particular by the banks of the City, with the most diverse hypotheses: from the listing on Wall Street to the merger with a spac up to the entry of a strategic investor. Thus the Dazn dossier also arrived on the table of Amazon, which has been thinking about the operation for about a month. The formalization of the interest does not necessarily happen, but the discussions in progress are in-depth, explains MF – Milanofinanza.
In fact, the pros and cons of the Dazn temptation for Amazon are different. There are no obstacles from an economic point of view, considering the 90 billion dollars of liquidity of the Seattle giant. The theme concerns above all industrial profiles: Amazon is obviously betting on sport in streaming, as demonstrated by the many investments in the sector (from the Premier League in the United Kingdom to the Champions League in Italy, up to the Thursday Night of the NFL for which it has spent a billion dollars per year). The purchase of Dazn (which in the meantime is continuing the talks to buy BT Sport, which broadcasts most of the Premier League matches in the UK) could speed up the timing of the conquest of the sport in streaming in Europe, considering the impossibility of made to acquire television rights for the top leagues in other ways until 2024 (Serie A in Italy) or 2025 (Bundesliga in Germany). However, the difficulties of monetization with streaming remain, as demonstrated also in Italy by the problems between Dazn and Tim.
Thus, the timing of the eventual transaction must also be evaluated, with Amazon which could also “unhook” its sports offer from the proposals for consumers, avoiding price increases for the classic subscription to e-commerce. The Bezos colossus could thus forge ahead, immediately focusing on Dazn to consolidate its position in the markets where it is already present, or wait for the streaming platform to further increase its sports portfolio, perhaps with the award of the La Liga and the purchase of Bt Sport.
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