TLDR: In this article, I’m reviewing Dazn TV for it’s perks, benefits, and negatives. Also, I’ll be comparing it with various alternatives in short bursts.
Watching major sporting events can get rather expensive on a traditional online Pay-Per-View service. The price tags often exceed $60 -$70. But it’s fine if we only do it occasionally, right?
Well, not if you want to save some money. “I’ll only watch these few fights; I don’t need a subscription!” is what I told myself before my cheap PPV ended up leaving a noticeable dent in my wallet.
And I don’t blame you if you went through something similar. Who wouldn’t? I mean, the sports industry is as exciting as ever. It’s even estimated to reach a global valuation of around 614 billion dollars by 2022, according to The Business Research Company.
That’s when I came across DAZN — a service that amazed me with its affordable subscription plans and massive catalog of content. Honestly, this is what made me want to write this review in the first place.
However, there’s a catch! This won’t merely be a DAZN review. You’ll find a detailed discussion on whether Dazn is worthy of replacing your good old PPV and a suitable choice among all the other streaming services. Fire the starting gun!
A Brief History of Time DAZN’s Streaming Service
DAZN’s (pronounced Da Zone — cheeky) arrival in the OTT scene was rather intriguing. Even after being a British sports media company, Perform Group (now known as DAZN Group) initially launched the service in countries like Austria, Germany, and Japan in 2016.
The service started with a boom by sealing a deal that gave them worldwide broadcasting rights to Japan’s J League football (soccer) for around ¥215 billion in total.
After the initial launch, DAZN expanded into Canada and acquired the rights to the NFL, Commonwealth Games, and UEFA Champions League for the country.
In 2018, it decided to expand into another significant market, the USA. Before announcing the launch there, DAZN managed to strike a broadcasting deal with Matchroom Sport. That was one of the first steps toward the service’s dominance in fighting sports.
From there, it kept adding on big names to its catalog, including MMA promotion Bellator, World Boxing Super Series, AFC Champions League, Serie A, MotoGP, Golden Boy, and many more.
At the moment, DAZN is available in more than 200 countries with a vast catalog consisting of many significant sporting events. But enough of the history lesson — let’s get into DAZN’s service review.
Dazn Video Review for the Impatient and People in a Hurry!
Now, I understand if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to go through my humongous piece. Good news for you! Feel free to check out Dazn TV Video Review from Cord Cutter Lifestyle’s YouTube Channel. Well, with a catch!
This review is ALMOST 2 years’ old. Things are obviously subject to change since then. Scratch that, they have! Even then, you’ll have a basic rundown on the topic.
Is DAZN Streaming Service Suitable for You?
Let’s start by giving you an idea about what you can find on DAZN, as that’s a significant catalyst in determining its worth.
Initially, DAZN was the holy grail for sports lovers with its on-demand content from major fighting events and exclusive broadcasts of big names like Canelo Alvarez and GGG.
Although it still emphasizes fights, it’s safe to say that DAZN has expanded into so much more. Nevertheless, the content available to you might differ depending on your location.
For example, you could watch the English Football League live and on-demand in Canada, but it might not be available in Japan. That’s why you should check whether your favorite sports are streamable in your locale (we’ll be discussing DAZN’s policy with VPNs later on).
Don’t sweat over it, as most mainstream sporting events are available throughout hundreds of countries. Here are some of the noteworthy sports and events that DAZN has streamed so far –
- American Football (NFL and NCAA).
- Baseball (e.g., Major League Baseball).
- Basketball tournaments including the NBA, Basketball Champions League, and NCAA.
- Bowling (Weber Cup).
- Combat Sports including the UFC, Matchroom Boxing, and World Boxing Super Series.
- Cycling (e.g., UCI World Tour).
- Football (Soccer) events, including (but not limited to) La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Premiere League, EFL, FIFA Club World Cup, J League (only in Japan).
- Cricket (e.g., Caribbean Premier League).
- Motorsports, including MotoGP and Formula One.
- Professional Wrestling (WWE).
- Tennis championships, including the French Open and ATP Tour 250.
- Handball (e.g., EHF Champions League).
DAZN mentions that many of these events and sports may be subject to change without notice. That’s understandable, given the possibility of alterations regarding broadcasting rights and whatnot.
Furthermore, the catalog contains many more sports and events depending on your location. But remember the caveat regarding geographical restrictions? That can be a pain in the neck.
What if I want Something That isn’t Available in My Region? What Happens Then?
As you may know, a VPN or Virtual Private Network allows you to spoof your geographical location. That means you could effortlessly replace the original location with whichever one you want.
Using VPNs with streaming services isn’t unheard of, as users occasionally cannot find the content they want to watch due to their location (could be censorship or the provider’s choice).
However, DAZN actively restricts using VPNs, meaning it will block your session if it finds out that you’re trying to spoof your location.
Well, that’s a bummer. Why would they do such a thing?
The reason is somewhat understandable — the restrictions imposed upon DAZN itself. You see, even though the service acquires the rights to stream these sports, there are many conditions that they have to meet, broadcasting in specific countries being one of them.
Therefore, even if you find a VPN service that allows you to spoof your location for the time being, DAZN will figure it out and block the session eventually. You might want to remember this if you’re interested in something that’s not available in your region.
How About Archives and Other On-Demand Content?
As you know, DAZN doesn’t only broadcast live events but also has an extensive collection of previous events and originals.
- First off, there are hundreds of events and fights on DAZN’s archive. The star of the collection is undoubtedly the boxing archive, which includes hundreds of recent matches as well as the classics that we keep going back to.
- For soccer fans, DAZN has an excellent interview series called ‘The Making Of.’ This series goes through the defining moments in the careers of many of this game’s legends.
- There is another category of content — documentary. Most of the documentaries are the service’s original content, meaning you won’t find it anywhere else. Furthermore, you can find in-depth analysis videos for various sports and players.
Granted, other than MMA, boxing, football (soccer), and a few other sports, the archive isn’t as massive. With that said, there are a few more handy bonuses that go hand in hand with these features.
How About Relieving Key Moments Through Dazn
Having the footage stored on the servers gives you the ability to go back in time and watch a specific moment that you want.
First of all, you can rewind to any portion of the video or pause it if need be. Hence, even if you need to get up and get something done amidst the game, you can pause it and start again from where you were.
There is another remarkable feature, one that DAZN calls Key Moments. Essentially, an AI determines what the significant parts of a game are and creates an overlay of timestamps on the video.
You can click on those timestamps and re-watch that moment, saving you the trouble of having to find where a particular portion is. For example, you could use timestamps for the goals in a football (soccer) game.
A Pricing That Won’t Break the Bank
Along with the catalog, the pricing is probably the most significant catalyst that a user looks at — and rightfully so. In many of our cases, we look at a subscription-based model to save some bucks.
But before we get into the actual price tags, there is a crucial factor to consider. DAZN currently has two pricing models — the standard one and the one available in newer markets that it’s expanding to. Let me explain.
As you know, DAZN has been growing rather substantially over the past few years. And it provides a cheaper subscription model for many of the recent expansions.
However, that pricing will perhaps eventually match the standard pricing once DAZN has more content for those locales.
General Pricing:
- On a monthly basis, DAZN will cost you $19.99.
- If you want to pay for a whole year at once, the total price is only $99.99.
Pricing for New and Emerging Market Expansions:
- Initially, the monthly cost for new markets will cost you £1.99 or less. The exact amount will vary depending on where you live.
However, there are no yearly subscriptions in those markets yet, which is understandable since the price is already so affordable. All I can say for that pricing is that it’s a steal.
And even if you are somewhere with the standard pricing (the USA, for example), DAZN is much more affordable than its alternatives (more on that below).
Especially, if you can shell out the cash for a yearly subscription. That way, the monthly cost is well below $9/month, which is also quite remarkable.
How about Cancellation and Refund?
As per DAZN’s terms, you can cancel your subscription any time you want. However, there is no refund policy, meaning that even if you pay for a whole year and change your mind afterward, you won’t get any of it back. If that can be an issue for you, it would be simpler to try the service out for a month and then pay for the yearly subscription.
Okay, How Do I Get Started with Dazn?
Getting yourself signed up for DAZN is relatively straightforward, which I liked. All you need to do is visit the website and click on ‘Sign Up.’ From there, you need to select your preferred method of payment, put in your details and payment credentials, and that’s about it.
The variable here is whether you want to opt for the monthly subscription or the yearly one. You might not have the option to get an annual subscription if you belong to the newer markets, though.
And you also may not have to pay for the first month, depending on your location, as these markets offer a trial period. But you’ll need to add your payment credentials even if your country is eligible for the trial period.
What’s DAZN’s Policy for the Usual PPV Content?
With DAZN, you can watch everything with your subscription without having to pay an extra penny for the hotcakes. And that is precisely what makes it such a steal.
A little bit of math should tell you that watching just one of the large events on PPV will cost more than a few months of DAZN subscription. And unlike PPV sources, you can access a massive archive with DAZN as well, including original content that you won’t find elsewhere.
How’s Dazn’s Streaming Quality to be Honest?
As we move on to displays with higher refresh rates and resolutions, the need for better video quality is increasing. In my opinion, modern streaming services should have the capability to stream at 4K.
The highest resolution on DAZN is only 1080p (FHD). Then again, most of its content was limited to 720p until recently, which fortunately has changed for the better.
But even 4K footage can look disappointing if the bitrate and source quality aren’t decent enough. And this is a side DAZN occasionally struggles with, unfortunately.
First, let’s take a look at what DAZN considers ideal for a stable experience.
- 2.0 Mbps (Megabits per second): SD (Standard Definition) resolution; adequate but not ideal.
- 3.5 Mbps: Recommended for HD (High Definition) resolution with lower frame rates.
- 6.0 Mbps: For HD resolution along with higher frame rates.
- 8.0 Mbps: Well-suited for the highest video quality and frame rates.
That doesn’t sound half bad! And for the most part, you will get a stable experience if you have the bandwidth to spare. Nonetheless, I have noticed some issues with its VBR (Variable Bit Rate) system.
How Dazn Streaming Service Handles Variable Bit Rate or VBR?
“What’s VBR,” you ask?
Think of it this way — DAZN streaming service will automatically decide the amount of data it sends you by analyzing your network’s speed and stability. Many of the major streaming services like Netflix also use this technology.
This bit rate can play a role in how high the video’s quality is. Nevertheless, not being able to set DAZN to stream at a specific bit rate sometimes makes the quality fluctuate more than what one might call ideal.
But it at least has a feature that allows you to save data if you’re not on an unlimited data plan, which is beneficial. Essentially, this capability limits the bit rate to prevent chewing through your cap.
The Source of the Video Itself
All this talk about the streaming quality doesn’t mean much if the source isn’t decent enough, right? Right. Most of DAZN’s content is FHD, but a small portion of it is limited to 720p (with 50 or 60 frames per second). In such cases, you won’t be able to watch FHD streams even if you have the resources. This needs immediate attention, in my opinion.
Streaming It to All My Devices for the Purpose of this Dazn Review
Well then, we’ve got the subscription model, availability, and streaming quality out of the way. What’s next?
Now comes another crucial question — whether DAZN will support all my devices and operating systems or not?
Fortunately, DAZN works on almost all of the mainstream options. Let’s divide them into a few categories to make things easier to fathom.
Streaming Dazn TV Online with Computers
Regardless of whether you’re on a Windows, Mac, or Linux-based device… you will have to use DAZN through its web app. That means there is no native DAZN program for these operating systems, and you will have to access it through your browser.
DAZN works well with all the mainstream browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Moreover, the user experience does not deteriorate or change due to the medium, which is reassuring.
Streaming Dazn on TV
For many users, TVs are ideal for watching content streaming platforms like DAZN when staying home. The service has added support for most of the well-known smart TVs by now, including:
- Amazon Fire TV/Stick
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- LG Smart TV
- ROKU
- Samsung Smart TV
Somewhat less popular TVs such as the Xfinity ones also support DAZN, giving you the ability to watch the games effortlessly on any smart TV
How is Dazn on Smartphones and Tablets?
These devices will usually either run Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android (in one form or another, Android ROMs are all based on the same kernel and work with the same apps).
DAZN has iOS and Android apps to accommodate your needs. You could also sideload the DAZN apk on your Android if that’s something you’re into
Streaming Dazn TV on Gaming Consoles
If you want to watch games (other than the ones you play) on your console, you can do that too. It allows you to watch content on your Xbox One S / X as well as PS4.
As you can see, DAZN currently supports almost any device that a user might own. Hence, you don’t have to miss a game no matter where you are or what device you’re on.
How Many Devices Can You Connect at Once?
If you have multiple devices at home, it’s essential that you be able to stay logged in. Putting in your username and password every time you want to watch something doesn’t sound very thrilling, eh?
To help with that, DAZN allows you to connect up to five devices to your account. Of course, that does not mean it will allow you to stream on all of them simultaneously.
You can stream on up to two devices at once, which is adequate. That way, you can effortlessly switch from one device to another without interruption.
How the Dazn TV UI/UX Treats You?
Although often overlooked, the UI/UX (in short, the user experience design) of a service can quite literally make or break the experience. Therefore, I think it’s essential that we discuss that bit.
Dazn’s Navigation System
The first bit to notice is how easily a user can find something and navigate through the interface. My opinion regarding that portion is that it’s sufficient.
Moreover, the dropdown menu was effortless to use, with separate pages for each sport and archive. There are tabs for essential features like schedules, account details, and help sections, allowing for quicker access.
That same principle applies for smaller devices as well, the difference being the whole thing is moved to a menu to make things accessible for the smaller viewport or screen size.
My Notes on Dazn TV UI
In terms of the design, it follows a clean, modern UI that you can find on most streaming services these days. For the most part, there is a dark background with a yellowish accent, which is easy to look at.
When you get to the Now Playing screen, you will find the standard controls for play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward.
Moreover, the interface maintained similar aesthetics and was easy on the eyes when using the DAZN TV Smartphone App on a smaller device.
‘I. Hate. Ad Interruptions.’ – While Dazn TV Review Process, It Somewhat Bugged Me!
We all do, especially when a service starts showing advertisements during an exciting game. Of course, a service often needs to rely on sponsored content or ads to keep its profits up. But the experience can go downhill if it’s done wrong.
DAZN introduced ads in its content around 2019, starting to show them during certain breaks like half-times. It’s alright when watching the game live, and I didn’t feel like it was going overboard at all.
However, there is one area where the ads had me a bit annoyed — the highlights. Unlike live content, the ads during the highlights were much more frequent.
Don’t get me wrong; I think ads are fine if a service is sensible about it. Ads can be better for us users, as they allow the services to stay affordable.
However, they are a bit too frequent during the highlights, which is a drawback in my opinion. Overall, the live experience is pretty good, but the highlights portion could certainly use a bit of improvement.
I Found Some Dazn TV Features While Exploring So You Don’t Have To
Trust me when I say this: Some features don’t seem like a big deal in hindsight, but they can improve the experience. Quite significantly at that. It’s something that shows me that Dazn Streaming Service cares about its users and actively tries to improve the experience.
Let’s discuss a few of those and see how DAZN approaches them.
Captioning Is Done Well
Be it sports or TV shows, captioning is essential for many. To my genuine pleasure, DAZN does support closed captioning for most of its catalog. Although, a portion of its content does not support it, which could use some work.
Another impressive bit is that you can modify the font’s family, style, and size to your heart’s content. You can even add an overlay behind the text if you have any trouble reading it. Overall, I’m pretty content with this side of DAZN.
Speaking About DVR… AGAIN!
Many services allow you to record a particular event and keep it in your library. Typically, they’ll set a limit to how much footage (e.g., 50 hours) you can store at a time. DAZN does not come with a DVR feature, but it does things better for sports, in my opinion.
You might remember that DAZN allows you to rewind in real-time. That means it stores the videos on its servers right away, allowing you to go back to a point even amid the game. Unlike DVR, this is much smoother and allows for an experience that’s better suited to sports.
Someone Has to Investigate Parental Controls on Dazn
Many parents would like to have some sort of control over what their children are watching. DAZN does not have any of those capabilities yet. However, I would argue that it’s not an essential feature for a streaming service that mainly thrives on fighting sports. Letting children on it in the first place would be somewhat counter-intuitive, no?
How Dazn Compares to Other Online Streaming Services?
Now that we know what DAZN has to offer and how good its services are, let’s look at the rest of the options and how the stack up against this online streaming platform. After all, it’s necessary to have a proper idea about the competitions before you invest in a service.
DAZN vs. Pay-Per-View
I believe that this review has already rendered this argument unnecessary, but we’ll still do it for clarity’s sake.
Let’s take an estimated cost on PPV for a somewhat popular event — one that could easily cost you upward of $40. On DAZN, you wouldn’t need to pay anything extra other than the monthly/yearly subscription fee. That’s one down.
Moreover, you can rewatch the matches from the extensive archive and get original content as well. All in all, DAZN seems to be a better option in juxtaposition to PPV options from every aspect.
DAZN vs. ESPN+
The first significant difference is that ESPN+ is only officially available in the USA as of now. The only way you could access it from other countries is through a VPN, and that’s a hacky method by itself.
On the other hand, DAZN is available in more than 200 countries, meaning there is no competition in this regard.
Another crucial bit would be the available content. Much like DAZN, ESPN+ broadcasts select live NBA, NHL, MLS, the EFL, Grand Slam, and so on. But the most significant advantage it has over DAZN is that it broadcasts college sports. So, you know what to get if that matters to you.
Regarding the cost, ESPN+ is even cheaper than DAZN, costing you only $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. However, you might have to pay a PPV fee for a bunch of UFC Fight Nights, which could end up costing you more.
In conclusion, DAZN is the better option for sports lovers and people outside the USA. Plus, you won’t have to pay for anything other than the subscription fee. But if you care about college sports, ESPN+ is the way to go.
DAZN vs. Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is a service that Disney owns. It provides various shows, movies, and sports with a library that offers more than 8000 titles. And since Disney owns it, you can also get it in a bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+, which is an excellent deal.
But the caveat here is the pricing — with ads, Hulu + Live TV will cost you $64.99 per month. And if you want an ad-free experience, that number bumps up to $70.99 a month.
Regarding the quality, it surpasses DAZN with ease with its 4K footage. Chances are that you will also find your local channels on it, providing access to more content. Furthermore, you can watch college sports on it too, which DAZN doesn’t have.
If you think that the pricing isn’t an issue, Hulu + Live TV can be an excellent deal. You get more than just sports channels, which can entirely replace the need for cable TV.
However, that only applies if you’re in the US, as no other countries officially have it yet. This is something DAZN beats Hulu at.
Moreover, if you don’t need the TV channels or other titles and would love to save some bucks, DAZN would be the better pick.
DAZN vs. fuboTV
If you want to watch sports and would like some TV channels along with it, fuboTV is a decent option. I apologize for this shameless plug but read my FuboTV Review to find out why. It contains more than 100 of the most popular channels. But that same old caveat still applies here — it’s only available in the US.
So, if you live anywhere else, fuboTV is already out of the question. And the monthly subscription will set you back by $64.99 a month. But when you consider its catalog and the number of channels, it’s not a bad deal by any means.
It also has an Elite subscription tier that costs $79.99 and provides you with almost 50 additional channels. However, if you only need the sports and would like to skip on the extra content, fuboTV is not the best bet.
And as you can imagine, it won’t have specialized content for MMA or boxing lovers, which DAZN excels at. fuboTV is also ahead in terms of quality, as it’s already providing a portion of its content in 4K.
So, that’s where the equation stands — DAZN is available in more countries, provides a cheaper subscription, and is the better deal if you love fights. However, fuboTV is superior if you want TV channels and higher-quality videos.
DAZN vs. YouTube TV
YouTube TV is yet another subscription that provides you with sports and other channels. Along with your typical live broadcasts, you could watch tons of TV shows and movies on demand, thanks to its sizeable catalog.
You will get a total of around 100 channels, which is on par with many of the other subscriptions. It’s also limited to the USA, by the way. That’s something DAZN is better at, once again.
The cost per month is $64.99, which is close to what other services of this sort cost. And as I’ve said 50 times by now, DAZN costs significantly less but leaves out anything unrelated to sports.
YouTube TV also provides content in 4K and allows for unlimited DVR storage and retention for up to 9 months. DAZN, on the other hand, will enable you to watch any footage whenever you want, and its instant rewind and pausing capabilities are somewhat better.
Overall, that same suggestion applies here — if you want to replace your cable TV and want 4K content, YouTube TV works well. DAZN, on the other hand, is your cost-saving sports buddy.
My Two Cents At The End
In my opinion, DAZN is an excellent service for what it offers with its subscription model. And it’s undoubtedly one of the best options you can go for fight lovers, as I have repeatedly said in this DAZN review.
Not only that, but it has also done a remarkable job expanding into more than 200 countries all around the world and adding more sports to the catalog. If DAZN streams the sports you like in your region, it’s a superb deal.
But if you want a complete cable TV replacement and would like to watch the news, movies, or TV shows through your streaming service, DAZN falls short. And that’s where we stand with DAZN — an outstanding streaming service that leaves a little more to be desired.
I don’t need to tell you this but we update this website with streaming service reviews quite regularly. If you are on the hunt for a cable tv alternative, keep your eyes peeled.