DAZN CEO Simon Denyer replaced by James Rushton

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https://mmapayout.com/2020/06/29/dazn-c ... s-rushton/


SportsBusiness.com reports that DAZN chief executive Simon Denyer is stepping down and is being replaced by James Rushton.

The news comes as boxing returns to DAZN as it announced its return to the U.S. for live boxing on July 24th. Golden Boy Boxing will hold an event in Indio, California followed by Matchroom Boxing putting on an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 15th.

According to Sports Business an internal memo stated that Access Industries owner Len Blavatnik “has asked Simon Denyer to assume a new role at Access Industries to advise on new ventures in sport.”

Rushton joined Perform in 2003 and has held multiple senior roles within Perform.


DAZN has been hurting without live content which it focuses its digital platform on when it started. It has withheld rights fees and furloughed employees as a result of the pandemic. Its anticipated plans to halt an expansion into other countries was put on hold.

Although the signs point to DAZN’s demise, the Sports Business Journal remarked that the company may be retooling. DAZN signed a rights fee deal to air German soccer league Bundesliga from 2021-2025. This is in addition to its Champions League deal starting in 2021. It also is set to sell its Goal.com football website to U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital. In addition, Sports Business is reporting that Blavatnik is raising money by selling shares in Warner Music.

The Sports Business Journal indicates that DAZN may be set to make a run at NFL Sunday Ticket when that becomes available.

Payout Perspective:

What DAZN’s moves mean for the future of combat sports on its digital platform is still uncertain. Recently, it signed a deal with Major League Wrestling which indicates that it still wants to include some form of combat sports in its stable. Bellator has done well financially because of DAZN but we don’t know if they will reup with them when their term is up or if DAZN will want them back. But the broader moves the company is making suggests that it still wants to make a run of it in the near future. DAZN seems to be weathering the pandemic and has made moves, including perhaps a change in leadership, to fortify its positioning in the space. Whether it makes a move for U.S. sports and how that may affect its investment in boxing is something to look toward in the uncertainty that is 2020.