Over the last few years, DAZN has quietly become one of the biggest names in sports streaming.
The platform has grown far beyond boxing, now carrying everything from soccer and MMA to professional wrestling. For wrestling fans, DAZN is probably best known as the international home of AEW pay-per-views, streaming events like All In, Revolution, Double or Nothing and the rest of AEW’s PPV calendar across dozens of countries.
At the same time, WWE has been going through a huge transformation of its own.
Back in September 2023, WWE officially merged with UFC under Endeavor, creating TKO Group Holdings. Since then, TKO has made it clear that its plans go far beyond simply owning WWE and UFC.
The company has continued expanding its footprint across the sports and entertainment industry, adding businesses like Professional Bull Riders, IMG, On Location and Zuffa Boxing, while also investing in companies that help deliver sports to fans around the world.
One of those investments happened quietly.
TKO was an early investor in EverPass Media, a company founded in 2023 that focuses on bringing premium live sports to bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues across the United States.
Instead of serving fans watching from home, EverPass helps businesses legally stream major sporting events to customers. Its portfolio is surprisingly loaded.
EverPass holds the exclusive commercial rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and also has partnerships involving content from Peacock, Netflix, Paramount and Apple, along with sports including the NFL, NBA, MLB, Formula One, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, NASCAR, MLS, PGA Tour and more.
Now, that investment is leading to something much bigger.
DAZN announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire EverPass Media, a move that will significantly expand DAZN’s business in the United States while launching DAZN for Business, a dedicated platform designed for bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues around the world.
Because TKO was already an investor in EverPass, the acquisition also changes WWE’s parent company’s relationship with DAZN.
Once the deal closes, TKO Group Holdings will officially become a minority shareholder in DAZN, alongside RedBird Capital Partners and 32 Equity, the strategic investment arm of the NFL.
According to DAZN, EverPass’ technology will become the foundation of its commercial business moving forward, allowing the company to combine its existing sports streaming platform with EverPass’ commercial distribution network as it continues expanding across the United States.
TKO also made it clear that it sees long-term value in staying involved. Chief Strategy Officer Mark Zhu said:
“Nothing brings people together like live sports, and EverPass helps power that experience for fans beyond the home and arena. As an early investor, TKO is excited to continue supporting EverPass in this next chapter and seeing the results this combination with DAZN can deliver for fans, commercial venue owners and partners around the world.”
So what does this actually mean for WWE? For now, probably not much.
There’s nothing in today’s announcement suggesting RAW, SmackDown, NXT or WWE’s Premium Live Events are heading to DAZN. WWE’s current media rights deals remain exactly the same, with RAW airing on Netflix in the United States, SmackDown on USA Network, NXT on The CW and Premium Live Events staying on Peacock.
Internationally, Netflix continues to carry most WWE programming under the company’s global streaming deal.
What does change is TKO’s relationship with one of the biggest streaming companies in sports.
Instead of simply doing business in the same industry, TKO will now have a financial stake in DAZN’s future success. That gives WWE’s parent company exposure to another rapidly growing part of the sports business: streaming technology, commercial distribution and international media.
There’s also the bigger picture. Since the WWE-UFC merger, TKO has consistently looked for ways to grow beyond promoting wrestling and MMA. The company has expanded into live events, production, technology and sports media, and this investment fits right into that strategy.
EverPass also gives DAZN something it didn’t previously have: an established commercial platform that brings live sports into bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels. As more sports continue moving away from traditional television and toward streaming, that side of the business could become increasingly valuable, not just for DAZN, but for companies like TKO that now have a stake in its growth.
It’s also an interesting development considering DAZN already has a massive presence in professional wrestling through its partnership with AEW. So, WWE’s parent company will now own part of one of the biggest streaming platforms already carrying wrestling content around the world.
Whether that relationship eventually grows into something bigger remains to be seen.
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