DAZN announces the creation of DAZN X, a new hub for innovation that will be tasked with "socializing" the streaming of sports events
It is called DAZN X and will be a "hub for innovation" within DAZN Group, the UK parent company of DAZN Italy and the 30 other national broadcasters operating in Europe, the United States, South America and Asia. DAZN X is the result of DAZN's acquisition, completed in early November 2021, of Israel-based Texel by DAZN.
Texel, in turn, was born with the motto "Socializing streams" and is in charge, precisely, of "socializing" streaming platforms: "With more and more people streaming their favorite video content on their screens, users now expect their streaming services to be more compelling, richer and more engaging. They want to interact, play and shop with their friends and communities, in sync and in real time with the content they choose. They want their streams to be socialized," reads Texel's website, which is still active. That's exactly what DAZN X will be: a division within DAZN Group in which the 50 employees coming from Texel will work in order to make the experience more "social" on the platform that, in Italy, broadcasts Serie A.
From Texel to DAZN X
The transition from Texel to DAZN X, according to what DAZN Group says, will be virtually painless and transparent. Texel employees will continue to perform the same activities as before, focusing their efforts solely on DAZN. The goal is to allow DAZN to become interactive.
That is, to allow the DAZN viewer to interact with the platform in real time, especially during the broadcast of sporting events. "We want to revolutionize the sports viewing experience by making it more exciting, more social and even more engaging," explains Shay Segev, co-CEO of DAZN. "The acquisition of Texel and the launch of DAZN X represent a significant acceleration of our strategy and position us as a leader in sports innovation worldwide."
DAZN X in practice
DAZN X will bring, probably very shortly, several new features to the markets where DAZN is currently active, including Italy. In practice, the DAZN viewer will be able to interact with a community formed by other DAZN users, connected at the same time, talking, playing or making purchases.
A sort of social within DAZN, or more social: it is in fact not to be excluded, given that the main product of DAZN in Europe is soccer, that specific communities will be created for each soccer team. It is also not to be excluded that DAZN X will be made available to teams to sell their merchandising.
The possibilities of DAZN X, therefore, are many and its arrival was not only predictable, but also desirable given the natively online nature of DAZN: the Internet is a connection, streaming is just a transmission. Adding a connecting channel, like DAZN X, to a broadcasting platform, like DAZN, was therefore the logical next step.
All of this will intersect, starting with the 2022/23 football season, with the two new subscriptions just announced by DAZN. Next year, then, watching a game via streaming will be a far cry from what we're used to today.