DAZN: SURJ Sports (PIF) becomes a minority shareholder ($1bn) & a DAZN MENA joint venture created

SURJ Sports Investment, a sports investment company launched in 2023 and owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has become a minority shareholder in DAZN, announced the UK streaming platform on 17/02/2025.

"SURJ and DAZN will work closely to establish DAZN MENA, a joint venture that will unlock new broadcasting opportunities for Saudi Arabia's growing sports sector and accelerate fans' access to live and on-demand sports content. The partnership aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia as a leading market for sports investments," explained the platform, whose majority shareholder is Access Industries. Access Industries, which also owns Warner Music Group and music streaming platform Deezer, was founded by Ukrainian-born British-American entrepreneur Len Blavatnik (whose fortune is estimated at $40bn).

This announcement comes after several months of discussions between DAZN and the PIF. The latter had already expressed an interest in acquiring a 10% minority stake in DAZN, as reported by Reuters on 07/10/2024. SURJ Sports Investments eventually acquired a stake of less than 10…