Dazn, World Cup test to push subscriber numbers and loyalty
The platform will have all the 104 matches and 69 exclusively. Dazn Italia CEO Stefano Azzi: 'Important step'. In addition to the current distribution partners Tim and Amazon, new alliances are expected to push the World Cup in the app
Italia will not be there. And for Dazn, the 2026 World Cup will be an editorial, commercial and technological challenge at the same time. Because that of the USA, Canada and Mexico will be the first World Cup to be brought into an app in Italia: 104 matches, 69 exclusive (the others will also be played by Rai), thirty-nine days of football, 16 hours of live coverage per day, highlights, original content and integration with Fifa+. "It is a very important milestone for us: for the first time the World Cup on the app," says Stefano Azzi, CEO of Dazn Italia. Alongside him, Fifa certifies the strategic weight of the operation: "We are happy to have Dazn on board, they are the only ones to cover three countries," says Romy Gai, chief business officer of Fifa, referring to Italia, Spain and Japan.
The absence of the Azzurri, it must be said, weighs heavily. Azzi admits that, after an initial positive phase, 'the fans' belly' curbed the enthusiasm of advertising sales. Then, however, the market 'recovered well', following the scenarios already predicted by Dazn in the case of a World Cup without Italia.
Of course, 'the final result is up to the 90th minute,' warns the manager. Dazn will measure the success of the operation through several indicators: advertising but also audience and, above all, the number of customers who remain active during the summer and new subscribers attracted by the tournament. The real big objective is in fact to reduce summer churn, that is, the physiological abandonment of users in the months without a Serie A 'that this year from the point of view of ratings has improved: +13%'.
The internal comparison is with last year's Club World Cup. But, explains Azzi, here the scale changes: 'The World Cup cuts through all forms of parochialism. A France-England or Spain-Argentina match can attract even those who do not usually follow club football. Dazn thus aims to turn the World Cup into a bridge to the new Serie A season. 'It will give a positive boost,' Azzi argues, also because many players from the Italia league will be protagonists with their respective national teams.
The schedule will be continuous: Wake Up from 8.30 am; 'Tutti Convocati', a programme that is among Radio 24's iconic programmes, after lunch; Copa Mundial in the afternoon; Times Square until midnight. "We will have 16 hours of live broadcasting per day and more than a thousand original dedicated contents," explains Michele Dalai, senior vice president Content of Dazn Italia.
