Sports streaming platform DAZN is entering a new phase of restructuring, as it continues to reduce its workforce at its London office while expanding its presence in Europe and India.
As part of this restructuring, DAZN's Executive Vice Chairman, John Gleasure, is stepping down from his current role to take on a non-executive position, although this decision is unrelated to the broader changes taking place in the UK.
The exact number of employees affected by these changes in the London office is not yet known, but it is estimated to be in the double figures. The impact is most significant for those working in engineering and data analysis roles. Earlier in the year, DAZN announced around 50 redundancies at its London headquarters, constituting approximately 5% of its UK workforce at the time. In parallel, about 50 staff members were hired in Spain.
Despite the reductions in the London office, DAZN plans to double the size of its engineering team over the next 12 months and is actively recruiting for positions in its offices in Hyderabad, Poland, and the Netherlands. The Indian office, in particular, is leading the way with a new 'factory' model aimed at expediting internal processes and the speed at which DAZN products are launched in local markets.
These changes are part of a broader strategy to decentralize DAZN operations and rebalance internal skill sets, allowing more autonomy for local management. Overall, DAZN is expected to have a net gain in staff by the end of the year.
These developments occur within the context of significant changes in the European sports streaming market. DAZN was in talks to acquire BT Sport in the UK, but the deal did not materialize. Instead, BT Sport formed a 50-50 joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Subsequently, DAZN pursued acquisitions of rival sports streaming platform Eleven Group and digital sports media firm Team Whistle. DAZN is also aggressively expanding into areas such as betting, e-commerce, and NFTs, while adding features like watch parties, social content, and interactivity to its service. It is planning to introduce a free-tier platform next year.
DAZN's CEO, Shay Segev, has been described as having ambitious and aggressive plans, which require significant development work, leading to recruitment efforts across various engineering hubs. Segev assumed the role of sole CEO in January, with co-founder James Rushton shifting his focus to international markets, rights, and content.
Former Sky executive John Gleasure, a long-standing member of DAZN since its inception in 2016, is transitioning to a reduced non-executive role. He initially joined the company as Chief Commercial Officer and was later promoted to Executive Vice Chairman in 2020. It's worth noting that DAZN's Chairman is former Disney chief and Candle Media co-founder Kevin Mayer.