DAZN has signed a partnership with Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market, that will see prediction trading become a feature of its live sports broadcasts.
The global sports platform is applying for a license to introduce the service for its users in the US.
Licenses are issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission which operates on a federal basis, rather than DAZN needing individual gambling licenses from each US state.
If that proves successful, DAZN will explore the possibility of launching the service in other countries.
Integrating Polymarket Into Live Broadcasts
The goal here is to boost user engagement by adding a new dimension to the platform’s sports coverage.
Polymarket data will be integrated into DAZN’s live broadcasts giving an instant snapshot into how fans believe key moments and swings in momentum will affect the result of sporting fixtures.
“Every sporting event is a conversation about what happens next,” said Shayne Coplan, Polymarket founder and CEO.
“Polymarket turns that conversation into real-time probabilities, shaped by millions of users around the world.
“Through our first-of-its-kind partnership with DAZN, we’re embedding those insights directly into the viewing experience, from boxing to the Champions League, so fans can track momentum, debate outcomes, and engage with sports in a way that’s never existed before.”
Will Prediction Markets Work In The UK?
Prediction markets enjoyed a breakout year through 2025 in the US but have been around for a lot longer.
It is a space dominated by Coplan’s Polymarket, which was launched in 2020, and rival Kalshi which became a federally regulated product the following year.
A prediction market is an exchange where users trade on yes or no answers on the outcome of real-world events.
The format’s spike in popularity occurred during the US presidential election in October 2024.
A controversial move into the sporting world in January last year offered US fans an alternative to traditional sports betting.
Popularity increased rapidly to the point where South Park saw prediction markets as fair game for an animated take down.
Conflict Of Interest during season 27 saw the boys checking out peer-to-peer betting on markets such as “Will Kyle’s mom strike Gaza and destroy a Palestinian Hospital?’
In a surreal moment of life imitating art, Polymarket ran an exchange on the up-coming episode.
Users were presented with a list of phrases and asked: ‘What will be said during South Park prediction market episode tonight?’
The closest we have seen to an exchange in the UK is Betfair.
Guernsey-based betting company Matchbook is working on the UK’s first prediction markets model with plans to launch soon.
DAZN To Become The Spotify Of Sport
At the same time as the details of the partnership with Polymarket were revealed, DAZN CEO Shay Segev was addressing an industry audience in Barcelona.
Speaking at the annual ICE iGaming forum, Segev laid out DAZN’s ambition to become sport’s equivalent of Spotify.
It is a mantra that Segev repeated through 2025, during which DAZN secured exclusive coverage of FIFA’s Club World Cup.
The worldwide streaming platform holds a raft of exclusive sports rights, including domestic coverage of LaLiga in Spain, Ligue 1 in France and prides itself in being the ‘undisputed global home of boxing’.
It’s reach extends to 200 countries and territories.
“Our vision in DAZN is that we want every customer around the world to use DAZN as the go‑to, as the destination platform for sport,” he said.
Convergence is a key word for sports media companies looking to engage users by combining live coverage with iGaming products.
An additional benefit, according to Segev, is that creating a one-stop shop reduces a user’s need to seek unregistered services.
Segev gave Spotify’s affect on the music marketplace as an example, explaining that it helped eliminate illegal streaming.
“What solved piracy was actually the user experience,” he said.
“Spotify just becomes a convenient product.
“You pay nine or 10 dollars a month, you get all the music you want.
“You didn’t need to download illegal songs.”
Converging Sports Content For The Future
“If you think about sport, you want to watch live content, you want to watch news, you want to get pictures, you want real‑time stats, you want communities and social, everything in one destination,” he said.
“We’re building the global daily destination of a global platform for sport fans.”
That includes providing an interactive social platform, FanZone, and a betting service which is integrated seamlessly into the viewing experience.
The aim for DAZN Bet is that it becomes an interactive experience complementing the live sports coverage, rather than following the model of traditional sportsbooks.
“We don’t want to create just another betting site,” he said.
“When you go to DAZN, you go because you like sports.
“If you want to bet, it’s a completely optional product.”
By providing a complete ecosystem of sports content, it will reduce temptation for users to look for illegal alternatives.
“Piracy is by far the biggest threat for the sport rights and sport media industry,” said Segev.
“We want to make sure we build DAZN to a place where the user experience is such that even if you try to pirate the content, you will lose a lot.”
