DAZN to exit deals as Twitch launches sports category

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UK sports streaming service DAZN is set to exit multiple soccer broadcasting deals, while Twitch has launched a sports category and partnered with several elite soccer clubs.

SportsPro has reported that DAZN will end its contract to broadcast the UEFA Champions league in Asia.

DAZN owns the rights from 2018 to 2021 for the Champions League and Europa League for Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Bloomberg reported that COVID-19 and the major changes to the schedule caused by the pandemic are the main reasons for DAZN seeking to back out of the agreement.

DAZN only ever launched a platform in Japan. The company ended up sublicensing the rights to other providers for the other nations. Both Bloomberg and SportsPro suggested that DAZN has made a loss on this broadcasting deal.

DAZN has also exited its deal to broadcast Serie A in Brazil, SportBusiness has reported that the streaming service has cancelled the arrangement despite there being another year left on the agreement.

The English Premier League, Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer are also broadcasted by DAZN in Brazil.

Meanwhile Twitch, a live video streaming service known for Esports and gaming, has signed strategic partnerships with Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal.

Each club will have their own channel and create content for the platform such as streaming press conferences, friendlies, or youth matches.

Twitch also created a new sports category, meaning users will be able to find all of the sports streams in one section on Twitch.

These elite European football clubs are not the only sports teams or organisations to have deals with Twitch. Some English Premier League games were streamed on the platform last month, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association were also broadcast on Twitch.

Twitch also has deals with England’s Rugby Football League and America’s National Women’s Soccer League.

These sporting organisations provide a range of content for the platform – whether it be live games or reruns of famous matches such as the NBA’s ‘Top Ten Games of the Season’.

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Global Institute of Sport brings AI-powered football analytics into the classroom

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Image Credits: Global Institute of Sport

Technology has for a long time shaped how football clubs analyse players, prepare for matches and make decisions, and that technology is now officially entering the classroom.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS) has partnered with Impact Soccer to bring AI and computer vision-powered football analytics into its programs.

The partnership will give GIS students hands-on access to advanced analysis technology, and help students understand how artificial intelligence is changing the modern football industry.

Turning Match Footage Into Data

Football analysis has traditionally relied on coaches and analysts watching hours of video, but that process can now be sped up by artificial intelligence.

Impact Soccer uses computer vision and AI to analyse football footage, with its technology able to turn player actions and movements into structured data. The system can also analyse what happens away from the ball. It’s possible to connect YouTube content or upload your own, which Impact Soccer then analyses.

Preparing the Next Generation

Not every important action involves the ball. Players constantly move into space, create passing options and make runs that affect defenders, but these actions can be difficult to measure manually.

Impact Soccer’s technology aims to quantify this off-the-ball influence. Its Impact IQ platform analyses player positioning and movement to provide more information about their impact on the game.

For students, this creates new ways to study football. They can look beyond simple goals, assists and passes and explore how movement and positioning affect a team’s performance. This allows GIS students better access to information that ensures the coaches of tomorrow can make more informed decisions. The partnership is also beneficial for tomorrow’s administrators: sporting directors and scouts also able to gain a broader reading on players where they may or may not spend their club’s finances.

Adding the Next Layer

Football clubs continue to invest in data and technology. Computer vision can track players. GPS systems measure movement. Video analysis helps coaches study matches.

AI is now adding another layer. Students entering the industry will increasingly encounter these technologies in their daily work, and this prior experience during their education can help prepare them for that environment.

Bordeaux face uncertain future after American investor withdrawal

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Image Credits: EuropeanBestDestinations.com

Girondins de Bordeaux face their biggest crisis yet after their exclusion from France’s national competitions was upheld and proposed investor Park Bench walked away from a takeover. The club is on the brink of liquidation after poor financial management and failed ownership takeovers. The Paris Administrative Court rejected Bordeaux’s appeal in August. The court backed the decision that prevents the club from playing in national competitions for the 2026-27 season. Bordeaux will therefore this season remain in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football.

The ruling followed a financial dispute with French football’s financial regulator, the DNCG. Bordeaux had presented additional financial guarantees after its previous hearing. The court ruled that those commitments could not be considered as part of that procedure.

The decision has now had a major impact on the club’s ownership plans. Park Bench, the US investment group working with Sparta Capital, has withdrawn from its proposed takeover. The group said its offer depended on Bordeaux remaining in the national championships. With that condition no longer possible, Park Bench decided not to proceed.

The withdrawal leaves Bordeaux in a difficult position. The club had hoped new investment would provide financial stability and help rebuild its sporting operation. Instead, the failure of the takeover leaves the future of the six-time French champions uncertain. Bordeaux has already endured several years of financial problems. The club lost its professional status in 2024 after bankruptcy proceedings and a previous administrative relegation. It then rebuilt its senior team in the second and third tiers of French football.

The latest exclusion represents another major setback. Bordeaux now needs to find a way to keep the club operating outside the national leagues. That means securing funding, meeting its financial obligations and establishing a sustainable ownership structure. The threat of judicial liquidation now hangs over the club.

In a statement issued in late August, Bordeaux said it would explore every remaining legal option after the administrative court ruling. But with Park Bench no longer backing the proposed takeover, the club has fewer options available.

The next priority will be survival. Bordeaux must find new financial backing or another solution to protect the club from liquidation. For one of France’s most historic and successful clubs, the immediate target is no longer a return to Ligue 1. It is simply making sure there is a club left to climb back.

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