DAZN’S Skipper Discusses Subscription Goals

DAZN made a massive splash in signing middleweight ace Gennady Golovkin, and they touted the deal Monday, in a Los Angeles press conference.

Three years..six fights…terms undisclosed, but nine figures…

DAZN boss John Skipper attended the presser and made a good impression, not like an above-it-all exec, but instead someone who has a vested interest in seeing a project succeed, a project that he is fond of.

The deal-maker, formerly of ESPN, was asked how happy he is about the subscriptions that DAZN has tallied since their Sept. 22, 2018 roll-out in America.

On how you feel 1-10 on number of subscriptions (1 miserable, 10 ecstatic): “I will be at a ten, but I don’t know when exactly, but I will be at a ten. We have had good success and one landmark event and that’s the Canelo fight.” He refers of course to the May 4 Canelo vs Danny Jacobs title defense, for the Mexican standout, in Las Vegas.

“I expect to have four to five landmark events this year and to move to from my current three or four,” Skipper continued, “which means I’m satisfied with where I need to be towards knowing what we need to accomplish in the long run and that’s when I’ll be at a ten.”

I've not seen much or really anything in the way of numbers, how many subs DAZN has enjoyed. Rival promoter Bob Arum made reference to 16,000 gained in their early days, but this DAZN squad hasn't ponied up a numeral. Skipper hasn't, exec Joe Markowski won't. I'd say they want to hit a nice round and large number, and then they'll start crowing a bit. Certainly, the boxers making the out-sized paydays, and fight fans who'd prefer not to dig in to their pockets for the PPV purchases are hoping to see substantial sub growth, like Skipper is.