DAZN Continues on Regional Sports Dominance - Amoh Sports Media | A Column by Nana Kofi Amoh

Nana Kofi Amoh

Nov 20262 min read

Editor's Note

Amoh Sports Media is a syndicated column by Nana Kofi Amoh — creator of Amoh Sports Media and sports media analyst tracking the shifting economics of live sports broadcasting. This piece explores DAZN’s accelerating regional blitz: securing streaming rights for the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Southern California's Angels Broadcast Television (ABTV). Amoh outlines the emerging hybrid blueprint for local sports—where franchises retain ownership of their linear brand and broadcast rights while outsourcing direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming infrastructure to platforms like DAZN and ViewLift.

Just when you thought DAZN was satisfied with its current regional sports streaming rights portfolio, it turns out that it is continuing to push to be the number one regional sports platform with authority.

Hornets, Grizzlies, and the ABTV Deal

The streaming platform once again made headlines by landing streaming rights for the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies in addition to Angels Broadcast Television, which houses the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Kings.

For the Hornets and Grizzlies, the agreement answers the question of where fans were going to stream these teams in the midwest and south. Fans are now able to get expanded access, live and on-demand viewing, multi-device convenience and enhanced fan experience for these teams. With DAZN’s platform aligning with the local presence that both the Hornets and Grizzlies have, fans are able to get closer to their respective teams ahead of the start of the NBA season. This now leaves the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers as the remaining NBA teams that are looking to have their streaming rights housed. At the moment, the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks are having their games broadcast on their local stations while the Los Angeles Clippers are truly without a home to have their local games aired.

The SoCal Hybrid: Kings and Angels on ABTV

Now DAZN’s agreement with ABTV is more interesting because ABTV was initially created as a standalone regional sports network by the Los Angeles Angels and Kings to have full control of their own local media rights infrastructure. Ahead of the NHL season, ABTV will continue as the Kings local television home through participating cable and satellite providers with DAZN being an additional layer for subscribers in the Southern California and Hawaii territories to stream pregame, live, and postgame coverage. With the Los Angeles Angels regular season coming to a close in a week, Angels fans will also get the new streaming experience when the 2027 MLB season rolls around (if there is one).

The Outsource Playbook

I have been on record stating that MLB, NBA, and NHL teams should be operating with building their own RSNs to maintain their local media rights because no one knows their own fanbase and audience other than the teams themselves. At the same time, teams are aware that fandom needs to continue to grow in order to keep their relevance with their leagues. With DAZN and ViewLift under the streaming platform’s umbrella, these agreements allow different ways for fans to watch their teams in a personalized manner from a streaming perspective. It gives teams another strategy to have their inventory monetized. All in all, teams should retain control of the local media brand and rights while outsourcing the DTC streaming portion to DAZN and other streaming platforms. With ABTV’s agreement with DAZN, it may be a matter of time whether or not they knock on the door of BravesVision (Atlanta Braves’ in-house RSN) to get an agreement in.