Nikkhil Muthu

When it comes to following your favorite fighters or boxers, the fights typically come at a large Pay-per-view (PPV) cost. A DAZN subscription helps with that cost and offers viewers so much more.

DAZN (pronounced da-zone) is a sports streaming service that finds most of its coverage within boxing and mixed martial arts action. At $19.99 per month, combat sports fans can enjoy a cheaper alternative than $80 PPV events each weekend.

Though DAZN finds its primary audience in combat sports, the service also covers various soccer leagues, extreme sports, billiards, and even eSports. That said, if you’re someone who wants to watch more obscure sports along with boxing and MMA, a DAZN subscription could be just what you need.

Whenever I subscribe to a new streaming service, I scroll through the menus and navigate the interface to familiarize myself with the platform. While the interface isn’t the flashiest like Prime Video or Netflix, the organization of the content makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

From the main screen, there are pages you can click on, like Home, Schedule, and Sports. Although the page options aren’t abundant on its main screen, the simplicity of the layout makes the user experience a tad bit easier. But, included in the main content on the page, you’ll find categories like what’s playing now, what events are coming up, and DAZN original shows.

Although I found the layout straightforward, and my experience of navigating the page was practically seamless on my laptop, it was a bit harder to do on a Fire Stick. Just note that streaming sticks may need some updates to the application design.

DAZN offers two payment plans — monthly and yearly — for its service, and both give you the same options. The content doesn’t vary drastically among different sports, as boxing and mixed martial arts are the service’s specialty. But, in addition to fighting, DAZN offers coverage of eSports, darts, soccer, and extreme sports within the U.S.

Unlike a streaming platform like ESPN Plus or FloSports, with loads of events on any given day, DAZN lacks a lot of live coverage due to the small number of sports it covers. On the other hand, it does have live channels like Red Bull TV and Unbeaten.

The lack of live coverage can be a major downside, especially with the higher price tag DAZN carries, but the good news is all events covered on DAZN can be viewed on-demand. In addition, if you miss a punch, kick, or knockout while watching a fight, you can rewind and watch it one more time within the broadcast.

With a DAZN subscription, you can’t record or download your events to watch later or where there isn’t service. However, you can watch the replay of your favorite events from the on-demand selection. Unfortunately, the replays of events last only one month before they expire from the service.

When testing out this service to review, I received an error message when attempting to access highlights of a fight from the week prior. But after a quick refresh of the page, I was able to watch the video without any further interruptions.

When using this service to watch the two live channels DAZN offers, my viewing experience was perfect. However, this may vary based on the quality of your internet connection. While viewing the live channels, the only option you have to change the quality is the volume slider in the bottom left of the screen.

When it came to streaming replays and on-demand content, once the show or event loaded, the quality was clear without interruptions from buffering. But, while you can stream content on-demand in 1080p, the live broadcasts of events are streamed only in 720p.

Unlike many streaming platforms today, you can’t create multiple profiles on a DAZN account. But DAZN allows for five devices to be connected to an account, and up to two concurrent streams are allowed. There is practically no customization available with a DAZN account, making it a very straightforward process to watch your content.

When it comes to the security of your account, DAZN makes sure nobody can access your account with an email verification that must take place to remove a red “Unverified” box from the account settings on the website. Additionally, you can change your password from the same account settings page, making security a top priority on this service.

A DAZN subscription wouldn’t be a purchase on the horizon for someone like myself who’s a fan of multiple sports but not really into boxing. Though the service has high-quality fight coverage, the lack of other sports coverage is a mark missed by DAZN that could help the service capture a wider subscriber base.

On a brighter note, MMA and boxing PPVs can get expensive if you are constantly watching fights. As the annual subscription to DAZN costs $149.99, if you watch two or more fights in a year, the service practically pays for itself since you get to avoid the additional cost of a subscription each time. Keep in mind, though, the fights on DAZN often feature lesser-known fighters.

Our verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars

DAZN is unique when it comes to sports streaming because it’s one of the few major services that really has its niche — boxing and MMA. That said, if you aren’t a fan of boxing or MMA, it’s likely your favorite sports won’t be broadcasted on DAZN. Because so few sports are covered, the amount of content you get for the price you pay just isn’t ideal unless you’re a big fan of PPV content.

ESPN Plus blows DAZN out of the water when it comes to the content-to-price ratio. In addition, an ESPN Plus subscription gets you access to various UFC PPV events at $74.99 per event.

Subscribing to DAZN is very simple. In fact, it takes only five steps. Always remember to check the website’s subscription details, as DAZN automatically charges your card to renew the subscription.

The process of canceling your DAZN subscription is just as simple as the sign-up process.