The combination of a number one domestic event and a technological innovation taking place globally in the field of sports streaming rights may seem strange, but the moves by Oneplay from the PPF group and the DAZN platform have more than one thing in common. PPF has bet the farm on a new, content-heavy platform in the Czech Republic, driven not only by home entertainment in the form of original Oneplay shows, for example, but also by exclusive sports rights held by the former O2 TV.
A look at Oneplay's sports section shows that PPF is implementing trends from other global markets into Czech conditions. We are thinking in particular of the major transformation of the online platform DAZN in April. If we put Czech and global services side by side, we find a number of common denominators. DAZN has de facto turned into an internet television.
DAZN: The Global Home of Sport
The slogan "Global Home of Sports" appears in a new animation right after the launch of the DAZN app itself, which is available on several platforms. As we've described before, last year also saw the first FAST channels appear on DAZN, including NFL Network, PGA Tour, Motorvision and others. The content news was accompanied by a visual rebranding to best sell users on each sport.
However, DAZN has now unveiled more news. One of them, for example, is a menu located on the left side of the screen. While this orientation was also used in the previous version of the signpost, each sport now has its own category. In addition, there is a new Live TV menu item that relies exclusively on the distribution of FAST channels. Since April, an important component has been added, which is the EPG programme guide. Most of the programmes are (with about two exceptions) available for free.
Even a non-paying fan wants the maximum
As our readers may know, DAZN is divided into two parts - paid and completely free, or uses a freemium model, a combination of the two. So the content is mixed together and the two categories are not separate in any way, but intertwined. The paid content, however, is recognisable to the viewer at a glance - it has a lock. However, the non-paying viewer does not miss out either. In addition to a number of women's sports, men's sports can also be watched. For several months in advance, DAZN has been attracted to the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be broadcast from 14 June to 13 July.
For free, DAZN is now also broadcasting chess tournaments from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris, for example. That the services inspire each other far beyond our borders is evidenced by the Live and Coming Up section, which resembles a Max video library with a selection of Eurosport channels. The viewer also has a calendar of upcoming events, for which they can see whether they will be available for free or for a fee (again with the castle symbol). After the end of the SportsTribal platform, DAZN is the clear choice for free sports broadcasts for Czech users as well.
Netflix already has a separate sports section
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That sports content is king is evidenced by Netflix's move to completely absorb the content of the former WWE Network streaming service as of this year. It was only a matter of the near future when the global giant would decide to make wrestling a separate section. And that moment is now, as Wreslemania 41, WWE's main event of the year, will be exclusively available on the platform on April 21.
Netflix is using a tried-and-true carousel system for this section with multiple tiles. The site can endlessly flip between competitions like RAW, NXT or Smack Down, and Wrestlemania itself has been given its own section. The look of the WWE section on Smart TVs is slightly different, but very simply put, they both look virtually the same.
DAZN, new look for 2025Source: mediaguru.cz