In a major shake-up for American sports fans across Europe and the Middle East, DAZN has clinched a landmark sublicensing agreement with Disney-owned ESPN, bringing a wave of live NCAA college football and basketball action to audiences far beyond the United States. The deal, announced on August 28, 2025, promises to transform the international college sports landscape, offering fans in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) unprecedented access to some of the biggest events on the US collegiate calendar.
DAZN, the global sports streaming powerhouse, will now showcase up to 25 live college football games and around 20 basketball games every week, covering both men’s and women’s competitions. The agreement also includes the highly anticipated March Madness tournaments for both genders, with DAZN set to broadcast all 63 games from the men’s and women’s national championship tournaments, including every matchup from the Elite Eight, Final Four, and the national championship games themselves. That’s a buffet of hoops and gridiron drama that’s sure to keep die-hard fans and curious newcomers glued to their screens.
But that’s not all—college football enthusiasts can expect the full College Football Playoff (CFP) experience, as DAZN will air every game from the post-season spectacle, including the national championship showdown and a selection of prominent Bowl Games. And for those who love the pageantry and anticipation leading up to game day, ESPN’s iconic College GameDay pre-game show is part of the package, providing expert analysis, bold predictions, and the kind of fanfare that’s become synonymous with college football Saturdays.
The reach of this deal is extensive. Fans in the UK, Ireland, Italy, the Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, and southern Europe will all benefit, as will viewers in 25 MENA nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Even sports fans in the Philippines are included in this international rollout. However, there’s a catch for viewers in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland): due to an existing ESPN arrangement with upstart streamer Dyn Media, DAZN’s college sports offering there is limited to football only. Meanwhile, France remains outside the DAZN college sports umbrella, as BeIN Sports retains exclusive rights for both college football and basketball.
For many, this agreement marks a welcome return of comprehensive college sports coverage. ESPN previously housed these rights on its ESPN Player direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform in Europe, but the service was discontinued in 2023. This left a patchwork of market-by-market deals and even some blackouts in key regions—most notably the UK, where fans were left with only three games a week on Sky Sports, one of which was always Notre Dame, thanks to a separate deal with NBC and Sky’s parent company, Comcast. The new DAZN deal is, for many viewers, a significant upgrade and a sigh of relief after a period of uncertainty.
In a strategic twist, DAZN is initially making this treasure trove of college sports content available free-to-air, with no subscription required—at least for a limited time. The move is designed to lure new users into the DAZN ecosystem, with the company hoping that the excitement of March Madness buzzer-beaters and College Football Playoff heroics will convert casual viewers into loyal fans. Down the line, DAZN plans to monetize this growing user base through e-commerce, advertising, and betting, and a paywall is likely to be introduced once the initial “freemium” period ends.
Shay Segev, DAZN Group chief executive, was quick to highlight the significance of the deal, stating, “DAZN is committed to bringing the best possible entertainment experience and a comprehensive portfolio of thrilling US college football and basketball content to fans in selected territories in Europe and MENA. Working with ESPN, this agreement allows DAZN to expand its global offering of premium North American sports properties, extending beyond NFL Game Pass and NHL.TV. It also means DAZN can broaden access to exciting US sports content and support top-tier leagues in growing their international fanbases.”
From ESPN’s side, Diego Londono, senior vice president of network and sports, EMEA at Disney, echoed the enthusiasm: “We are excited to team up with DAZN to serve sports fans across Europe during the upcoming NCAA football and basketball season. Through this agreement, fans will be able to watch some of the most competitive matchups throughout the regular season, highlighted by marquee events such as the NCAA men’s and women’s Division I Basketball tournaments, as well as the College Football Bowl games and playoffs.”
The timing couldn’t be better. With the new NCAA season just around the corner, anticipation is building for another year of underdog stories, last-second heroics, and the kind of raw emotion that only college sports can deliver. The DAZN-ESPN partnership is poised to deliver all the drama, from the roar of packed stadiums in the SEC to the nail-biting finishes of March Madness. And for fans outside the US, it’s a golden ticket to a world that’s often felt just out of reach.
Of course, regional nuances remain. In the UK, Sky Sports will continue to show live football games involving Notre Dame, preserving the tradition for Fighting Irish fans. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 conference is looking to the future, having expanded its US domestic rights deal with The CW and CBS, with new arrangements set to kick in from 2026 as the conference grows to nine members. These developments underscore the ever-evolving, sometimes dizzying world of sports media rights, where alliances shift and the only constant is change.
For DAZN, this move is another step in its rapid evolution from upstart streamer to global sports juggernaut. By integrating NFL Game Pass, NHL.TV, and now a massive slate of NCAA content, DAZN is staking its claim as the go-to platform for American sports fans abroad. For ESPN and the NCAA, the deal offers a scalable, effective way to grow the international audience for college sports—without the headaches of building and maintaining streaming infrastructure in dozens of markets.
As the new college sports season gets underway, all eyes will be on DAZN’s rollout. Will the freemium strategy pay off? Will European and MENA fans embrace college sports with the same passion as their American counterparts? One thing’s for sure: with wall-to-wall coverage, marquee matchups, and a front-row seat to college sports’ biggest moments, fans across the region have never had it so good. The action is just getting started, and the games—along with the stakes—have never been higher.