Sports streamer DAZN partnered with TikTok to air a live English football match for free, a first-of-its-kind deal for the social platform, as reported by Advanced Television. The game featured a fifth-tier National League clash between Southend United and Carlisle United.
Scrolling for fans: The partnership is a clear play for a younger, digital-native audience, moving the broadcast off traditional subscription services and onto a platform where potential fans are already scrolling. In a company announcement, Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at DAZN, called the initiative an “important moment,” adding that it's designed to help clubs “grow their engagement, tell their stories and reach wider audiences.”
Expanding the playbook: The tie-up is a natural fit for TikTok, which calls football the “#1 sport our users follow,” according to its UK Sports Lead, Abbie Raybould. The TikTok stream follows another recent distribution play from DAZN, which just launched its service on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and US.
A strategic assist: Beyond the tech and media implications, the stream serves a strategic purpose for the league itself. The high-profile broadcast is designed to “shine a spotlight on the National League,” according to its CEO Phil Alexander, and build momentum for its “3UP” campaign, which seeks an additional promotion spot in the English Football League.
This experiment signals a major test for the future of sports broadcasting, where accessibility on social platforms could begin to challenge the long-dominant subscription paywall model. DAZN's push into new formats comes as the streamer navigates both significant financial losses and the volatile European sports media landscape. Meanwhile, for more details on the partnership, you can read the official announcement from the National League.
