Murdoch’s News Corp to sell Australian unit Foxtel to Britain’s DAZN for $2 billion

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has agreed to sell its Australian cable TV unit Foxtel to British-owned sports network DAZN for 3.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.1 billion) including debt, cutting the media empire’s exposure to a business upended by streaming platforms.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has agreed to sell its Australian cable TV unit Foxtel to British-owned sports network DAZN for 3.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.1 billion) including debt, cutting the media empire’s exposure to a business upended by streaming platforms. News Corp will gain a board seat and hold a 6% stake in DAZN, a London-headquartered global streaming platform available in North America, Europe and Asia and backed by Ukrainian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik. DAZN is a broadcasting partner for Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1. It competes against traditional TV and satellite channels and provides access to a range of sports content, including American football, boxing and baseball, over its streaming platform. “Australians watch more sport than any other country in the world, which makes this deal an incredibly exciting opportunity for DAZN to enter a key market, marking another step in our long-term strategy to become the global home of sport,” said DAZN co-founder and CEO Shay Segev. Foxtel, launched by News Corp in 1995, has weighed on the media giant’s profits for years as the number of people who pay monthly subscriptions for its broadcast content switched to cheaper streaming options like Netflix (NFLX). It has tried to diversify by adding its own streaming services like Kayo, which livestreams local sports Australian Football League and the National Rugby League, to win back sports broadcasting market share. It also shows ESPN.