Foxtel Media Rebrands as DAZN Media+: ‘We Are Closer to the Action Than Ever Before’

Foxtel Upfronts
Supplied

Foxtel Media has officially rebranded as DAZN Media+, it was announced at the company’s 2027 Upfronts on Thursday night.

The rebrand follows DAZN’s acquisition of Foxtel Group in 2025 and marks the next phase for the business representing the advertising interests of Kayo SPORTS, BINGE, Foxtel and Foxtel Go.

DAZN Media+ unveiled its new brand at The Cutaway in Barangaroo, positioning the Australian operation within DAZN’s wider global sports business. DAZN says it operates in more than 200 markets, reaches 300 million viewers globally and delivers more than 90,000 live events each year.

The new brand identity and architecture were developed by DAZN’s in-house Australian creative team, BALBOA. DAZN also says it invests more than $1 billion a year in sports rights and production in Australia.

Mark Frain, CEO, DAZN Media+, said: “DAZN Media+ isn’t just a new name – it’s a declaration of what we can now offer brands across Australia. We are closer to the action than ever before: from where we point the cameras, to the stadiums where the action unfolds, to the creators who extend the conversation beyond the final whistle.

“We will continue to serve our partners, brands and agencies with the same passion and commitment, now backed by smarter tools and a more powerful global ecosystem. It’s the same team, with even more to offer – and we’re only just getting started.”

One of the major additions to the 2027 advertising offer is Sports Audience Graph, a multi-sport fan database built from six million first-party sports fans since Kayo SPORTS launched in 2018.

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The platform will combine viewing behaviour with information including club membership, demographic data, brand affinity and verified transaction data. DAZN Media+ said advertisers will be able to use the information for planning and targeting, then measure campaigns against purchasing behaviour.

The system is also designed to help sports clubs and codes better understand the commercial value of their audiences. This includes identifying levels of fandom, where supporters are located and the categories and brands with which they engage.

Nev Hasan, chief sales officer, DAZN Media+, said: “The Australian sports ecosystem is data-rich but insight-poor. With Sports Audience Graph, brands can finally connect the dots and tell the bigger story, using the wealth of data from clubs, codes, ticketing platforms and retailers.

“By bringing these signals together in a privacy-safe way, marketers can move beyond demographics to understand the real behaviours and passions of their audience – driving more relevant campaigns, more effective media investment and stronger commercial outcomes for brands, rights-holders and fans alike.”

Sports Audience Graph will become available to DAZN Media+ agency and brand partners from 2027.

DAZN Media+ has also partnered with AudienceProject to introduce independent cross-media audience measurement across its video portfolio from 2027.

The arrangement will combine campaign delivery data from DAZN Media+ platforms with AudienceProject’s independent audience panel. Advertisers will be able to assess demographics, co-viewing, reach, frequency and audience overlap across streaming and linear television under a consistent methodology.

The partnership follows AudienceProject’s collaboration with the Video Futures Collective, of which DAZN Media+ is a founding member.

DAZN Media+ said earlier cross-platform analysis found streaming added 36 per cent reach to AFL campaigns and 27 per cent to NRL campaigns. The new system is intended to make incremental reach measurement available on an ongoing basis across platforms including Kayo SPORTS, BINGE and Foxtel Go alongside linear TV.

Thomas Gregers Honoré, CEO, AudienceProject, said: “Bringing that experience to Australia is an important next step for the market, and our work with DAZN Media+ will help accelerate the adoption of more robust, comparable measurement as streaming continues to grow.”

The company will also introduce an AI-powered Sales Agent in 2027, designed to give advertisers, agencies and technology partners more direct access to its video inventory, pricing and campaign information.

The agentic trading system will allow buyer agents to discover available inventory, formats, dayparts, audiences and pricing. It will also support proposal changes, buying and queries about live campaign performance.

Hasan said the technology was intended to reduce administration rather than replace people involved in media buying.

“This is not about replacing the relationships and expertise that sit behind great media buying. It is about harnessing AI to give buyers and our sales teams better, faster access to the information they need, streamlining buying workflows and creating a more seamless way to transact,” he said.

The upfronts also marked an expansion beyond the screen, with DAZN Media+ partnering with sporting screen technology company SureVision to sell in-stadium advertising inventory.

DAZN Media+ will become the principal partner for SureVision’s 2027 in-stadium assets, including perimeter ribbon signage, scoreboards and wayfinding. SureVision’s network includes venues such as the Gabba and 4 Pines Park.

The agreement gives advertisers the option to combine broadcast advertising, program integrations and social media activity with advertising inside sporting venues.

Frain said: “Brands want ecosystems, not isolated assets, and this partnership is the first of many for DAZN Media+ as we help embed brands at the heart of the action, on the field, in the broadcast and beyond.”

Nicholas Ebbeck, CEO, SureVision, said: “We’re delighted to partner with DAZN Media+ to unlock the power of our best-in-class stadium display networks and bring more brands to the table to support our Australian sports teams and codes, making it simpler to build a truly connected sports presence.”

Taken together, the announcements position the DAZN Media+ name as more than a change to Foxtel Media’s branding. Its 2027 pitch brings together first-party sports data, independent cross-media measurement, automated trading and advertising inventory extending from streaming and linear television into sporting venues.

While the Foxtel, Kayo SPORTS and BINGE consumer brands remain central to the Australian operation, the advertising business will now carry the DAZN Media+ identity as it draws more directly on the parent company’s global technology and sports footprint.