The Club World Cup was not a reality until one of the most important contracts in the industry was signed. Who linked FIFA with DAZN through a millionaire agreement that gave meaning to the appointment. From there the rewards were announced and the brand development of an unpublished tournament began. A window of opportunity where everything is about to build and whose strategic ideologist has been Quim Domènech (Sabadell, 1984), communicator with experience in formats such as 'El Chiringuito'that combine information and entertainment, the same mixture that distills the USA quote.
The agreement between FIFA and the Club World Cup It goes beyond retransmission of this tournament. Both agencies have joined to launch an online content service dedicated to football, FIFA+, originally launched in 2022, but will reach a new dimension. Like the one that Dazn intends, referenceing as “the football house” and reaching multiple audiences. Not only to 'Soccer' fans, but also those who come to their offer in search of motor or MMA. Always, under the philosophy of “there are no risks, only opportunities.”
How is the responsibility of being at the forefront of the contents configuration of an audiovisual giant like Dazn?
Dazn Spain was already directing, at the content level. It is a very football market, which produces and has many competitions, beyond LaLiga, such as the Premier, Series A or La Bundesliga. A few months ago I was commissioned to direct this project globally. The truth is that it is being a spectacular and total learning experience.
It has been an express preparation, because until December 4, 2024 the agreement between Dazn and FIFA was not signed. Just a few months before the appointment.
It has been a challenge, because we have done it in four or five months. Because this is a World Cup, instead of selections, clubs. And FIFA is four years old to prepare it! We have had five months not only for a country, but to think global. So, it has been a capital challenge. There will be problems, obviously, that we have not been able to identify, because the scale of this operation is very large.
We are marking a precedent. It is revolutionary to have the whole World Cup for free for the planet, just registering. But the reality is that it will be able to see in open in more than 190 countries, in 15 languages and with personalization levels market
As the football business model is now, this World Cup would not have been possible without Dazn, whose agreement holds the pyramid of rewards that has been established as attractive to convince European teams.
We are marking a precedent. It is revolutionary to have the whole World Cup for free for the planet, just registering. It is true that there is also a payment package, to see the Retransmissions in HDR quality, where, in addition, you can see the party on demand or an extended version of the highlights. But the reality is that the World Cup will be able to see in open in more than 190 countries, in 15 languages and with market customization levels. In addition, with a segmentation that has never been done before.
Quim Domènech, SVP Content de Dazn Spain and global responsible for the production of the Club World Cup, at the New Jersey Metlife Stadium, where the Club World Cup final will be played. / Dazn
The free concept or open football is against the current trend, at least in the Spanish market, where almost all of the matches are paid.
Yes, it is disruptive, but, but it does not mean that, now, obviously, all football or sport has to be open and free. But we are sending a message that it can be disruptive. That there are creative formulas to bring football to the fan. I think this is a great opportunity to do so.
How has it been to configure the global strategy and at the same time think of local markets?
It is another change of focus, because until now there has been no 'broadcast' sport at level, even if you have different markets. But right now Dazn becomes totally global with this Club World Cup.
You have implemented narrative novelties such as the cameras of the referees or monitoring of players. What 'feedback' have you received from the protagonists?
It is complicated, the clubs, by natural trend, are locked. What we have done is to convince them and tell them that, in the country of entertainment, USA, you have to offer entertainment. So it is necessary to improve access. There are a series of incentives for the teams. It is the continuous line of what we have been doing in LaLiga, where we have changed the production of football in Spain. Now we want to do it worldwide.
As there is no historical to hold on, we cannot mark an objective, because nobody knows how the numbers are going. I can only tell you that we are very surprised by the levels of records we are having
What conversion objectives to subscribers have you marked in Dazn?
As there is no historical to cling, we cannot mark an objective, because nobody knows how the numbers are going. I can only tell you that we are very surprised by the levels of records we are having. We are hallucinating. What level are we going to arrive? No one already knows. But I think it is a mixture of everything, not only how many people are going to register … how many people will see the World Cup, the feeling they are going to have, that technically everything works and then, obviously, like production.
A consumption that will be multiplatform, how is football understood in Tiktok?
We have worked to find the right balance between quiet consumption on the platform or summaries, and the interactivity with the fan. The fact of: I not only offer you the content, I also make you participate and put you in the center. That is a bit the challenge we have. It is not easy, because many times we are used to seeing the event live and that's it. It is a matter of time, to change consumption habits and make people understand that you will have a different content depending on how you consume it. With different duration and experiences.
How has the capital entry of Saudi Arabia influenced in Dazn and what brand positioning do you currently have?
The positioning is to be the global football house, the favorite fate of the fans of sport, who know that Dazn is their platform. On the subject of Saudi Arabia it is more a matter of business. It does not affect me in my part. What does demonstrate is that there is interest on the part of everyone in this business and how it is growing. It is a strategic bet.
What will be Dazn's next steps?
Now we focus on the Club World Cup and then, obviously, we will try to retain all those who discover us for the FF F regardal. We will work based on all these new audiences how we can continue to grow in the key markets, seeing how we can position ourselves following the model that we have set in our 'Core' environments such as Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal or Japan.