On Wednesday, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the international governing body for Baseball, Softball and Baseball5, announced an eight-year partnership with DAZN – a global sports streaming service and the home of European football, women’s football, boxing, MMA, and the NFL outside of the USA – to distribute WBSC content for the next eight years.

Under the new agreement, DAZN will distribute WBSC’s extensive portfolio of premium events across all available markets worldwide, including flagship competitions such as the Premier12, the WBSC World Cups and the Olympic Qualifiers in designated territories.

According to an announcement issued by the WBSC:

“This partnership significantly expands DAZN’s global sports offering and will provide unprecedented access for baseball and softball fans across the world.”

As part of the deal, DAZN will have exclusive rights in the U.S. to broadcast the highly anticipated Premier12 tournament, taking place this November, on their OTT channel where fans will be able to access the action through their DAZN subscription.

“We are delighted to partner with the WBSC to distribute its marquee baseball and softball events globally,” said Shay Segev, the DAZN Group CEO.

“The combination of DAZN’s reach and WBSC’s compelling competitions will significantly elevate the visibility of these sports. We are excited to deliver a dynamic viewing experience for fans around the world, with extensive coverage and innovative features across our platform.”

Riccardo Fraccari, the WBSC President, added:

“We are thrilled with this new partnership with DAZN and what it means for baseball & softball fans around the world.”

“International baseball/softball is experiencing unprecedented popularity as the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games begins and this new partnership using DAZN’s distribution expertise and network will allow more fans to enjoy the WBSC’s flagship tournament – the WBSC Premier12 – and the rest of our exciting portfolio of Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 tournaments.”  

Leveraging its global distribution technology, DAZN offers live and on-demand content.

The new partnership started this week with the Premier12 2024 – a showcase of top international baseball talent held yesterday (Thursday, Nov. 24) – as the first major tournament under the agreement.

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About WBSC:

Headquartered in Pully, Switzerland — adjacent to Lausanne, the Olympic Capital — the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for baseball and softball, including all international competitions involving official National Teams.

In softball, these include the Softball World Cups as well as the softball events at the Olympic Games.