In Tokyo and want to watch this weekend¡¯s Mayweather-McGregor superfight? You won¡¯t need a satellite dish or a sports bar ¡ª just an app.
Japan¡¯s boxing fans can view the $500-million bout, the richest global sporting event this year, with their smartphone and a $15 subscription to DAZN, a U.K.-owned sports streaming service that¡¯s seeking to turn sports nuts into cord cutters.
The shift to OTT ¡ª over-the-top, or non-traditional ¡ª web-based broadcasting is shaking up the landscape in a country where network TV still dominates. In the past year, apps backed by billionaires Masayoshi Son and Len Blavatnik have begun offering live and on-demand streaming, ramping up spending on rights in a fight for customers that offers a glimpse into the future of global sports broadcasting.
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