Our Rating: 8 – Excellent
DAZN PROS
- A wide range of US and international sports
- Excellent value for the money
- Generous support for a vast device range
- It’s possible to rewind events and watch them later
- Unique shows, movies, and documentaries
- Reliable customer support
DAZN CONS
- No refunds if you miss canceling the subscription
- Limited coverage for some sports
- No 4K support available
Among the growing number of sports streaming options for Canadians, DAZN (pronounced “Da Zone”) is a comparatively low-cost option for Canadian sports fans to consider. With a wide range of sports on offer, including major US leagues, DAZN should be on anyone’s shortlist for sports streaming.
In this review, we’ll give you all the details you need to determine if DAZN is the right sports streaming option for your needs. Let’s get started!
What is DAZN?
The DAZN sports streaming service sets itself apart by providing a unique combination of content in the countries it serves. Britain’s Perform Group, a digital sports media company, launched the service in German-speaking countries in August 2016. It expanded into Japan and then, in mid-2017, into Canada.
Today, DAZN offers a fine selection of well-curated content for sports fans. It airs live sports and secures a fine balance of US and international events. You’ll also find intriguing original shows made by DAZN. They aim to provide extensive analysis and announcements of upcoming events, with the goal of spicing up the entire experience of watching sports.
DAZN 60-Second Summary
The biggest question regarding DAZN is who it’s really for. The answer to that is anyone in Canada who is a sports fan. Thanks to its vast contracts to offer major sports from around the world, DAZN is an option that’s particularly difficult to ignore if you’re a sports fan. Combine that with a lower price than what you’ll find with other sports streaming options in Canada, and it’s easy to see why DAZN offers a winning value.
This is not to say that DAZN is a perfect option for sports fans. The service could do better in some areas, and some sports could have better coverage. But the library of live and on-demand sports content makes DAZN one of the best sports streaming services on the market.
DAZN pros and cons
Canadian sports fans will find DAZN offers a mixture of bad and good. The positives definitely outweigh the drawbacks, however.
Pros
- A wide range of US and international sports. Everything from MLB, MLS, and NFL to European club football and combat sports are on DAZN.
- Fast customer support. It’s easy to access DAZN’s customer support agents when you need them.
- Value for the money. Considering the price, DAZN has plenty to offer to its viewers in Canada.
- Large app library. DAZN has excellent device support and dedicated apps for many devices.
- Event scheduling. You can add events to your schedule and receive push notifications for when those events are coming up.
Cons
- No refunds. Unfortunately, you’ll get no refund from DAZN if you don’t like the service or miss canceling it on time. That includes if you paid upfront for a full year.
- Limited coverage for some sports. DAZN has contracts for a large number of sports, but some other sports have limited coverage.
- No 4K support available. It doesn’t seem there’s an option beyond ultra-HD streaming. While that’s enough on most devices, it doesn’t use the maximum potential of large screens.
DAZN plans and pricing
DAZN’s pricing is fairly straightforward. You only have a single monthly subscription or the option to go with a yearly payment and save in the long run. Go with the yearly subscription only if you are sure that you love DAZN and plan to watch it regularly.
DAZN’s cost is somewhere the same as the alternatives available on the Canadian market. It’s worth noting that ESPN+ isn’t available in Canada. If you have a US account, you can use NordVPN or similar VPN services to access it.
DAZN Stream Quality
DAZN improved its streaming quality significantly over the last couple of years. However, it occasionally happens that there are buffering issues or audio glitches. But since they happen rarely, it shouldn’t compromise the overall viewing experience.
The recommendation is to have a high-speed internet connection. DAZN recommends having the download speed set at least at 3mbps for SD videos and 9mbps for HD viewing. The best way to secure this is to use reliable wi-fi or connect a cable to the smart TV used to watch DAZN.
As for the streaming quality over different devices, it seems to be at an impressive level. At present, DAZN supports Ultra-HD streaming, which we’ve found to be the case in streams that work properly. There is no 4K support, however, on any device.
DAZN Device Support
MacOS, Linux, and Windows computers get access through the browser rather than dedicated apps. The website works flawlessly on Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. The support for major browsers is obvious, and you can rest assured that DAZN will operate flawlessly on your desktop PCs and laptops.
DAZN will work on gaming consoles, including Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. You can find apps for these consoles in their respective app stores. As for smart TVs, you can install the DAZN app on Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and LG smart TVs. The platform also works on Smartcast and Google Chromecast.
DAZN on Roku
You can install the DAZN app on your Roku from the Roku Channels Store. The Roku version of the app currently has a 3.4 rating out of 5 stars. According to DAZN, there may be some functionality issues with older versions of Roku. But if you use a newer version, you can enjoy an impressive streaming quality and watch all your favorite sports 24/7.
DAZN on Fire TV Stick
The DAZN app works on every Amazon Fire TV device, including Amazon Fire TV Stick. You can even stream DAZN on 1st Generation Fire TV devices. It’s generous support that ensures Fire TV users can enjoy this service throughout Canada. Everything is easy to install, so you can begin watching sports in seconds.
DAZN on Apple TV
Apple TV devices can run the DAZN app on 4th Generation models or newer. Older generation Apple TV devices (those made prior to 2015) will not work with DAZN. The good news is this covers most users out there since the majority are updated to new devices.
DAZN on iPhones and iPads
You can use the DAZN iOS app on iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (5th Generation or newer), and iPad 2. The app has a 4.6 out of 5 rating in the app store. That’s considered a high rating, so you can rest assured the app will work flawlessly.
DAZN on Android phones and tablets
You’ll need an Android device running version 4.4 or newer to use DAZN. The app has a 3.7 out of 5 rating on Google Play, but DAZN worked hard and removed most complaints sent by the users. After testing, we discovered the app works well on most devices. It helps to have an Android device with more RAM memory to ensure everything runs smoothly.
DAZN live sports and on-demand library
DAZN offers sports from a large number of leagues and categories. Here’s a quick overview of the top events you can watch on DAZN:
- NFL Game Pass. You get access to the entire regular season and all playoff games, so you can watch any match you want. And there’s access to NFL RedZone as a bonus. The platform also has NFL Network for American football fans.
- UEFA Champions League and Europa League. The premium European club football is available on DAZN. You can also watch national teams in the UEFA Nations League.
- MLS games. American soccer is getting more popular each year, and you can watch it via DAZN in Canada.
- MLB network. Baseball fans in Canada will appreciate watching the best teams in the world.
- WTA tennis. At this point, only female tennis matches are available on the platform.
- Boxing and MMA. DAZN is heavily focused on combat sports, and you’ll love the selection of events available live.
The service also has some original content to offer through its on-demand library. This includes some unique documentaries you’ll only find here, such as The Journey: Canelo/Rocky, some behind-the-scenes interviews with major names in fighting sports, and a nightly MLB series called ChangeUp that DAZN produces in coordination with the MLB.
You’ll also find a good number of past sporting events available on-demand, with some historic events available as well.
It’s hard to pin down exactly how large DAZN’s on-demand library actually is. However, given the number of sports on offer, it’s safe to say you’ll likely always have something available to watch from the sports you care about the most.
Simply go to the “Sports” section on the site or app, then go to the specific sport category you want. From there, you’ll find a large number of “Catch-up” games and events you can watch on-demand. Some are full events, and others are just recaps.
DAZN DVR
There is no DVR available through DAZN. This may seem like a letdown, but it’s also extremely common for services of this type to have no DVR.
DAZN customer support
We found DAZN’s customer support to be extremely reliable, especially when we went to test out the service’s cancellation method (more on that below).
You can contact customer support in one of two ways: email or live chat. For fast response, we recommend live chat. If, for some reason, you can’t get to a live chat support agent, send an email. Note that the email response times can take hours.
In our experience, the support agents are knowledgeable and fast to get to your answer. They can answer both technical and general questions related to the service, but you may find that, at times, they’ll just point you to some of the site’s FAQ pages.
While getting to the live chat is easy, it’s necessary to have an account. Once you log into your profile, pick the Contact Us section and the desired way to contact customer support.
How to cancel DAZN
DAZN leaves you two options – you can cancel or pause your account. Both are available from the My Account section. It’s necessary to log into your account to perform the desired action. Once you access your profile, pick the Pause or Cancel option from your account.
If you pause the account, DAZN won’t charge you at the end of the subscription period. You will receive an email noting when your subscription will become active again. But if you cancel the account, there’s no risk of recharging you for the service down the road.
The process is different if you choose DAZN via Amazon or Apple. You’ll need to follow different instructions, but the cancellation shouldn’t take long.
DAZN refund policy
You cannot get a refund from DAZN, regardless of which option you choose to sign up for. Whether through an annual or monthly subscription, you won’t get a refund, but you will be able to continue using your account until the paid-for period runs out.
DAZN is a great choice for sports fans in Canada
DAZN does a great job of securing all-around sports coverage for Canadian sports fans. The biggest focus is on combat sports, European club football, NFL, and MLB. If those sports fit your preference, don’t hesitate to give DAZN a shot. It’s definitely a top streaming option for sports fans in Canada!
There are some alternatives available in the sports streaming category in the Canadian market. But if you want to take things to the next level and get all-around content for the entire household, it’s better to go with fuboTV. fuboTV is a live TV streaming service heavily focused on sports. You’ll love the impressive sports offer that includes comprehensive soccer and baseball, as well as other sports coverage. As for other channels, head to our fuboTV guide and learn about the available selection and what’s on air at this moment.
DAZN Canada 2022 review
Final verdict
There is a lot of promise in the DAZN sports streaming service that continues to add value and sports to its line-up. The most avid NFL or soccer fans may be especially willing to give it a shot. But general cord-cutters looking to add more than sports might want to look for all-around streaming alternatives.
Sam Cook is a full-time content strategist by day, a part-time freelance content writer since 2015. In another life, he was a high school English teacher for nearly a decade. Based in sunny New Orleans, he writes long-form educational content on technology, including Insurtech, Fintech, HRtech, and content streaming. He loves whittling down complex ideas within these areas that make decisions easier for buyers. When he’s not reading books with his son Miles and playing video games with the family, you can find him immersed in his growing collection of Euro-style board games.
