In 2023, DAZN underwent one of its most significant strategic shifts: moving from a paid subscription model to also include a freemium one, using a landmark partnership with the NFL as its vehicle.

DAZN's entire product had been built around a single paid subscription. Introducing a free tier, and simultaneously onboarding an entirely new subscriber base from NFL Game Pass created two distinct but interconnected content problems.

The problem

Freemium

• Raising visibility for new users about the new proposition

• New users may not understand why they needed to provide an email address to watch free content

• The existing sign-up language created hesitation – users assumed "sign up" could mean paying for something

• With limited free content available, the proposition needed to work hard to demonstrate value, ensure clarity about what content was free and what wasn’t, and encourage registration.

NFL Game Pass

• NFL Game Pass subscribers were being migrated to DAZN. We knew that they would not be happy about this – they would have to learn how to use a new platform they hadn't chosen. We needed to mitigate complaints about this, and provide reassurance the experience they knew was still there

• Two brands with distinct voices needed to coexist across the same sign-up journey without either feeling diluted

• Users needed clarity on which plan included which games, without the journey feeling like a sales funnel

The hypothesis

If we reduced friction in the freemium registration journey and created a clear, trust-led experience for migrating NFL fans, we could drive registrations, grow subscriptions and establish freemium as a sustainable model for DAZN's growth.

My role

Lead UX writer across both workstreams, the freemium product launch and the NFL Game Pass integration, as well as the My Account redesign.

The content challenge

Freemium

Research proved the hypothesis that the term ‘sign up’ was associated with payment. I proposed switching to ‘register’. This lighter-touch term was associated with a lower entry barrier and tested significantly better, because users understood that registering their details was a distinct action from taking out a subscription. A single word change meaningfully reduced friction at the first step of the funnel.

Throughout the registration journey I took a benefit-first approach, leading with the NFL content available, the free content outside of that (DAZN shows) and the additional, lesser-known features available for free (‘follow’, match stats and more).

NFL Game Pass

I worked closely with stakeholders at NFL to ensure that recognised brand language was transferred to the DAZN funnel. We used the exact same plan names, referred to content in the same way and the same order, and maintained the emotive, fan-first language throughout the sign-up journey. Clear labelling and signposting removed any ambiguity about plans and content.

To maintain trust across a dual-brand experience, we also ensured NFL Game Pass branding was carried consistently through every screen from a UI perspective as well.

DAZN's existing account structure had been built for a single subscription type. As part of this project I led content for a full My Account redesign, creating new information architecture with clearly defined areas for free accounts, core subscriptions and add-ons, structured to scale as DAZN's model continued to evolve.

The results

14%+

Total subscriptions year on year.

+11%+

 average weekly views.

+49%

 freemium growth following launch.

+23%

23% subscription growth.