Sports Streamer DAZN Sets MotoGP Series as It Expands Originals

As the generalist streamers dive deeper into sports programming, specialist sports player DAZN is growing its lineup of originals alongside its coverage of live events. Next up is “In Our Blood,” a three-part series about three generations of iconic Spanish MotoGP riders: Alex Criville, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez.Former BT, ESPN, and Sky programming exec Grant Best is leading the originals charge as senior vice president of original programming and content development. The one-offs and series are being designed to sit alongside and bolster DAZN’s staple fare of live sports, he told Variety.Best, who also produced the BAFTA-winning “Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad,” said that the plan is to look at various types of sports-themed programming. “If you can complement great live sport with original content, it can help massively,” he said. “We would like to make content with a twist.” Best added that DAZN is focusing on “the culture of sports in the territories we are in.” Accordingly, “In Our Blood” will launch in Spain at the same time that the streaming service does. The show will be DAZN’s third original after the one-off documentary “Being Mario Götze,” about the eponymous German soccer star, and the three-part boxing documentary series “Canelo vs. Rocky.” The future lineup includes local-language shows about star athletes.