How DAZN achieved an 18% interaction rate in one of their retention and cross-sell campaigns using Twilio Segment

Results

The big win

DAZN, a premier sports streaming platform, noticed a problem: fans were watching sports fixtures, yet there was little engagement with the platform. DAZN wanted to change that. They wanted fans to not only watch but to feel part of the moment, as if they were there in the stadium. To do this, they implemented Twilio Segment, using real-time data to boost fan interaction with their app during matches.

With Segment's help, DAZN sent out live updates and alerts during games. Sending a notification right as a major football (soccer) game kicked off or as the first bell rang at a boxing match. This increased engagement with real-time information to keep fans engaged. To improve the overall experience even more, DAZN introduced ‘group watch’ to make it easy for friends to enjoy games together, even when they're miles apart.

This move was a game-changer. Fans started spending more time on the app, and DAZN watched the engagement metrics rise. The idea was simple: keep fans in the loop with live updates and make watching sports a shared experience. This simple idea saw tremendous results, achieving an 18% interaction rate through DAZN’s new retention and cross-sell campaign.

Table of Contents

1. Real-time data insights with Segment and Snowflake
2. Launching a customer-first freemium model
3. What’s next?

DAZN, founded in 2015, is a London-based sports streaming service. Known for offering live and on-demand streaming services, DAZN has quickly become a go-to destination for sports enthusiasts around the globe. With a commitment to becoming the ultimate sports destination platform, DAZN bridges the gap between sports and its audience and continually innovates to enhance customer experience and accessibility. 

At the heart of DAZN's challenge was the need to accelerate active user engagement with their content. They leveraged live event notifications and interactive features, like ‘group watch’ functionality, to increase app usage and viewer participation. This initiative helped DAZN boost watch time and elevate monthly and daily active users.

Real-time data insights with Segment and Snowflake

To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their data strategy, DAZN integrated Segment to collect and manage user interaction data in real-time. Utilizing Segment’s Node.js library, DAZN unifies data from various sources, including their mobile app and website. One of the core destinations for this data is DAZN’s data warehouse, Snowflake. Every data point relating to fan interaction on the platform is stored here, providing a comprehensive repository of customer behavior.

The data team at DAZN leverages the information gathered from Snowflake to create detailed dashboards, offering stakeholders real-time insights into the customer journey within the DAZN platform. These dashboards help DAZN understand user engagement patterns, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance the overall customer experience.

In addition to Snowflake, DAZN has integrated Segment with Airship to deliver live event notifications. This integration allows DAZN to collect data and actively use it to engage with their audience better. For example, DAZN can now send personalized notifications about upcoming live events, enhancing customer engagement and retention.

To further refine their data collection, DAZN uses Reverse ETL (automatically syncs warehouse data with essential downstream tools) to ensure that any discrepancies between the data warehouse and Segment sources are addressed. By taking snapshots from the source and comparing them with the data warehouse to identify gaps, DAZN enriches their data warehouse with the necessary information. A specific use case for this rETL process is the ‘watch party’ feature. By enriching the live event ID using rETL, DAZN can identify incoming streams that are watch party-enabled and notify customers accordingly. This proactive approach ensures that fans are aware of and can participate in interactive viewing experiences, further enhancing their engagement with the platform.

Launching a customer-first freemium model

DAZN is introducing a Freemium model to attract a wider audience by offering free content within its app. This move aims to showcase and promote DAZN’s premium rights, products, and services, enticing users to explore what DAZN has to offer. By providing a taste of their high-quality content, DAZN hopes to convert free users into paying subscribers.

The backbone of this initiative is supported by Segment, which supports the data orchestration for DAZN’s CRM campaigns. These campaigns include upsell, cross-sell, retention, and win-back efforts, all crucial for maximizing the impact of the Freemium model. Segment’s robust data infrastructure allows DAZN to gather comprehensive insights into user behavior and preferences throughout their customer journey.

With these insights, DAZN can tailor its engagement strategies to individual users, enhancing overall customer engagement. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of converting free users into subscribers while also ensuring that existing customers remain engaged and satisfied.

The success of the Freemium launch is not limited to a single market. With the help of Segment, DAZN is expanding the Freemium model to additional territories. The data-driven insights provided by Segment allow DAZN to understand regional preferences and tailor content and marketing strategies, accordingly, ensuring the Freemium launch is as successful internationally as it is in their initial markets. 

What’s next?

The data and marketing team plans to leverage Segment data within their advertising platforms, such as Meta and TikTok, to optimize ad spend by filtering out disinterested or previously converted leads. They will also use Segment's Conversion APIs to send events from their servers directly to these ad platforms, ensuring more efficient and targeted advertising.