KSI and DAZN have agreed a broadcast and digital content partnership with Dagenham & Redbridge for the 2026-27 season, combining selected live match coverage with creator-led programming designed to expand the National League South club’s reach beyond its traditional audience.
Under the agreement, selected fixtures will be shown on KSI’s YouTube channel, subject to competition rules and restrictions governing live football broadcasts.
Coverage is expected to include live match feeds alongside behind-the-scenes content, guests and formats developed specifically for digital audiences.
Additional distribution is also planned through DAZN, although the partners have not yet announced which fixtures will be selected or when broadcasts will begin.
YouTube distribution adds a creator-led layer to lower-league football
The partnership places KSI’s established YouTube audience at the centre of the distribution model.
Rather than treating the broadcasts as conventional match coverage alone, the plan is to combine live football with content formats designed for online audiences.
That could include more informal presentation, access-focused programming and creator-led storytelling around the club, its players and supporters.
The approach reflects a wider shift in sports media where rights holders and clubs are experimenting with creators as distribution partners rather than relying solely on traditional broadcasters.
DAZN brings existing National League rights framework
The initiative sits alongside DAZN’s broader relationship with the National League.
The streaming company secured global rights to the competition in 2024 under a seven-year agreement covering the National League and its North and South divisions.
That existing rights framework gives DAZN an established role in distributing lower-league English football internationally.
The Dagenham & Redbridge partnership adds a more creator-focused layer to that strategy, potentially allowing the competition to reach audiences that may not actively seek out National League South coverage through conventional sports platforms.
Broadcast restrictions will limit fixture selection
The partners will still have to operate within existing football broadcasting rules.
Domestic availability is expected to be affected by the UK’s Saturday afternoon blackout, which generally restricts live football broadcasts between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.
Cup rights and other competition-specific restrictions may also determine which fixtures can appear on KSI’s channel.
As a result, the partnership is not a blanket agreement to stream every Dagenham & Redbridge match.
The eventual value of the arrangement will depend partly on how many eligible fixtures can be distributed and how consistently the digital content programme is maintained.
Club targets audiences beyond local supporters
KSI said the partnership would help introduce more people to non-league football and tell stories that do not always receive mainstream attention.
DAZN growth markets chief executive Pete Oliver said the agreement would combine wider distribution with creator-led programming to take National League South football beyond its traditional supporter base.
Dagenham & Redbridge chief executive John Grabowski said the club sees the partnership as an opportunity to expand its audience beyond the local market.
That objective is increasingly relevant for lower-league clubs seeking to build digital communities, attract sponsors and reach supporters who may have no geographic connection to the team.
Source: MEA Tech Watch Press Reporter
