Club Kayo puts social content creators at the centre of Kayo’s new sports media strategy
As DAZN rebuilds its Australian sports business around the Kayo brand, the commercial opportunities are expanidng beyond match streaming toward short-form social content as well.
DAZN Media+ announced their launch of Club Kayo, a creator-led sports media ecosystem designed to keep AFL, NRL, cricket and motorsport conversations running between fixtures and to give brands a year-round route into those communities. The announcement came at the company’s 2027 upfronts at The Cutaway in Sydney, days after Foxtel Media was rebranded as DAZN Media+ and Fox Sports began its staged integration into Kayo Sports.
Kayo will power four teams of social media creators: Club Kayo Cricket, Club Kayo AFL, Club Kayo NRL and Club Kayo Motorsport. This shifts Kayo’s social media creator strategy from one-off campaigns, to continuously supporting talent. Each squad is expected to develop weekly formats, react to the week’s biggest moments and work across sport, entertainment and pop culture. The network will mix independent creators with Fox Sports on-air talent, including former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
The strategy is a deliberate reaction to the way that social media has changed how fans interact with sport. Before and after a game, fans will argue, clip, and remix moments from the match. DAZN’s global fan study found that 81 per cent of hyper-engaged fans want to feel part of sport beyond spectating, while 67 per cent of sports fans globally now regard creators as a critical part of sports culture, the company said.
The work to be at the forefront of this online fan culture been taking shape since March, when Kayo Sports and Fox Sports appointed former NBL chief fans officer Ted Helliar as Director of Engagement, Community and Fandom. Helliar, previously chief operating officer of the Sydney Roosters and a sports campaign lead at TBWA, was hired to deepen community work across the platforms, with social and creator teams reporting into him. Club Kayo is the first step toward achieving that.
“Club Kayo brings together an unrivalled network of creators and their communities to help shape Australian sports fandom, giving them a sustained role alongside the sports they are passionate about,” Helliar said.
“Through dedicated teams and repeatable formats, creators can build deeper connections with fans across the season, while tapping into the sporting moments, expertise and platform environment of Kayo Sports.”
The commercial case is that Club Kayo is being sold as always-on inventory for advertisers who want a presence in sports culture without buying the live rights, or who already spend in sport and want more activity around the game. DAZN Media+ said 74 per cent of hyper-engaged fans feel more connected to brands that add to the entertainment of sport.
“This is not a one-off creator activation model,” DAZN Media+ Director of Customer Engagement Toby Dewar said. “Club Kayo provides an always-on ecosystem that can help brands build relevance over time, with the scale, premium environment and audience intelligence of Kayo Sports behind it.”
Dewar also framed it as a growth tool. Social content can reach fringe fans first, then encourage them to subscribe to Kayo. Formats will be pitched at different brand objectives and investment levels, and the company wants creator agencies strategizing alongside traditional sports media buyers.
The launch follows DAZN48, the group’s FIFA World Cup creator network, and applies that approach to codes where Kayo already holds the rights, including every AFL and NRL home-and-away game.
Eighteen months after DAZN’s $3.4 billion Foxtel acquisition, Club Kayo is a step toward the business expanding beyond live sports streaming. The access to watching matches remains the foundation. The argument now is that the conversation around sport is where fandom, and a growing share of brand money exist.