Protecting $6 Billion worth of sports rights

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Case study WIP

DAZN is the world's largest Sports Streaming platform with over 200 countries and territories – Europe being their largest market to date.

This case study details the initial implementation of 'seamless concurrency' and how we overcame core operational challenges and elevated the customer experience.

DAZN is the world's largest Sports Streaming platform with over 200 countries and territories – Europe being their largest market to date.

This case study details the initial implementation of 'seamless concurrency' and how we overcame core operational challenges and elevated the customer experience.

~10 minute read

~10 minute read

Tim Parkes

Principal Product Designer

Contributions

UI + Visual Design

UX Journeys and flows

Development handover

Stakeholder interviews

Workshop facilitation

Team set up

Product Director

Principal designer (me)

Back-end Engineering Lead

Senior Copywriter

Security Engineers

Lead technical architects

Project Duration

8-12 months (intermittent)

So… What is concurrency?

So… What is concurrency?

'Concurrency' is the number of times you can view content simultaneously, with one account, on different devices.

'Concurrency' is the number of times you can view content simultaneously, with one account, on different devices.

'Concurrency' is the number of times you can view content simultaneously, with one account, on different devices.

'Concurrency' is the number of times you can view content simultaneously, with one account, on different devices.

'Concurrency' is the number of times you can view content simultaneously, with one account, on different devices.

@netflix twitter accoun; Love is sharing a password tweet from 2017

Does anyone remember
when Netflix said this?

And then…

That didn't age well article headline lamenting twitter
love is sharing a password until it isn't news article headline
love is sharing a password until it isn't news article headline
'Netflix rediculed' news article headline

-$1.8 billion

~ Losses per annum in EMEA alone

-$1.8 billion

~ Losses per annum in EMEA alone

Password sharing isn't love – it's theft and it costs streaming services billions in lost revenue.

Password sharing isn't love – it's theft and it costs streaming services billions in lost revenue.

-$3 billion

~ Losses worldwide

-$3 billion

~ Losses worldwide

*

Based on conservative estimates from 2022-23 EOY figures, with the assumption that a third of all non-paying users would otherwise be a paying subscriber.

Based on conservative estimates from 2022-23 EOY figures, with the assumption that a third of all non-paying users would otherwise be a paying subscriber.

It's a tricky problem to work on.

Calculating variants of time, speed & distances from one device to another is a lot for Engineers.

It's a tricky problem to work on.

Calculating variants of time, speed & distances from one device to another is a lot for Engineers.

DAZN's streaming rules

DAZN's streaming rules

Rule #1

Up to 5 devices can be
'registered' per account

Up to 5 devices can be
'registered' per account

Rule #1

Only 2 devices can stream
simultaneously per account

Only 2 devices can stream
simultaneously per account

Breaching the rules

When I joined the DAZN this is the error message you would see if you breached the rules.

The mobile flow was what the user had to do to get back online.

Let's not make managing your devices too easy, we want to deter would-be account-sharers."

Initial thinking from Product and Engineering

Let's not make managing your devices too easy, we want to deter would-be account-sharers."

Initial thinking from Product and Engineering

The story of the first release of concurrency…

The story of the first release of concurrency…

The story of the first release of concurrency…

Football fans in Italy and Spain are anticipate an exciting day of LaLiga and Serie A action Live on DAZN.

DAZN backend

#1 Concurrency service

#1 Concurrency service

FAILED: Execute Manage Devices Error:

More than 2 devices (3 detected) on WIFI and IP address.

FAILED:
Execute Manage Devices Error:

More than 2 devices (3 detected) on WIFI and IP address.

We have shared WIFI addresses with our tenancy agreements!

We are not account-sharing!

Just let us watch the football!

So what happened?

So what happened?

So what happened?

Causes

Volume of traffic

+ Concurrency service

V1

+ Shared WIFI & IP addresses

= False positives

Causes

Volume of traffic

+ Concurrency service

V1

+ Shared WIFI & IP addresses

= False positives

Causes

Volume of traffic

+ Concurrency service

V1

+ Shared WIFI & IP addresses

= False positives

Effects

CS lines jammed

Thousands of unhappy fans

Negative press

Damage to brand reputation

No added security

Compensation payments

Effects

CS lines jammed

Thousands of unhappy fans

Negative press

Damage to brand reputation

No added security

Compensation payments

Effects

CS lines jammed

Thousands of unhappy fans

Negative press

Damage to brand reputation

No added security

Compensation payments

Effects

CS lines jammed

Thousands of unhappy fans

Negative press

Damage to brand reputation

No added security

Compensation payments

But why did this happen?

But why did this happen?

Bias #1

Location bias - UK Product and Engineering teams were unaware of 'shared wifi living' use cases in Europe.

Testing the service was done in small batches in the UK where separate Wifi accounts per household is the norm…

Bias #2

Concurrency was perceived as a 'technical-engineering' problem and not a product design problem. It was treated like any other system error, using whatever error templates engineers had available.

Bias #3

The pressures of shipping to meet deadlines can make teams become increasingly insular as they seek to be on time.

If you want to go fast go alone , If you want to go far go together."

Old African proverb

The collaboration fallacy is something we all experience at different times in our careers.

'Going it alone' will always inherit more business risk than research and healthy cross-discipline collaboration.

Introspection

Starting afresh

Introspection

Starting afresh

Let's get our best UX guys working on this - we need a totally seamless end-to-end concurrency experience."

DAZN CTO

Let's get our best UX guys working on this - we need a totally seamless end-to-end concurrency experience."

DAZN CTO

  • Create stakeholder list

  • +

  • Conduct stakeholder interviews

  • +

  • Plan and schedule workshops

  • +

  • Create stakeholder list

  • +

  • Conduct stakeholder interviews

  • +

  • Plan and schedule workshops

  • +

In my experience, talking to all stakeholders and documenting their wants, needs, fears and desires has always been time well spent.

Understand

Stakeholder pains

CS

Security

Engineering

Product

Design

We always anticipate spikes but the Login and sign up experience causes us the most problems. If we fix those then we can be in a better position to cope with the next version of concurrency."

Customer services manager

200% Spikes in CS enquiries during major sporting events

80% of that spike are for lost login credentials

Inadequate Sign up and Sign in experience

No Single Sign on (SSO)

No Password hinting or criteria

Poor affordability and accessibility

CS

Security

Engineering

Product

Design

We always anticipate spikes but the Login and sign up experience causes us the most problems. If we fix those then we can be in a better position to cope with the next version of concurrency."

Customer services manager

200% Spikes in CS enquiries during major sporting events

80% of that spike are for lost login credentials

Inadequate Sign up and Sign in experience

No Single Sign on (SSO)

No Password hinting or criteria

Poor affordability and accessibility

Prioritisation

MoSCoW method

Must

Should

Could

Won't

Save our customer services!

PHASE 1

Utilise QR codes for TV

PHASE 1

Use natural language

PHASE 1

Not be an error message

phase 1

Utilise the best of IPv6

Phase 1

Reduce latency to seconds

PHASE 2

Upsell more concurrent. slots

PHASE 3

Ship new subscriptions with more concurrency

PHASE 4

Must

Should

Could

Won't

Save our customer services!

PHASE 1

Utilise QR codes for TV

PHASE 1

Use natural language

PHASE 1

Not be an error message

phase 1

Utilise the best of IPv6

Phase 1

Reduce latency to seconds

PHASE 2

Upsell more concurrent. slots

PHASE 3

Ship new subscriptions with more concurrency

PHASE 4

|

Phase 1

Save our customer services

First fix

Phase 1.1

No 'technical jargon'

QR code for TV to aid self-help

Improve instructions for self-help

First fix

Phase 1.1

No 'technical jargon'

QR code for TV to aid self-help

Improve instructions for self-help

Second fix

Phase 1.2

Redesign form inputs

Introduce SSO & password hinting

Set up 'UI triage' sessions

Stress test and ship

Second fix

Phase 1.2

Redesign form inputs

Introduce SSO & password hinting

Set up 'UI triage' sessions

Stress test and ship

AA Accessibiilty compliant

Define light and dark themes

Improved affordance

Retention

Growth

Retention

Growth

No 'technical jargon'

Update messaging

QR code for TV to aid self-help

Phase 2

Increasing security

Brief

|

|

Two-factor authentication for DAZN is an entire case study in its own right, so this is just an overview of my inputs and activities.

Minimising friction

security principles

Security is not the account owner’s problem it is ours.

1

Security is not the account owner’s problem it is ours.

1

No cumbersome setup routines or install of 3rd party apps

2

No cumbersome setup routines or install of 3rd party apps

2

We only challenge users who's devices have the ability to solve it

3

We only challenge users who's devices have the ability to solve it

3

Use the fewest layers that provide a secure service - we are not a bank

4

Use the fewest layers that provide a secure service - we are not a bank

4

Defining Trust

Workshop outcome define the conditions in which we grant playback.

My deliverables

Best practice analysis and competitor research

Best practice analysis and competitor research

Co-define rules of 2FA with product and engineering

Co-define rules of 2FA with product and engineering

Detailed user flows, including happy/unhappy flows and edgecases

Detailed user flows, including happy/unhappy flows and edgecases

Provide scalable components and prototypes in light and dark themes

Provide scalable components and prototypes in light and dark themes

Figma playground for product and copywriting collaboration

Figma playground for product and copywriting collaboration

2FA template exploration

2FA template exploration

Full-stack flows

Defining flows on, from and to all the surfaces utilising mobile as second-screen to complete 2FA challenges.

mobile 2FA Flow example shipped

TV 2FA flow EXAMPLE shipped

Phase 3

Shaping and shipping upsell

sales constraints

Only HTML 5 TV's and the Web enabled frictionless one-tap purchasing.

30% fees

Play Store

App Store

Direct

DAZN.com

HTML 5 TV

Apple and Google have since been fined €500 million Euros by the European Commission for breaching the digital markets act rules for monopolisation for demanding In-App purchase fees.

Fewer devices for a 'light' account?
More device slots?
Watch on vacation?
Premium package for more devices?
All-new subscription packages?
How any more devices?
Price point?
What upsell are
we offering exactly?

Pilot candidate

We discovered the German market could be an ideal fit as it had highest number of HTML 5 TV platforms in which would enable one-click purchasing.

Viewership per platform

45-70% TV apps

~48% Samsung Tizen

~35% Android/Google TV

~5% tvOS

30-45% Mobile apps

~60% Android

~38% iOS

15% Web browsers

~50% Chrome

~17% Safari

Constraint #2

More redundancies in engineering and design teams also meant everyone involved in concurrency (including me) found themselves owning multiple work streams and priorities.

Collaboration with all necessary stakeholders be in the same meeting at the same time was tricky!

Click plates to spin them. Don't let them stop!
plate-spin
Score: 0
100%
100%
100%
100%

Playground files

To maintain momentum, and keep the project moving, I created editable mockups are to capture your thoughts and ideas of how we might upsell concurrency.

Task

  1. Add your own copy ideas to a template

  2. Screenshot your ideas.

  3. Add screenshots to our collaboration board.

Now we have 2FA in place, a users location is less of a concern because we can get them to authenticate devices.

Engineeering

We can just use the pay per view add on section like a 'pay per view' card but for adding more streams.

Design

Restructrung and renaming the subscription offering in all markets is just too big to handle right now.

Product

Now we have 2FA in place, a users location is less of a concern because we can get them to authenticate devices.

Engineeering

We can just use the pay per view add on section like a 'pay per view' card but for adding more streams.

Design

Restructrung and renaming the subscription offering in all markets is just too big to handle right now.

Product

Team BET

|

|

Phase 3

Asset creation

Liase with Brand to find suitable and releveant images

Comp hero graphics indicating movement and simultaneous action.

Phase 3

Asset creation

Liase with Brand to find suitable and releveant images

Comp hero graphics indicating movement and simultaneous action.

I took inspiration from other projects in play where DAZN was using a brand device chevron in subtle ways and ensuring it could work on light or dark backgrounds.

Figma flows

Phase 3

Co-define flows with product and engineering

Colaborate with English and German copywriters

Figma flows

Phase 3

Co-define flows with product and engineering

Colaborate with English and German copywriters

Prototyping

Phase 3

Provide prototypes for off-shore engineers teams

Gather feedback and iron out any edge cases and viability issues.

Prototyping

Phase 3

Provide prototypes for off-shore engineers teams

Gather feedback and iron out any edge cases and viability issues.

Full production

Phase 3

Co-define flows with product and engineering

Colaborate with English and German copywriters

Prototype progressive disclosure so users are aware that 2 devices are already streaming and what to expect.

Full production

Phase 3

Co-define flows with product and engineering

Colaborate with English and German copywriters

Prototype progressive disclosure so users are aware that 2 devices are already streaming and what to expect.

PROJECT IMPACT

2%

Revenue uplift in Germany by upselling concurrent capacity.

100%

Verified email addresses on all new DAZN accounts

20

Second
Latency

Second
Latency

Down from 10 mins to 20 seconds on the fast connections

60%

Reduction in CS calls; introducing SSO, improved sign up, sign in.

100%

Verified email addresses on all new DAZN accounts

20

Second
Latency

Second
Latency

Down from 10 mins to 20 seconds on the fast connections

60%

Reduction in CS calls by improving sign up and sign in

10

Latency down to to seconds.

100%

Email verification for new accounts and verification applied tyo

Say Hi

United Kingdom
United Kingdom

Feel free to book time in my calendar

Feel free to book time in my calendar

Timothy Parkes Design 2025. All copyright reserved

Timothy Parkes Design 2025.
All copyright reserved