DAZN Lawsuit Claims Sports Streamer’s Automatic Subscription Renewals Are Illegal

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges live sports streaming service DAZN has automatically renewed certain subscriptions without providing certain disclosures required under California law.

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The 32-page DAZN lawsuit accuses the streamer of unilaterally charging customers yearly or monthly renewal fees without their consent, in violation of California’s Automatic Renewal Law. The filing claims DAZN relies on “consumer confusion and inertia” as a means to retain customers, fight subscriber churn, and bolster its revenues.

According to the lawsuit, online retailers who offer automatically renewing subscriptions to California consumers must provide the complete automatic renewal offer terms in a “clear and conspicuous manner” and in visual proximity to the request for consent prior to the completion of the enrollment process. They must also obtain affirmative consent from a consumer prior to charging their payment method in connection with the subscription, and provide an acknowledgment that includes the automatic renewal offer terms and highlights an easy-to-use mechanism for a person to cancel their subscription, the filing says.

The lawsuit claims DAZN “systematically violates” the California Automatic Renewal Law, as the defendant allegedly does none of these things. In fact, DAZN, which reportedly has more than 800,000 subscribers, “makes it exceedingly difficult and unnecessarily confusing” for a consumer to cancel their subscription, the suit alleges.

The filing says the rapid growth of DAZN’s audience coincides with a steep drop in subscriber satisfaction, as the company’s platform has allegedly become riddled with dark patterns designed to prevent users from canceling their accounts. DAZN’s use of dark patterns has not only made it next to impossible for consumers to cancel their subscriptions but also led to an increase in “accidental or unintentional sign-ups,” the suit claims.

“In fact, Defendant’s conduct has drawn the attention and ire of customers across the country, with countless angry customers taking to the Internet to voice their discontent over Defendant’s deceitful tactics,” the case relays.

The DAZN automatic renewal lawsuit looks to cover all individuals in California who, within the applicable statute of limitations period, incurred renewal fees in connection with DAZN’s subscription offerings.

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