Judgment against Dazn: Will sports fans get their money back through a class action lawsuit?

At first, many were enthusiastic about Dazn. You could watch international sports there much cheaper than with the old top dog Sky. Sky has now lost important TV rights such as the Champions League and part of the Bundesliga to Dazn. And the new streaming giant is drastically increasing its prices. Watching football on TV is more expensive than ever before. But was Dazn even allowed to increase its prices so much?

The price increases in 2021 and 2022 are particularly a thorn in the side of consumer advocates: In August 2021, Dazn increased its monthly price from 11.99 to 14.99 euros – and the following year to 29.99. The cost of the annual subscription rose from 119.99 to 149.99 euros in 2021 – and a year later to 274.99 euros. The basic rule is: A provider may only increase its prices on a clear basis. But the vzbv does not see this as a given at Dazn.

“DAZN’s terms of use were worded so vaguely that they gave the company too much leeway for arbitrary price and contract changes,” says Jutta Gurkmann, head of the consumer policy department at vzbv. However, this is considered to be a one-sided disadvantage for consumers because such vague clauses can be used to make additional profits at the expense of customers.

The Munich Higher Regional Court (OLG) has now followed this argument – and largely agrees with the consumer advocates (). The terms and conditions on the basis of which the streaming service increased its prices are partly illegal. What’s more: the OLG is so sure that it ruled out the possibility of appealing the verdict. However, Dazn filed a complaint against this in order to be able to challenge the judgment before the Federal Court of Justice. Upon request from star Dazn did not want to comment further on the verdict.

What does this mean for Dazn customers?

The ruling significantly increases the chances that the consumer advice centers will also be successful with their class action lawsuit against Dazn filed in April. Such lawsuits are very consumer-friendly because the station’s customers can join with little effort – and if successful, they will automatically receive a portion of the contributions paid back.

Anyone who already had a contract for one of the two price increases can join the class action lawsuit. However, new customers cannot claim anything back. The lawsuit has been filed, but not yet registered. However, injured TV customers can subscribe to a “news alert” – and then receive an email as soon as the lawsuit register is opened.

Participating in the lawsuit takes half an hour – and is practically risk-free. In the worst case, you leave empty-handed and there are no costs.