TKO Group, which owns both the UFC and WWE, is leaving Disney behind — mostly — to join Paramount as the merger deal between Skydance Media and Paramount is approved by the FCC, MMA Junkie reported.
The new deal will run for seven years with the UFC’s 13 annual pay-per-view events, plus 30 additional Fight Night events to be run on the Paramount+ streaming service. Some events will also air on CBS, which Skydance/Paramount owns.
That won’t be the only change for fans. UFC fans will no longer have the option to buy individual pay-per-view events in the U.S.A., like they always have in the past. They will have to subscribe to Paramount+ and will get them all on that platform for a $7.99 monthly fee ($12.99 ad-free). In the end, if fans bought even two UFC pay-per-view events a year at $79.99 each, the $96.00 a year for the Paramount+ basic plan would save them a significant amount of money.
“This shift in distribution strategy will unlock greater accessibility and discoverability for sports fans and provide an important catalyst for driving engagement and further subscriber growth for Paramount+,” Paramount said in a press release.
“Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms,” Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison added. “Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win. We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of fans in the U.S., and potentially beyond.”
UFC owner TKO has not entirely abandoned ESPN. The company stuck with ESPN for its WWE broadcasts, signing a new five-year, $1.6 billion deal to air events such as WrestleMania with the cable sports news network.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, X at WTHuston, or Truth Social at @WarnerToddHuston.
Breitbart News
Read the full article .
