Back in 2018, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and litecoin, one of the oldest cryptocurrencies, made headlines around the world with a sponsorship deal. But on Monday, a much larger transaction was announced when the UFC and media conglomerate Paramount penned a $7.7 billion deal for exclusive rights to air live UFC events, starting next year.
(UFC CEO and President Dana White says, “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world.” / ufc.com)
The UFC, a fighting league launched in 1993, quickly dominated mixed martial arts (MMA), one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, paving the way for a $4 billion acquisition in 2016 by holding company WME-IMG (later renamed Endeavor). A full buyout was completed in 2021 for an additional $1.7 billion, the same year Endeavor went public. In 2023, Endeavor merged with the WWE, perhaps the most popular professional wrestling promotion in the world. The new parent entity is now known as TKO Holdings.
The UFC is no stranger to big media rights deals. The pro-crypto MMA league has previously signed agreements with the likes of Fox and ESPN, but at $7.7 billion and with a decision to transition from PPV to a subscription-style streaming platform (with select events also being aired on CBS), the seven-year deal with Paramount may be the largest and most consequential one yet.
“This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes,” said Dana White, UFC CEO and president. “For the first time ever, fans in the U.S. will have access to all UFC content without a pay-per-view model.”
The break from the decades-old PPV approach is likely a first for high-profile combat sporting events. Boxing, MMA, and other fighting leagues, have all relied on PPV to generate revenue. Professional wrestling, which is not a combat sport, has also historically used the same model. But a few years ago, the WWE, now a sister entity to the UFC, largely abandoned PPV, and now the UFC is following suit.
The crypto industry has continued sponsoring UFC events since the 2018 Litecoin deal. Several firms in the ecosystem will likely be paying close attention to how many more eyeballs the league can garner with the move to Paramount and CBS.
“This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world,” White explained. “The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”
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