14 hours ago
‘Shocking!' Fans react to $7.7 billion UFC broadcast deal and end of PPV era
The UFC's broadcast deal with ESPN is set to conclude at the end of 2025, and earlier today it was announced that Paramount CBS would be the new media rights holder in the United States for the combat sports promotions' 43 events per year.
Paramount+ will air 13 numbered cards and 30 Fight Night cards per year, paying an average of $1.1 billion annually (or $7.7 billion total). You'll note we didn't call the numbered events pay-per-views, because they won't be priced like that any more. From UFC 324 onwards, the cost of the numbered shows will be included in the price of a Paramount+ subscription. That means just $8 to $13 per month — no more $13 for ESPN+ and then $80 per PPV like it is now.
That's explosive news, and the MMA community on X (formerly Twitter) had a lot of thoughts and questions and jokes regarding the new broadcast deal. Take a look at some of the most interesting opinions below.
We'll keep you up to date on all the news coming out regarding this new broadcast deal. Let us know what you think of the move in the comments!
