Latest news with #payperview
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three big questions about the UFC's bombshell $7.7 billion deal with CBS and Paramount
Ding-dong, the UFC pay-per-view witch is dead. That's one way of looking at Monday's big announcement heralding a new broadcast rights deal bringing all UFC content to Paramount+ and CBS at a price tag of $7.7 billion over the course of seven years. It's the end of one era and the beginning of another for the world's biggest mixed martial arts fight promotion. Beginning in 2026, all UFC events will air on Paramount+ in the U.S., from the small-time UFC Fight Night shows to the numbered events that currently cost upward of $80 each on ESPN+ pay-per-view. In addition, according to a press release, 'select marquee events' will also air on CBS. In exchange, the UFC goes from making approximately $550 million per year from ESPN to an average of $1.1 billion per year under this new deal. What does this all mean for the UFC, its fans and its fighters? Here are three big questions coming out of Monday's big announcement. 1. Who benefits most (and least) from axing UFC pay-per-view events? There was a time (and it wasn't even that long ago) when pay-per-view sales were the lifeblood of the UFC. Investor documents revealed in 2015 that residential and commercial pay-per-view sales combined for 51% of UFC content revenue — and content itself was three-fourths of total UFC revenue. The UFC wasn't the only party to benefit from that. Fighters dreamed of one day becoming UFC champions, not only because it came with the shiny gold belt that told the world they were the very best, but also because it typically came with a cut of pay-per-view revenue. It was, for most fighters, the only way to go from making good money to life-changing money as a UFC fighter. But then, that was back when UFC pay-per-view events typically did well over 500,000 buys. Conor McGregor headlined several UFC events that eclipsed 1 million buys. Ronda Rousey also helped the UFC to 2.6 million pay-per-view buys over the course of three events in 2015, according to the UFC's own internal documents. Those days are long gone. All indications are that UFC pay-per-view revenue is way down from those golden years. It's down even when compared with some of the not-so good years that followed. Where the blame lies for that is an open question. Is it the lack of big stars in today's UFC? Did ESPN kill the market with its rapid, repeated price hikes? Is the audience now simply too savvy to pay for a product that can be found for free on streaming websites if you just know where to look? Most likely all these factors played a role. But as the UFC found more success in securing guaranteed money from broadcast partners, it began to seem like only a matter of time until it would ditch the feast-or-famine world of pay-per-view. But what about those UFC champs who dreamed of dollar signs? Pay-per-view points were their only ladder to a higher income bracket. Many current champs have contracts guaranteeing them a cut of pay-per-view revenues right now. What will those contracts be worth once there are no UFC pay-per-views? For fans, however, this is likely to be a much better deal. No more weighing the high price of premium UFC content against the expected entertainment value of each individual fight card. Now one price gets you in the door for all UFC content, making the numbered events something fans might as well watch rather than something that has to meet a certain threshold to be worth the cost. The cost of being a UFC fan just went down, which could potentially lower the barrier to entry. As for the UFC? Well, ditching a declining revenue model for guaranteed money — and much more of it than many previous estimates suggested — is pretty much a no-brainer. Especially when the company doesn't have to split any of it with the fighters. 2. How might this change the look and feel of UFC events? Right now, under the current deal with ESPN, there are essentially three separate and easily identifiable tiers of UFC programming. At the top are the numbered pay-per-view events, where the stars are out and the titles go up for grabs. In the middle there are the UFC Fight Night events that take place out on the road in front of big live crowds, typically in cities that pay the UFC a site fee just to bring the show to town. Then all the way at the bottom there are the UFC Fight Night events at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. You can always tell these because they have the feel of an exhibition taking place in a mostly empty warehouse, and they mostly feature fighters who fans don't know very well (or at all). But if all UFC events will soon be available for the single price of a monthly streaming service, what happens to those separate tiers? If UFC executives no longer need to worry about stacking numbered events with enough good fights to justify the pay-per-view price, might the quality of those cards decline? And would that lead to an increase in quality for the other events, or just a general flattening all around? Additionally, what reason does the UFC now have to build any individual fighter into a star? With no pay-per-views to sell, the brand itself is the only star necessary, while fighters just got more interchangeable. The big minds behind TKO, parent company to both the UFC and WWE, have bragged in the past about taking the 'lumpiness' out of the business, by which they meant finding ways to get paid whether the events are popular or not. But that also takes out some of the company's incentive to keep putting out a strong product, because CBS and Paramount will be paying whether people watch or not. What that does to the quality of various UFC offerings remains to be seen. 3. What does it mean for the growth and exposure of both the UFC and MMA as a sport to go from ESPN to Paramount+? Included in today's statement from UFC CEO Dana White is a line insisting the 'exposure provided by Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.' Here's where the seasoned observer must ask: Is it though? ESPN is, as we all know, 'the worldwide leader' when it comes to sports on TV. The deal with ESPN helped further legitimize the UFC, because it came with increased UFC coverage on shows like 'SportsCenter,' plus greater visibility in the daily mainstream sports conversation as a whole. Paramount+ has nowhere near that kind of footprint with American sports fans. As a network, CBS is still a very big deal, but the UFC has had plenty of network TV exposure before, thanks to its previous deal with Fox and its semi-regular events on ABC as part of the ESPN partnership. What ESPN gave the UFC was a place at the table among the major American sports. You could sit at a sports bar and look up at ESPN on TV and you might see UFC coverage mixed in with baseball and football highlights. Not a lot of Buffalo Wild Wings locations are streaming Paramount+ at all hours of the day when last I checked. A big part of the appeal of this deal for CBS and Paramount+ is the UFC brings a core audience with it. But Paramount+ does not offer the UFC a vast existing audience of sports fans to convert into fight fans. That's not part of the exchange here. As Don Draper would say, that's what the money is for. And make no mistake, the UFC and its parent company are getting plenty of money in this deal, essentially doubling the broadcast rights fee they currently get from ESPN. But the money from these deals has historically not trickled down to UFC fighters. If the hope is they will be paid extra in 'exposure,' it seems doubtful that Paramount+ is the venue to make that happen.
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
UFC Just Killed PPV In The U.S. — Here's What It Means For Everyone
For the first time since the UFC broke into the mainstream, fans in the United States won't have to shell out money every time a numbered card rolls around. In 2026, the promotion's seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount+ and CBS will wipe out the $80 pay-per-view model in favor of a monthly subscription. Beginning that year, this deal includes every fight — 13 numbered events, 30 Fight Nights, many simulcast on CBS. For now, the cost of that subscription is $12.99 without ads. We've seen Paramount+ and Peacock raise their prices in the past after adding content and acquiring sports rights. It would not shock me to see it rise to $19.99 or even $24.99 in the near future. That means the era of deciding whether a main event is 'worth the money' is over. For fans, this isn't just a cost change. It's a fundamental shift in how the sport is consumed and how its biggest stars are made and Death of $80 PPVs That Are Sometimes Not Worth It PPV pricing has been a gatekeeper for casual fans for decades. Hardcore followers like me might pay for every card, but millions of potential viewers sat out unless a fight had crossover appeal. Unless Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, or maybe Jon Jones was on the card, the casuals would simply wait to watch the highlights, read a synopsis, or find out the results in passing. With the barrier gone, Paramount+ could bring back something the UFC hasn't had since the Spike TV era: spontaneous, low-effort discovery. A bored sports fan flipping through CBS on a Saturday night might stumble into a fight that makes them a regular. The question is whether every card will still feel like an event without the PPV build-up. That can be addressed with clever marketing and by leveraging something that wasn't as powerful in the Spike TV era: social media. UFC CEO Dana White and the promotion have proven to have a strong handle on this over the past five years. Plans are likely already in place to compensate for the shift from traditional PPV hype to a steady diet of UFC-related concepts that keep fans Could Create TUF Moments Mark Shapiro (TKO COO) said PPV is 'outdated, antiquated." Based on DAZN's move away from PPV in boxing — spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi boxing power broker who is working with White for TKO Boxing's debut in September with Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford — Shapiro is likely on to something. There's precedent for this in the UFC. In 2005, The Ultimate Fighter finale on Spike introduced millions to Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar in a single night. The CBS platform offers that same kind of pop potential, with the bonus of polished production and Paramount's marketing muscle. For fighters, a primetime slot on a free-to-air network is a fast track to recognition and endorsement opportunities. Fighters should be ready to craft their approaches during pre- and post-fight interviews, knowing the potential audience for every event just got much Fighters Simply Get a Raise or a Bigger Share of Much Bigger Pie? On paper, this is the richest deal in UFC history. At $1.1 billion a year, it's roughly five times the average annual value of the ESPN deal. But fighter revenue share in the UFC still hovers around 16–20%, according to multiple MMA media reports and antitrust lawsuit filings — well below other major sports leagues. Will the influx of money lead to better pay, or will it fall into corporate stock boosts and executive bonuses? The larger deal already means more money is available, but the question is whether fighters will see a bigger Paramount+ Share Viewership Numbers? The UFC has long used PPV sales as a negotiating tool. Fighters who could move 500,000+ buys had leverage. Without that metric, the promotion might rely on streaming viewership data — if they choose to share it. That could work both ways: some stars may find their true audience is bigger than PPV buys suggested, while others may lose the ability to prove their drawing power in hard numbers. The ripple effects on contract talks could be significant. I'd love to see Paramount+ share their viewership numbers, but that can be a slippery slope in an era when figures are posted online without context. We'll Will Be Made Before the PPV Starts While the top of the card will always get the headlines, the real winners in this deal might be fighters trying to break through. A Fight Night co-main that once lived behind ESPN+'s paywall will now be one click away for millions of Paramount+ subscribers — and sometimes free on CBS. That kind of exposure early in a career can accelerate fan followings, boost sponsorship appeal, and build momentum into bigger fights. This switch essentially puts the fighter opening the card on closer footing with main-eventers — at least from a viewership Era, New Questions When the ESPN deal kicked in back in 2019, the UFC's goal was to funnel fans into ESPN+. Now, with Paramount+, the aim is to make UFC content unavoidable for subscribers while leaning on CBS to hook the casual crowd. This is the most ambitious media shift in the company's history, and it's going to reshape the sport's ecosystem. It makes the UFC more fan-friendly and accessible than ever. The only thing left to find out is whether the benefits trickle down. Fans are getting a sweeter deal — at least for now — and the UFC is cashing in. But for the fighters, this could either be a golden age of opportunity or just another case of the house winning bigger than anyone inside the cage. Without a union, their fight for a more competitive share may simply be entering its next round.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three big questions about the UFC's bombshell $7.7 billion deal with CBS and Paramount
Ding-dong, the UFC pay-per-view witch is dead. That's one way of looking at Monday's big announcement heralding a new broadcast rights deal bringing all UFC content to Paramount+ and CBS at a price tag of $7.7 billion over the course of seven years. It's the end of one era and the beginning of another for the world's biggest mixed martial arts fight promotion. Beginning in 2026, all UFC events will air on Paramount+ in the U.S., from the small-time UFC Fight Night shows to the numbered events that currently cost upward of $80 each on ESPN+ pay-per-view. In addition, according to a press release, 'select marquee events' will also air on CBS. In exchange, the UFC goes from making approximately $550 million per year from ESPN to an average of $1.1 billion per year under this new deal. What does this all mean for the UFC, its fans and its fighters? Here are three big questions coming out of Monday's big announcement. 1. Who benefits most (and least) from axing UFC pay-per-view events? There was a time (and it wasn't even that long ago) when pay-per-view sales were the lifeblood of the UFC. Investor documents revealed in 2015 that residential and commercial pay-per-view sales combined for 51% of UFC content revenue — and content itself was three-fourths of total UFC revenue. The UFC wasn't the only party to benefit from that. Fighters dreamed of one day becoming UFC champions, not only because it came with the shiny gold belt that told the world they were the very best, but also because it typically came with a cut of pay-per-view revenue. It was, for most fighters, the only way to go from making good money to life-changing money as a UFC fighter. But then, that was back when UFC pay-per-view events typically did well over 500,000 buys. Conor McGregor headlined several UFC events that eclipsed 1 million buys. Ronda Rousey also helped the UFC to 2.6 million pay-per-view buys over the course of three events in 2015, according to the UFC's own internal documents. Those days are long gone. All indications are that UFC pay-per-view revenue is way down from those golden years. It's down even when compared with some of the not-so good years that followed. Where the blame lies for that is an open question. Is it the lack of big stars in today's UFC? Did ESPN kill the market with its rapid, repeated price hikes? Is the audience now simply too savvy to pay for a product that can be found for free on streaming websites if you just know where to look? Most likely all these factors played a role. But as the UFC found more success in securing guaranteed money from broadcast partners, it began to seem like only a matter of time until it would ditch the feast-or-famine world of pay-per-view. But what about those UFC champs who dreamed of dollar signs? Pay-per-view points were their only ladder to a higher income bracket. Many current champs have contracts guaranteeing them a cut of pay-per-view revenues right now. What will those contracts be worth once there are no UFC pay-per-views? For fans, however, this is likely to be a much better deal. No more weighing the high price of premium UFC content against the expected entertainment value of each individual fight card. Now one price gets you in the door for all UFC content, making the numbered events something fans might as well watch rather than something that has to meet a certain threshold to be worth the cost. The cost of being a UFC fan just went down, which could potentially lower the barrier to entry. As for the UFC? Well, ditching a declining revenue model for guaranteed money — and much more of it than many previous estimates suggested — is pretty much a no-brainer. Especially when the company doesn't have to split any of it with the fighters. 2. How might this change the look and feel of UFC events? Right now, under the current deal with ESPN, there are essentially three separate and easily identifiable tiers of UFC programming. At the top are the numbered pay-per-view events, where the stars are out and the titles go up for grabs. In the middle there are the UFC Fight Night events that take place out on the road in front of big live crowds, typically in cities that pay the UFC a site fee just to bring the show to town. Then all the way at the bottom there are the UFC Fight Night events at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. You can always tell these because they have the feel of an exhibition taking place in a mostly empty warehouse, and they mostly feature fighters who fans don't know very well (or at all). But if all UFC events will soon be available for the single price of a monthly streaming service, what happens to those separate tiers? If UFC executives no longer need to worry about stacking numbered events with enough good fights to justify the pay-per-view price, might the quality of those cards decline? And would that lead to an increase in quality for the other events, or just a general flattening all around? Additionally, what reason does the UFC now have to build any individual fighter into a star? With no pay-per-views to sell, the brand itself is the only star necessary, while fighters just got more interchangeable. The big minds behind TKO, parent company to both the UFC and WWE, have bragged in the past about taking the 'lumpiness' out of the business, by which they meant finding ways to get paid whether the events are popular or not. But that also takes out some of the company's incentive to keep putting out a strong product, because CBS and Paramount will be paying whether people watch or not. What that does to the quality of various UFC offerings remains to be seen. 3. What does it mean for the growth and exposure of both the UFC and MMA as a sport to go from ESPN to Paramount+? Included in today's statement from UFC CEO Dana White is a line insisting the 'exposure provided by Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.' Here's where the seasoned observer must ask: Is it though? ESPN is, as we all know, 'the worldwide leader' when it comes to sports on TV. The deal with ESPN helped further legitimize the UFC, because it came with increased UFC coverage on shows like 'SportsCenter,' plus greater visibility in the daily mainstream sports conversation as a whole. Paramount+ has nowhere near that kind of footprint with American sports fans. As a network, CBS is still a very big deal, but the UFC has had plenty of network TV exposure before, thanks to its previous deal with Fox and its semi-regular events on ABC as part of the ESPN partnership. What ESPN gave the UFC was a place at the table among the major American sports. You could sit at a sports bar and look up at ESPN on TV and you might see UFC coverage mixed in with baseball and football highlights. Not a lot of Buffalo Wild Wings locations are streaming Paramount+ at all hours of the day when last I checked. A big part of the appeal of this deal for CBS and Paramount+ is the UFC brings a core audience with it. But Paramount+ does not offer the UFC a vast existing audience of sports fans to convert into fight fans. That's not part of the exchange here. As Don Draper would say, that's what the money is. And make no mistake, the UFC and its parent company are getting plenty of money in this deal, essentially doubling the broadcast rights fee they currently get from ESPN. But the money from these deals has historically not trickled down to UFC fighters. If the hope is they will be paid extra in 'exposure,' it seems doubtful that Paramount+ is the venue to make that happen.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
UFC and Paramount strike $7.7 billion deal
The UFC and Paramount have agreed a stunning $7.7billion deal that will see the network become the exclusive home of all UFC events in the U.S. The deal will see Paramount host all 43 annual UFC live events - including 13 marquee events and 30 'Fight Nights' - throughout the year. In a huge boost to fight fans, the deal will also see an end to the pay-per-view model which has traditionally been used with the UFC during their time at ESPN. ESPN had been paying an average of $500 million across a five year deal with the UFC - however that deal is set to run out at the end of 2025. Paramount, meanwhile, will pay an average of $1.1bn per year for the broadcast rights and have signed a seven-year deal, which will begin in 2026. Therefore, fight fans can pay just $12.99 a month for Paramount+ to get access to every single UFC event that goes on throughout the calendar year. The news was confirmed by UFC chief Dana White, who said in a statement: 'This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes. 'For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a pay-per-view model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform. 'This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.' The agreement marks a huge shift in the live sport landscape, with Paramount eager to move into the scene, days after closing its $8.4bn merger with Skydance Media. On Monday, Paramount CEO David Ellison said: 'Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy - driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty'. Reports claim that initial talks suggested that Paramount would buy the 30 'Fight Night' events and that the other premium numbered events would be sold elsewhere. However, Ellison was reportedly keen on sealing the entire UFC package given the limited amount of sports right that are available in the country moving forward. The network also revealed that they are interested in buying the UFC's international rights, along with the current deal. The UFC previously signed a $1.5billion deal with ESPN in 2019. However, the partnership led to much frustration around pay-per-view streaming glitches. During UFC 313 earlier in March, the issues continued to cause problems with viewers, prompting UFC chief Dana White to address them in a press conference. 'Oh yeah, it made it to me. They were having problems buying it on ESPN+. I don't know what happened with their platform tonight,' White said. 'There were a lot of pissed-off people.' Moreover, the UFC brass was reportedly unsatisfied with ESPN, while the network was unhappy with the pay-per-view numbers being 'way down' for UFC cards. Reports had suggested that Netflix was also frontrunner for the UFC media rights deal.
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
UFC dropping ‘pay-per-view' model for fights with move to Paramount+ in 2026
UFC fans will be able to watch fights for the first time without pay-per-view costs starting in 2026, ushering in a radical change to how viewers have accessed bouts for years. The promotion reached a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount, making the media giant the exclusive home of all UFC events in the U.S. starting next year. Fans will be able to watch UFC's full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 'Fight Nights' on Paramount+, and select events will also air on CBS. Advertisement Viewers with a Paramount+ subscription will not need to pay additional fees to watch the fights. UFC president and CEO Dana White took to social media Monday and said UFC will become 'more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform' with the deal. Most UFC fights currently air in the U.S. on ESPN+, where viewers must subscribe to the streaming platform for $12 per month and then pay an additional $79.99 per fight under the pay-per-view model. Paramount+ costs $13 per month for an ad-free subscription or $8 per month with ads. Without a pay-per-view model, UFC can potentially reach a wider audience and reduce the number of fees that viewers have faced during the streaming era to access UFC events. Breaking News 🚨UFC has a new home in 2026 only on @paramountplus — danawhite (@danawhite) August 11, 2025 The seven-year deal with Paramount has an average annual value of $1.1 billion, and the contract's payment schedule is weighted more toward the back end of the deal, according to Paramount. Paramount said it intends to explore acquiring UFC rights outside the U.S. as they become available in the future. UFC's move comes on the heels of Paramount, which also owns CBS, merging with media company Skydance in an $8 billion deal earlier this month. CBS and Hollywood's Paramount Pictures are now under the control of Skydance boss David Ellison, a movie producer and the son of tech titan Larry Ellison. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
