Goodbye ESPN: UFC Inks Game-Changing Streaming Deal With Paramount+
With PPV gone, no more dishing out $79.99 a card to ESPN.
The UFC has signed a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount + to broadcast 43 events a year. The big news is that they will no longer use Pay Per View for their numbered events and will stream them on Paramount +. CBS will also get some UFC content to air on their broadcast network.
The blockbuster deal marks the first major deal done by Paramount's new Chairman and CEO David Ellison. Paramount merged with Skydance early in July of 2024 and that deal was recently approved by the Trump administration. Ellison said recently his plan for Paramount was to recreate the company. "New Paramount will direct resources ‘to what matters most,’ Ellison wrote, delivering more movies, television series, sports, news and games to global audiences."
Meanwhile, TKO Holdings Group has been very busy since being formed in September of 2023. TKO was created by Endeavor, a huge talent agency, to run the combined company of the UFC and WWE. TKO's CFO is Ari Emmanuel and its COO is former ESPNer Mark Shapiro.
In their short time of existence, they have made 3 huge deals. In January 2025, they announced a $5 billion deal with Netflix to air WWE Raw. Just last week, they completed a deal with ESPN for $1.6 billion for WWE's premium events which will go on ESPN's new streaming service for $29.99 a month. Today comes the news of the Paramount + $7.7 billion.
Ellison and Paramount + are poised to benefit greatly from the deal. The streaming service costs $7.99 a month for the essential service, which will include the UFC. The premium service is $12.99 and that includes the movie service Showtime. The key for Paramount is that it is year-round programming, which guarantees people will stay signed up for the streaming service year round.
UFC fans are also the big winners. 43 UFC events a year with 13 numbered cards and 30 fight nights all for 7.99 a month. No more $79.99 a card for the biggest fights.
Dana White is right, everyone from fans of the UFC to the athletes benefits from the PPV model going away. PPV limited many sports fans exposure to the sports best fighters. Those fights will now be available to anyone who can stream. That is a huge win.
This is also a big loss for ESPN. The library of content created by UFC is monstrous. Outside the 43 shows, there are weigh-in shows, studio shows, reality shows, a library of great fights and so much more. None of that will appear on ESPN's new streaming service that will cost $29.99.