The UFC and Paramount+ have reached a massive deal that will change how viewers see MMA forever. It will start in 2026 and it’s a fan-friendly deal as viewership will have to invest way less money to watch marquee events.
Both Paramount and UFC’s parent company, TKO, announced that they reached a seven-year media rights agreement to make Paramount -and CBS- the exclusive home of the UFC in the United States.
The deal is up to $7.7 billion and it will “move away from UFC’s existing Pay-Per-View model in favor of making these premium events available at no additional cost to the expansive U.S. subscriber base of Paramount+,” the official statement said. Paramount also announced that they will intend to explore UFC rights outside the United States as they become available.
This is good for fans in America
The UFC plans approximately 43 live events annually. Most weekends, you’ll find action inside the octagon. Out of those 43 events, 13 or so are catalogued as PPVs. Those events come at an additional cost of $79.99. Add to that a monthly subscription of $11.99 to now-former partner ESPN+. This means that if UFC fans wanted to see all the events, they would pay north of $1,100 per year.
With this new deal, you can forget about paying those heavy $79.99. You can find everything on Paramount+ as long as you are subscribed. As for now, you can get Paramount+ for $59.99 per year for the Essential Plan. There’s also a $119.99 annual fee for the Showtime Plan, which is ad-free and includes Showtime content. It remains to be seen whether Paramount will adjust prices once the deal kicks in, but even if they do so, it will still be cheaper than what it is now.
Dana White does it again
What Dana White has done with this company is nothing short of amazing. Of course, not every decision has been great in hindsight. Still, he took a broke company and transformed it into a sports juggernaut. This is not the first time he redefines UFC’s trajectory.
His milestones are huge. He helped MMA get legalized in all 50 states and go to countries like France, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and more. He also was the first major sport to be back after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a worldwide hiatus. More recently, he made the UFC the only sporting event to ever hold a show on the Vegas Sphere. Dana White breaks barriers and this deal is another step in the right direction for the company.