UFC's PPV events will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ through '25 under the new dealGETTY IMAGES
UFC President Dana White said that fans will "benefit from the new deal" that makes ESPN+ the MMA outfit’s exclusive PPV provider due to the net's "reach and convenience of knowing that all of UFC's biggest events will be available in one location," according to Bonesteel & Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. White said, "ESPN has all the big (sports) properties ... and the fan is accustomed to waking up and watching ‘SportsCenter’ or going on ESPN.com. We’ve aligned the fan, and now there’s no mystery about where to find UFC. ... Everything will be on ESPN." UFC's PPV events will be "broadcast exclusively" on ESPN+ through '25, starting with UFC 236 on April 13. Anyone who "wants to purchase the PPVs" will need a subscription to ESPN+, and the move gives ESPN a "valuable chunk of content for its fledgling streaming service." White said that he "expected some blowback from fans" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/19). In Las Vegas, Adam Hill notes viewers who have been "purchasing events through the UFC’s digital brands like UFC.com or the organization’s app will be redirected" to ESPN+ (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/19). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Benjamin Mullin writes the deal "represents the first time that the sports network has inked a multifight pay-per-view deal." White: "This cord-cutting thing is real, and it’s scary. Streaming is the future" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/19).
A DEEPER LOOK: ESPN does not plan to sell UFC PPVs through other distributors like In Demand or DirecTV, though UFC will sell PPV rights for bars and restaurants. Neither UFC nor ESPN would comment on how much ESPN is paying for the exclusive PPV rights or how the revenue cut between the two looks. But it is known that in a good year, the UFC brings in around $250M in PPV revenue through its 12 telecasts, given that UFC takes roughly 60% cuts of the revenue from its deals with distributors. It is not likely that UFC would allow its PPV revenue to drop far from that figure. UFC's new deal with ESPN also extends its media-rights deal by two years. The extension is believed to be worth $300M per year -- the same annual amount from the original deal (a five-year, $1.5B agreement). Both the rights agreement and PPV deal run through '25 (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
GOOD SPARRING PARTNERS: White said of working with ESPN, "Day One, these guys were incredible partners. ... The timing couldn’t be better for us to be with ESPN. ... We did this because this is good for everybody." He added ESPN promoting UFC will bring a "whole other level of exposure for these fighters," and "what we do with these guys in the next seven years is going to be ridiculous." White: “Once you make it to ESPN, that’s when you know you’ve made it as a sport.” White noted, “We had a five-year deal with them. Now we have a seven-year deal, and (Endeavor CEO) Ari Emanuel and I just signed a new seven-year deal too. ... This is what we always dreamed of doing” (YOUTUBE.com, 3/18).
