Bellator MMA, the fight promoter owned by ViacomCBS, has signed a new broadcast deal with CBS Sports Network. The TV channel, which is also owned by ViacomCBS, will be the new carrier for live domestic and international fight cards starting Oct. 1.
ViacomCBS has shown Bellator events since 2011 on MTV2 before moving to Spike TV (now called Paramount)—and now on CBS Sports Network. Bellator had signed a five-year, nine-figure deal with global streaming partner DAZN in 2018. A Bellator spokesman told SportTechie that DAZN will continue simulcasting events but would not hold any exclusive fights given the new deal with CBS Sports Network.
Bellator will continue to produce all of its events. The first two cards in this new deal will be shown from Europe—Bellator 247 from Milan on Oct. 1, and Bellator Paris on Oct. 10. The first major U.S. production to air on CBS Sports Network will be Bellator 249 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn, scheduled for Oct. 15.
As part of the new deal, undercard bouts will stream on CBSSports.com and Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel. Bellator also recently started its own streaming channel on Pluto TV, which is also a subsidiary of ViacomCBS.
