Paramount, UFC, and the Top Question for Streaming Sports Fans

The sports broadcasting world has been buzzing lately with some major deals being struck left and right. One of the most recent and significant ones came from David Ellison, the new owner of Paramount, who made a splash with a $7.7-billion agreement to secure the streaming and TV rights to UFC matches. This seven-year partnership with UFC owner TKO Group Holdings will see Paramount shelling out an average of $1.1 billion annually, which is double what Disney used to pay to show the mixed martial arts league on ESPN.

This move by Ellison signals a willingness to invest heavily in content that can help make Paramount+ a stronger competitor against streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max. Under this deal, Paramount+ will have the rights to stream 13 top-tier “numbered” UFC events and 30 fight nights, with select events also airing simultaneously on CBS. It’s a game-changer for UFC fans, as the league will now step away from its pay-per-view model, opening up the sport to a wider audience, particularly among young men.

The Paramount-UFC deal is just the latest example of the ongoing streaming wars, especially in the realm of sports broadcasting. Recently, the NFL secured a 10% stake in ESPN as part of a complex agreement that gives Disney more control over NFL cable properties, including the NFL Network and the RedZone channel. This partnership is part of Disney’s strategy to strengthen its content offerings for the upcoming stand-alone ESPN streaming service, set to launch later this month at a cost of $30 a month.

Meanwhile, ESPN isn’t stopping there. The network also renewed its deal with TKO, agreeing to pay $1.6 billion over five years to stream WWE events such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam. This move will help offset the loss of UFC rights to Paramount. With these new agreements in place, ESPN is positioning itself as a major player in the competitive world of sports streaming.