Skydance will become an exclusive home to the Ultimate Fighting under a seven -year flow deal worth 7.7 billion dollars, which is the first major strategic step by the newly integrated media giant during the era of the new CEO David Ellison.
Starting next year, Paramount+ will carry a full list of full UFC US and 30 fighting nights. Companies announced on Monday that UFC, owned by TKO Group Holdings, will also get specific specific cards on the Paramount’s CBS Broadcast Network.
The deal depends on Ellison’s commitment to an increase in investment in exclusive high -quality content, which was called “the largest single engine for subscribers’ growth.
Sports content, especially the rights of live events, has become the cornerstone of the media strategy where wire skipping is accelerated, with their competitors such as Netflix and Disney also similar deals to enhance their offers.
Netflix got a global deal worth $ 5 billion and 10 years for WWE RAW from 2025 and added Christmas Day games in the US Football Association. Disney Espn has extended the rights of NFL, NHL, MLB and College Football Playoff.
“The addition of UFC events throughout the year to our platforms is a great victory,” Elison said, as UFC was described as a “global sporting force.”
The company will pay an average of $ 1.1 billion annually, and the events include without any additional cost to subscribers, and move away from the traditional payment model for each UFC offer. She also mentioned that she may seek UFC rights in other markets when they are put up to provide bids.
While Canadians can subscribe to Paramount+ starting from $ 6.99 per month for a standard plan, it is unclear whether they will be able to watch UFC battles on this statute. Sportsnet has obtained exclusive rights for UFC fighting, and the initial events for each show and the reality series The final fighter In Canada since 2024.
Meanwhile, the battle for each upcoming UFC offer available to Canadians to watch on SPORTSNET costs $ 69.99. A spokesman for Rogers, who owns Sportsnet, told CBC News that Paramount Deal will not change anything to Canadian viewers.
UFC stages about 40 direct events annually, reaching nearly 100 million American fans and about 950 million families worldwide. Its list includes numbered cards such as UFC 300, weekly fighting nights and reality programs Final fighter and Dana White competition series.
Paramount Global and Skydance Media completed its merger of $ 8.4 billion last week and appointed Ellison as CEO, crowned the process of a drawn deal characterized by political scrutiny fears and shareholders’ concerns.
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