UFC announces all-inclusive U.S. media rights deal with Paramount, PPV era ends
Image: UFC
After heavy speculation on what the UFC would do with their media rights package, TKO announced on Monday morning that the world’s largest MMA organization is heading to Paramount in a transformative, all-inclusive media rights deal in the United States.
The seven-year, $7.7 billion ($1.1 billion average annual value) begins in January 2026 and will see 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights come to the Paramount+ streaming service with some numbered shows to be simulcast on CBS.
The deal also ends the pay-per-view for the UFC, one that began with its inception in 1993.
From the release:
“This shift in distribution strategy will unlock greater accessibility and discoverability for sports fans and provide an important catalyst for driving engagement and further subscriber growth for Paramount+. Paramount intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. as they become available in the future.”
It’s a massive splash in the sports media market for new Paramount owner and Skydance Media CEO David Ellison who recently got clearance to purchase the media empire after a lengthy process.
The deal ends UFC’s run with ESPN that began nearly five years ago with a $1.5 billion total contract. That included the exclusive rights to offer UFC PPVs via their ESPN+ platform in addition to Fight Night events, The Ultimate Fighter, and access to library content. They were seen as a strong front runner given the impending launch of the ESPN streaming service and their connection to sports fans.
The release did not mention the video library or shoulder content like The Ultimate Fighter, meaning TKO could look to sell those assets elsewhere.
The news validates the desires of TKO leadership to get their $1 billion/year deal which leadership had floated previously. There was speculation they could split a package between entities like ESPN and Netflix.
The news comes less than a week after TKO announced WWE’s premium live events will head to ESPN as part of a five-year, $1.6 billion deal that begins in April 2026. WWE’s 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix began this past January and their new deals with both NBCUniversal for WWE SmackDown and NXT with The CW beginning last fall.
What remains now for TKO on the domestic front are NXT PLE rights and both UFC and WWE library/archive rights if they choose to sell them. With UFC Fight Pass, the company may just choose to keep them there.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.