UFC, Paramount expand Canadian media rights deal to include numbered events/PPVs
UFC fans in Canada will soon be free from having to buy pay per views, aka numbered events.
Announced on Thursday, TKO and Paramount Skydance have expanded their existing media rights deal that will make Paramount+ the exclusive home for the main card of all 13 annual numbered events (fka PPVs in the U.S.) for the next six years.
One caveat: the deal doesn’t begin until 2027 as it will align with the seven year UFC/Paramount domestic contract that began at the start of 2026. That deal also includes Latin America and Australia, giving TKO full alignment for the next rights contract negotiations that will begin next decade.
Pointed out by MMA media member and commentator James Lynch in the video below, questions remain as to what this means for UFC’s future with Sportsnet where PPVs can currently be purchased in Canada in addition to Fight Nights, early prelims and prelims. Their multi-year deal kicked off in 2024, but it’s unclear if the deal was three years or more. Then, there is UFC Fight Pass where Canadian fans can also buy numbered events and watch Fight Nights and prelims.
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.