The first major deal in the Skydance era.
Paramount and TKO just announced that the rights to UFC will be moving over from ESPN to Paramount’s CBS Sports. 7 years for $7.7 billion. All of the matches from UFC will stream on Paramount+, with some events airing on CBS. The most interesting part is that UFC events will no longer cost a premium, unlike the previous model on ESPN+, which used the pay-per-view model. (To the dismay of fans who usually pirate these matches) ESPN aired preliminary matches on the main linear networks before pushing the main cards to ESPN+ PPV.
This is a complete 180 from two years ago, when Paramount pulled from the boxing venture by shutting down the Showtime Sports banner. Of course, this was all Chairman and CEO David Ellison’s decision to bring in the UFC. “Rarely do opportunities arise to partner on an exclusive basis with a global sports powerhouse like UFC,” Ellison said. Ellison was spotted at multiple UFC events, raising speculation about a potential deal.
For ESPN, despite losing the UFC PPVs, it did get the WWE from TKO for its upcoming streaming service for $1.2 billion, moving from Peacock.
Who knows what Ellison is also planning? The NFL, which is an equity partner of Paramount through Skydance Sports, doesn’t plan on a complete negotiation through its clause in the 2021 renewal, but it's definitely renegotiating in 2029 along with FOX and NBCUniversal. The NBA is already set with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon as its partners for the next 11 years; Bob Bakish, the previous head, didn’t go for the rights. WNBA rights are basically done, unless Ellison throws in last-minute bids. The MLB should definitely be on everyone's watchlist for rights Ellison will negotiate in 2028. Expect a reunion for CBS and the league, along with many others.
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