As the UFC ramped up shopping around for a new broadcast rights deal to replace ESPN, there was one name that made almost too much sense: Netflix.
Given that TKO Group Holdings, which owns both the UFC and WWE, and Netflix reached a lucrative deal for WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” to currently stream live internationally each week, many believed the UFC’s massive offering of live events would be a natural fit. Add to it that Netflix carried TKO’s first boxing event, Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, this past weekend, and a UFC-Netflix deal seemed like a no-brainer.
That’s what left many people stunned by last month’s announcement of the UFC reaching a seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement with Paramount. UFC CEO Dana White even said he “didn’t think (Paramount) is where we’d end up.”
So what happened to Netflix? As expected, it came down to numbers – but not necessarily money.
During an appearance on “The Varsity” podcast, TKO president Mark Shapiro explained that Netflix was interested only in the quality of the UFC’s 13 numbered events, not the quantity of the promotion’s 30 other Fight Night cards.
“There was one moment of disappointment,” Shapiro said (h/t POST Wrestling). “We were getting pretty close with Netflix frankly. They kind of stood by the fact that they didn’t want to have the volume, which we understood from the get-go. (Netflix executive) Ted (Sarandos) and Bela (Bajaria) were very upfront with that. ‘We’re looking for big events. So the fact that you could give us one pay-per-view’ – which they were just going to put on the platform for free as long as you’re a subscriber – ‘as long as you just give us that, we’re in, and we’ll pay premium for it. But we don’t want to carry the other 30 Fight Nights.’ And over the course of the conversation, they really didn’t come off that, and that’s what opened the door for Paramount/CBS.”
Shapiro believes that the Netflix-WWE deal for “Raw” worked against TKO’s ability to land the UFC on Netflix.
“I think that played against us,” Shapiro said. “I think they felt like, ‘We have volume there, therefore we don’t need it here.’”
Ultimately, the UFC reached its lucrative deal with Paramount, which starts in 2026. The UFC’s 13 annual numbered events, plus 30 additional Fight Night events, will stream on Paramount+. Additional events will be broadcast live on CBS, Paramount’s flagship network, including the expected UFC White House event that’s in the works for next summer.
