In a move that will shake up the traditional pay-per-view model used in combat sports, the UFC will have a new broadcast home in 2026.
With its broadcast deal with ESPN set to expire later this year, TKO Group, which owns the UFC and WWE under one umbrella, has closed a deal with Paramount that will make that the new home of all UFC live events starting in 2026.
The deal, according to a news release from the UFC and Skydance Corporation, which owns Paramount, is for $7.7 billion over seven years. The UFC’s 13 annual pay-per-view events, plus 30 additional Fight Night events, will stream on Paramount+, its streaming platform. Additional events will be broadcast live on CBS, as well, which is Paramount’s flagship network.
The days of UFC consumers purchasing pay-per-view events – which currently clock in at $79.99 each – will be over, at least for U.S.-based customers.
“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+,” the company said in a release, adding that it will look at the UFC’s non-U.S. broadcast deals when they become available.
According to Paramount’s release, the company will pay an average of $1.1 billion a year for the rights to UFC broadcasts. That number is weighted to be higher annually in later years of the deal.
The UFC’s broadcast rights deal with ESPN, considered the global leader for sports broadcasting for decades, expires at the end of 2025. ESPN had been paying an average of around $500 million annually over five years.
“Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms,” Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison said in a release. “Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win. We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of fans in the U.S., and potentially beyond.”
But TKO isn’t out of the ESPN business with the UFC’s move to Paramount – not in the least. This past week, TKO signed a five-year deal with ESPN worth $1.6 billion to broadcast the WWE’s premium live events – former pay-per-view events, many of them.
And this past week, Paramount closed its merger with Skydance – likely paving the way for the close of the UFC deal.
