The UFC has a brand new dwelling in Paramount
LOS ANGELES, CA and NEW YORK, NY – August 11, 2025 – Paramount, a Skydance Company, (“Paramount”) (NASDAQ: PSKY) and TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (“TKO”) (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports activities and leisure firm, at this time introduced a seven-year media rights settlement by which Paramount will change into the unique dwelling of all UFC occasions within the U.S.
Beginning in 2026, Paramount will solely distribute UFC’s full slate of 13 marquee numbered occasions and 30 Battle Nights by way of its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, with choose numbered occasions to be simulcast on CBS, Paramount’s main broadcast community.
As a part of the settlement, UFC and Paramount will transfer away from UFC’s current Pay-Per-View mannequin in favor of creating these premium occasions accessible at no extra price to the expansive U.S. subscriber base of Paramount+. This shift in distribution technique will unlock higher accessibility and discoverability for sports activities followers and supply an necessary catalyst for driving engagement and additional subscriber progress for Paramount+. Paramount intends to discover UFC rights exterior the U.S. as they change into accessible sooner or later.
“I couldn’t be extra excited to affix forces with Dana, Ari, and Mark. Hardly ever do alternatives come up to associate on an unique foundation with a worldwide sports activities powerhouse like UFC – a corporation with extraordinary international recognition, scale, and cultural affect,” stated David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount. “Paramount’s benefit lies within the expansive attain of our linear and streaming platforms. Stay sports activities proceed to be a cornerstone of our broader technique — driving engagement, subscriber progress, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch occasions to our platforms is a significant win. We stay up for delivering this premium content material to thousands and thousands of followers within the U.S., and probably past.”
“This can be a milestone second and landmark deal for UFC, solidifying its place as a preeminent international sports activities asset,” stated Ariel Emanuel, Government Chair and CEO, TKO. “Our decade-long journey with UFC has been outlined by steady progress and enlargement, and this settlement is a vital realization of our technique. We consider wholeheartedly in David’s imaginative and prescient and stay up for being in enterprise with an organization that may prioritize know-how as a way to reinforce storytelling and the general viewing expertise.”
“Paramount is a platinum associate with vital attain,” stated Mark Shapiro, President and COO, TKO. “Our new settlement unlocks highly effective alternatives at TKO for years to come back – significant economics for traders; expanded premium stock for international model companions; and deeper engagement for UFC’s passionate fanbase. Simply as importantly, our athletes will love this new stage.”
UFC is the world’s premier combined martial arts (MMA) group. UFC occasions happen year-round with roughly 43 stay occasions yearly, delivering greater than 350 hours of stay occasion content material. Within the U.S., UFC has roughly 100 million followers who’re extremely engaged throughout linear, digital, and social platforms. Additional, UFC is without doubt one of the few really international sports activities properties, with programming reaching almost 950 million broadcast and digital households throughout greater than 210 nations and territories in 50 languages, in addition to a roster of roughly 600 of the world’s finest female and male MMA athletes representing 75 nations.
The seven-year time period, which begins in 2026, has a mean annual worth (“AAV”) of $1.1 billion. The contract’s cost schedule is weighted extra towards the again finish of the deal.
