Paramount grabs UFC broadcast rights for seven years, $7.7 billion

UFC pay-per-views are being left in the past.

Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount on Monday morning, allowing all of the mixed martial arts company’s 43 annual events to stream live on the Paramount+ service without additional fees.

The deal takes effect in 2026, effectively ending the UFC’s relationship with ESPN, the current rights holder. ESPN had offered the promotion’s cards in a pay-per-view format since 2019. 

Through the new broadcast agreement, select UFC fights will also be broadcast live on CBS.

“This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes,” Dana White, UFC’s CEO and president, wrote on X. “For the first time ever, fans in the U.S. will have access to all UFC content without a pay-per-view model, making it more affordable and more accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform.”

The Paramount deal is a massive improvement for the still-growing UFC — the ESPN deal paid the company about $500 million per year, half of what Paramount is offering.

“This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world,” Mr. White said. “The exposure provided by Paramount and CBS networks is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”

The UFC’s international rights become available on a rolling basis. Paramount officials said in a statement that they would look to negotiate international agreements in the future. 

“UFC is a unicorn asset that comes up about once a decade,” Skydance Media CEO David Ellison told CNBC. Skydance and Paramount finalized a merger last week, allowing the UFC deal to come together in about 48 hours, Mr. Ellison said. 

Monday’s announcement marked the second major broadcast deal for TKO Group, the UFC’s parent company, within a week. WWE, another TKO Group subsidiary, announced a five-year, $1.6 billion agreement with ESPN on Wednesday that would bring flagship events like WrestleMania to the network’s new streaming service starting next year.