Liputan6.com, Jakarta TKO Group Holdings, Inc., parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Paramount, a subsidiary of Skydance Corporation, officially announced a groundbreaking seven-year media rights deal.
The announcement, made on August 11, 2025, marks a new era for combat sports fans in the United States.
The deal makes Paramount the exclusive home for all UFC events, transforming the landscape of premium sports content distribution.
The value of the agreement is estimated at $7.7 billion, averaging $1.1 billion annually, and will go into effect in 2026.
The most significant aspect of the UFC-Paramount deal is the elimination of the Pay-Per-View (PPV) model that has been the UFC's hallmark.
Deal Details and Fantastic Value
Totaling $7.7 billion over seven years, the deal has an average annual value of $1.1 billion.
The agreement will take effect in 2026, following the expiration of UFC's previous agreement with ESPN at the end of 2025.
Previously, ESPN paid approximately $350 million annually to distribute 30 UFC Fight Nights and approximately $250 million annually for 13 numbered UFC events.
At $1.1 billion annually, UFC's media rights revenue is now nearly on par with other major sports leagues such as MLB ($1.8 billion), the Olympics ($1.3 billion), March Madness ($1.1 billion), and Nascar ($1.1 billion).
This surpasses the value of the NHL ($635 million) and PGA Tour ($700 million) deals, placing the UFC as one of the most valuable sports properties in the world.
Distribution Revolution: Goodbye Pay-Per-View!
One of the most crucial points of the UFC-Paramount deal is the decision to abandon the Pay-Per-View (PPV) model that has long been the backbone of UFC's premium event distribution.
Starting in 2026, these premium events will be available at no additional cost to Paramount+ subscribers in the United States.
Paramount will exclusively distribute all 13 UFC main events and 30 'Fight Nights' through its live streaming platform, Paramount+.
All 13 UFC main events and 30 'Fight Nights' will be available at no additional cost to Paramount+ subscribers in the US, while some main events will also be simulcast on Paramount's flagship broadcast network, CBS.
The UFC hosts approximately 43 live events annually, providing over 350 hours of live event content that will be entirely under the Paramount umbrella.
UFC CEO Dana White stated that this deal will make all UFC content more affordable and accessible to fans in the US, a promise welcomed by the fan community.
Other Details About the Deal
The UFC Paramount deal comes just days after the $8 billion merger between Skydance and Paramount Global was finalized, marking the first major strategic move under new CEO David Ellison.
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, stated that live sports continues to be a cornerstone of Paramount's strategy to drive engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty.
“Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms,” David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said in a statement.
“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.”
Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO, added that the deal will mean “deeper engagement for UFC’s passionate fan base” and that its athletes “will love this new stage.”
News of the Paramount-UFC deal also comes after ESPN struck a separate deal with TKO for WWE rights, under which ESPN will become the exclusive U.S. home for WWE major events like “WrestleMania” starting in 2026 on ESPN’s standalone streamer.