The UFC’s contract with ESPN runs through 2025. While there’s still more than a year to go, the race has already begun. ESPN MMA has been a boon to the premier combat sports promotion. The streaming deal kept the company afloat as the lone martial arts broadcasting grind during COVID-19’s run. But Dana White is thinking big.
The 54-year-old aims to make UFC even more globally stretched. It could see content in multi-platform advertising, like rivals NBA and NFL. Less than a day after the NBA announced an 11-year, $76 billion deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime, he indicated this could impact the UFC field. Dana White says it might even prompt UFC to go a similar route.
It’s going to depend how all these other rights play out, …the NBA was a big deal…Obviously, this one is playing out. ‘Who’s going to get them? ’ It could determine where we end up…Our rights deal is going to be a big deal coming up here. Who knows? We could end up like the NBA and the NFL where we end up on multiple channels instead of just one.
Dana White in ‘Money Movers’ CNBC Exclusive for CNBC TV (@CNBCtelevision) with co-anchor Sara Eisen
White’s UFC and ESPN MMA have been a match made in heaven. ESPN currently owns the rights to all UFC telecasts. It airs events on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ pay-per-view for numbered fight cards. On Maxx Crosby’s “The Rush” Podcast, he said that with proactive measures and ESPN’s media deal offering a pathway, the streaming audience and fanbase grew sixty-five percent during COVID.
Since the pandemic, the sport has grown immensely. Whatever money UFC makes from the broadcasting deal, it needs to at least double in their next deal. As such, they could go with the WWE model of selling rights of the PPV events to another network rather than keep it all under one. It could also signal the end of traditional PPV models. As such, it could go multiple ways.
Dana White gives the deed on possible deal structures
In 2018, the UFC and ESPN signed a five-year, $1.5 billion TV rights package for domestic broadcasts. The broadcast rights began as early as 2019 and will end this January 2025. At the beginning of 2019, they extended the deal for two years, adding pay-per-view streaming rights. UFC CEO Dana White is all praises for ESPN MMA. But he told Sports Business Journal that TKO Holdings might venture to other offers.
Dana White has big dreams after the ESPN MMA TV rights package runs through (Source: Instagram)Back in March, TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro told SBJ that management would prefer to stay at Disney (ESPN’s owner). However, there are impromptu offers from three different platforms. While Shapiro isn’t opposed to renewing, there’s also no harm in looking at the window of opportunities. With Netflix striking a deal with sister company WWE for the Monday Night Raw brand, UFC might be next.
Yeah, I could definitely see [other platforms] … We have a lot of different levels of fights, whether it’s Contender Series, Fight Nights or pay-per-views….Sports rights are through the roof right now. When I grew up, you had Channel 3, Channel 5, Channel 8, and Channel 13. I think that’s going to be the same globally over the next several years…
Dana White further said, via ‘Money Movers’ CNBC Exclusive for CNBC TV (@CNBCtelevision)
Nothing’s written in stone — but let’s consider Netflix’s example. The global audience knows Netflix releases whole packets of broadcasts in a single go, even whole entertainment series. UFC’s more ceremonial broadcasts or previous reality TV seasons could be such. More weekly episodes of The Ultimate Fighter and Contender Series could come on some other platform.
Regardless of the UFC’s next move, sports streaming rights are big business. UFC itself is big enough to part in segments. Disney again? YouTube? Will it be Amazon? Dana White tells ‘Money Movers’ co-anchor Sara Eisen it could be all.
