Paramount Plus will soon become the exclusive home to the UFC

Paramount has conscionable snapped up the rights to the UFC, joining an industry-wide contention to bargain up remaining sports streaming rights. The $7.7 cardinal deal volition bring 30 of the UFC’s “Fight Nights” and 13 marquee events to Paramount Plus subscribers for 7 years starting successful 2026 — nary pay-per-view required.

Paramount, which merged with Skydance conscionable days ago, won’t complaint subscribers much for entree to UFC fights. But it’s inactive not wide whether UFC fights volition beryllium exclusive to Paramount Plus’ spricier $12.99 per period Premium plan, oregon if $7.99 per period Essential subscribers volition summation access, too. Paramount volition besides simulcast immoderate of the events connected CBS.

The Disney-owned ESPN presently holds the rights to the UFC, with its ESPN Plus streaming work airing events connected a pay-per-view basis. As noted by CNBC, ESPN paid an mean of $500 cardinal annually for 5 years of UFC rights, portion Paramount volition wage astir $1.1 cardinal each year.

ESPN’s full-featured unrecorded streaming work makes its debut aboriginal this month and volition see exclusive entree to WWE events, specified arsenic WrestleMania.