The UFC has just signed a major seven-year media rights agreement deal with Paramount, worth an average annual value of $1.1 billion.
The deal will kick in from 2025 onwards, with Paramount to exclusively distribute UFC’s full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights through its direct-to-consumer streaming platform Paramount+. A select number of events will be simulcast on CBS too.
This means that UFC will move away from its existing Pay-Per-View model in favor of instead making these events available at no additional cost to the U.S. subscriber base of Paramount+.
This is a massive shift in distribution strategy, with the sport aiming to unlock greater accessibility and discoverability.
Breaking News 🚨UFC has a new home in 2026 only on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/FUQjemPnBS
— danawhite (@danawhite) August 11, 2025
While it’s only the United States that is mentioned in the announcement, Paramount intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. as they become available in the future.
UFC moves away from the pay-per-view model in favor of Paramount
“I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Dana, Ari, and Mark. Rarely do opportunities arise to partner on an exclusive basis with a global sports powerhouse like UFC – an organization with extraordinary global recognition, scale, and cultural impact,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount.
“Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms. 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.
“We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of fans in the U.S., and potentially beyond.”
The mixed martial arts organization has year-round events, with approximately 43 live events annually which amounts to more than 350 hours of live event content. According to the UFC, there are around 100 million fans in the US who are ‘highly engaged’ across linear, digital, and social platforms.
The deal, which begins next year, has an average annual value (AAV) of $1.1 billion, with the contract’s payment schedule weighted more towards the back end of the deal.
Featured Image: Credit to Lee Brimelow on Flickr/Wikimedia Commons under CC 2.0 license
