UFC-Paramount Partnership Underway
The UFC has a new broadcast partner, and so far, they love it.
The UFC has had a few different broadcast partners over the years, beginning with Spike TV. The defunct channel was heavily marketed to young men, and so, the UFC was a natural fit.
Eventually, they moved to Fox Sports and were forced to become a bit more professional. Then, they hopped ship to ESPN+, ditching cable in the process.
The one thing these all had in common was the PPV model. Their newest partner Paramount Plus has scrapped it in favor of a $8.99 monthly cost. Far lower than the $9.99 monthly ESPN+ cost, with its additional $79.99 PPV.
The UFC has long had a problem with pirated streams, as have most sports with expensive PPVs. Convincing people that it’s easier to watch the UFC officially is what Paramount is striving to do with the low monthly cost.
UFC 324 averaged just under 5 million viewers, peaking at 5.93 million, the single most watched live event on the service so far.
The move from PPV to a standard monthly cost has both parties accepting continued viewership like this, especially since UFC 324 was not the most hyped card around.
The UFC has also made some changes since arriving, most notably increasing the fight of the night bonus from $50,000 to $100,000. It had previously been $60,000 before being reduced in 2014.
The UFC has also promised earlier start times, a new knockout and submission of the night award, and having a second numbered card just one week after the previous.
These changes are likely motivated by a desire for more exciting fights, since Paramount is paying $1,100,000,000 a year for the rights to the UFC, and lacking the PPV model viewership is everything.
