Negotiations start for a new broadcast deal in 2025, and UFC is open to working with multiple networks like NFL or NBA.
UFC’s monster broadcast deal with ESPN is coming to an end after 2025, and many wonder whether the combat sports promotion will leave parent company Disney to work with one of the other big entertainment conglomerates such as Netflix or Amazon.
But, why choose just one broadcast partner when you could work with more simultaneously? In a new interview with CNBC, UFC CEO, Dana White, said he’s open to copying other sports leagues that have packages with multiple networks.
Because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Dana White: Our rights deal is gonna be a big deal coming up here. And who knows? We could end up like the NBA and the NFL, where we end up on multiple channels instead of just one.pic.twitter.com/yw5jPibXas
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 26, 2024
“Our rights deal is gonna be a big deal coming up here,” White said. “And who knows? We could end up like the NBA and the NFL, where we end up on on multiple channels instead of just one.”
“It’s all moving and changing so quickly,” he added. “But, yeah, I could I could definitely see that. We have a lot of different level of fights, whether it’s Contender Series, Fight Nights, or pay-per-views, and they could end up on multiple platforms.”
CNBC asked whether negotiations had begun for UFC’s broadcast rights, which are expected to bring in twice as much as the previous seven-year $1.5 billion ESPN deal.
“They haven’t necessarily begun yet,” White said. “But yeah, there’s a there’s a lot of interest and a lot of people out there kicking the tires.”
One factor is how much money is being spent on other sports league broadcast renewals. NBA just announced an 11-year deal with Disney/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon for a staggering $76 billion. That could set off a bidding war for a premium live offering like UFC … or cut into the budget big streamers have available.
“It’s gonna depend on how all these other rights play out,” White said. “Like you just said, the NBA was a big deal. Obviously, this one’s playing out. Who’s gonna get them? Who’s not gonna get them? It could determine where we end up.”
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