The UFC’s broadcast rights deal with ESPN opens for negotiation in January 2025, but discussions about the next contract are expected to start sooner, with TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro revealing that multiple platforms have already expressed interest in retaining the broadcast fights.
The UFC’s broadcast rights deal is up for grabs in January 2025. But, the chatter about the next contract is already brewing.
ESPN is the current owner of all UFC content. They bagged this after a seven-year deal with the promotion, post their FOX stint. This ESPN-UFC partnership has been a goldmine for both parties. It’s particularly boosted ESPN+ growth, with the streaming service expanding massively since becoming UFC’s primary home.
TKO Group Holdings president, Mark Shapiro, spilled the beans recently. He said multiple bidders have shown interest in scoring the broadcast fights for UFC. The negotiations are set to kick off later this year.
Shapiro, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Tech, Media and Telecom conference, expressed a preference for Disney. “We’ve got history,” he said. But, he also mentioned impromptu inquiries from three different platforms about the upcoming window. “If we can’t strike the right deal, we’re open to discussing a platform shift,” he added.
Shapiro didn’t name the three platforms. But, live sports programming has seen increased interest from several streaming outlets lately. Amazon’s Prime Video, for instance, coughed up $1 billion annually for exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday night football. Apple didn’t hold back either, shelling out $250 million per season to bring Major League Soccer onboard.
Even Netflix, traditionally averse to live sports programming, has changed its tune. The upcoming Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match is a case in point. Plus, they’ve inked a whopping $5 billion deal to host WWE’s flagship series, Monday Night Raw, for the next decade.
Shapiro didn’t specifically mention Netflix in the UFC context. But, he did hint at the network’s expansion into more live event programming post the WWE deal.
He called the WWE-Netflix contract a “landmark deal”. “It’s transformative. It’s industry-changing. It’s Netflix,” he said. He further added that this deal has de-risked the entire merger. “Netflix has an unbelievable global reach. They’re a marketing powerhouse. People forget that,” he said.
With Netflix dipping its toes in combat sports with the Paul-Tyson fight, UFC could be next on their wishlist.
Despite this, Shapiro maintains that UFC’s relationship with ESPN is rock solid. The synergy between the two brands has been remarkable since their partnership.
“ESPN and Disney are the best partners you could ever have,” Shapiro said. He mentioned that if they could replicate this with Netflix for WWE, they’d be golden. He praised Bob Iger for seeing the vision and deciding to take on all of UFC, including the pay-per-views. He also acknowledged the support from ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Magnus, and Rosalyn Durant, who now runs programming.
Shapiro did admit that ESPN has a lot on its plate. The NBA is also seeking a new broadcast rights deal, expected to dwarf a previous contract split across multiple media partners. This could affect UFC, depending on who lands the NBA and where another outlet might need more content.
“We’re curious about what happens with the NBA,” Shapiro said. “That will impact us. Are they getting more content? Less content?”
“I’m eager to see where this all goes. ESPN flagship, what happens at ESPN+, the cable bundle is completely imploding, ABC’s having a bit of a resurgence. So, we’re going to work with them behind the scenes to figure out what the next chapter of our partnership looks like,” he added.