In a landmark shake-up of U.S. sports broadcasting, Paramount Global has wrestled away exclusive domestic media rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in a seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement that will redefine how Americans watch mixed martial arts.
Running from 2026 through the 2032–33 season, the deal covers all UFC programming — including 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights annually — and marks the end of the sport’s decades-long pay-per-view model in the United States. Every bout will stream live on Paramount+ at no extra cost to subscribers, with select marquee cards simulcast on CBS, dramatically expanding UFC’s free-to-air footprint.
The blockbuster agreement comes on the heels of Skydance’s $8.4 billion merger with Paramount. New Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison framed the deal as a strategic coup and said, “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.”
Mark Shapiro, President and COO of UFC parent company TKO, hailed the partnership’s commercial and competitive upside and added, “Paramount is a platinum partner with significant reach. Our new agreement unlocks powerful opportunities at TKO for years to come – meaningful economics for investors; expanded premium inventory for global brand partners; and deeper engagement for UFC’s passionate fanbase. Just as importantly, our athletes will love this new stage.”
The deal ends ESPN’s exclusive U.S. broadcast run with UFC, a partnership that began in 2019 and played a pivotal role in integrating the sport into Disney’s ESPN+ streaming ecosystem. UFC will now sit alongside Paramount’s premium sports lineup, which includes the NFL, UEFA Champions League, PGA Tour, and top-tier college athletics.
For fans, the change is both financially and culturally significant. Pay-per-view bouts — once costing nearly $80 apiece — will be folded into a single Paramount+ subscription, while CBS broadcasts could introduce UFC to millions of casual viewers who have never paid for the sport.
The agreement reflects a wider shift in the sports media market, as streaming platforms compete aggressively for premium live events to attract subscribers and boost engagement. With guaranteed payments averaging $1.1 billion per year, this ranks among the most lucrative broadcast deals in combat sports history — one poised to reshape the economics, accessibility, and mainstream profile of mixed martial arts for the decade ahead.