UFC pay-per-view events moving exclusively to ESPN+
UFC has found a new home for pay-per-views. It was announced today that the ESPN+ will be the exclusive home for pay-per-views in the United States.
“Today’s announcement further establishes the strength of the partnership between UFC and ESPN,” UFC president Dana White said in a statement. “Now our fans will be able to watch all UFC events exclusively on ESPN platforms, including ESPN+, which is an innovative way to deliver fights to our young fan base. I couldn’t be more excited to work with ESPN for the next seven years. Together we’re going to do amazing things to help grow this sport.”
As well, ESPN and the UFC also extended their contract two years to 2025 to make ESPN and ESPN+ the one-stop shop for all things UFC for the next seven years.
Now, the hope is that the UFC can start bundling PPV’s and ESPN+ together and offer discounts. One discount already available is a yearly subscription to ESPN+ and one PPV for $79.99.
“With the addition of UFC PPV events, we are making ESPN+ an absolute must-have for any fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts,” Kevin Mayer, Disney’s chairman of direct-to-consumer & international operations, said in a statement. “In less than a year, ESPN+ has established itself as the leader in direct-to-consumer sports and this new programming agreement adds a significant business to our platform while reinforcing the value and strength of our product and our content lineup.”
It will also only impact American consumers, but now UFC fans can only order PPV’s through ESPN+ and stream it. For now, no one truly knows the impact of this deal and if it will lower or raise PPV buys. As well, currently, it isn’t known how this will impact bars/restaurants and how they will be able to pay the PPV.
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