UFC Cuts Subscription Deal To Show Fight Events, Dana White Content On ESPN+, ESPN Platforms
By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
Expect to see more Dana White — and UFC fights and content — on ESPN, the big sports network.
Las Vegas-based UFC has reached a broadcast, digital and social media rights deal with The Walt Disney Company to show 15 live UFC events and White’s content called, “Dana White’s Contender Series,” under a subscription program. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year).
It’s a multi-year deal that starts in January 2019.
In a prepared statement, White said, ” “I couldn’t be more excited to partner with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN on an agreement that will continue to grow our sport. UFC has always done deals with the right partners at the right time and this one is no exception. We will now have the ability to deliver fights to our young fan base wherever they are and whenever they want it. This deal is a home run for ESPN and UFC.”
To subscribe, fans download or open the ESPN App (or visit ESPNPlus.com). In addition to live, exclusive events, UFC content available to ESPN+ subscribers will include:
- Exclusive, all new-seasons of “Dana White’s Contender Series” beginning in June 2019
- A new original, all-access series produced by IMG Original Content
- Exclusive pre- and post-event shows for all 15 “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Nights”
- Non-exclusive access to UFC’s full archive of programming, including historic events, classic bouts, and original programming
- Additional UFC-branded content, including “UFC Countdown” shows, press conferences, weigh-ins, and pre-and post-shows.
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UFC was acquired in 2016 by Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) together with partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually and around the world and has hundreds of MMA athletes under contract.
UFC says it has more than 280 million fans around the world and boasts the youngest fan base among major professional sports organizations in the U.S. with a median age of 40 and an audience comprising 40 percent millennials.
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