By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
After UFC sold digital rights to new streaming platform ESPN+ two weeks ago, the Las Vegas-based MMA fight event producer finished the deal by selling TV rights to ESPN for a total five-year, $1.5 billion rights agreement, according to Variety magazine.
Variety’s story posted late Tuesday said 30 fights are covered under the ESPN right deal, which begins in early 2019. Here’s the Variety story.
ESPN Wednesday sent out this press release with its statement on the deal.
ESPN, which has close access to UFC President Dana White, now will be the home of UFC fight shows after FOX Sports had the UFC fight show TV rights. FOX has shifted gears to sign up WWE for content after UFC material was used as key programming for FOX’s FS1 and FS2 five years ago.
Keep in mind UFC — owned by Endeavor (previously called WME-IMG) — still has its lucrative Pay-per-view revenues and also its internet subscription service, Fight Pass. The PPV income is one of UFC’s biggest single source of income.
LVSportsBiz.com has emailed UFC to for more details on this new TV rights deal. A USA Today report also provides background to the ESPN rights deal.
Endeavor bought UFC for more than $4 billion in 2016. UFC’s next fight is Sunday when Stephen Thompson and Darren Till fight live from Liverpool, United Kingdom on FS1. Here is the UFC fight schedule.
UFC has more than 500 fighters on its roster from about 60 different nations.