The streaming service Paramount+ is stepping into the ring with the UFC. The platform known to the “Trekkie” community for the robust catalog of Star Trek content is adding to its portfolio of live sporting events. The seven year deal with the UFC is reported to be worth 7.7 billion, yes that’s with a B, making Paramount+ the exclusive provider of live UFC events. With the deal. it was announce that UFC would be doing away with the Pay-Per-View model and customers will only require a Paramount+ subscription to view such events. Also, some numbered UFC events that in the past would have been PPV will be simulcast to CBS. The move marks a serious effort by Paramount+ to tape into the US sports markets. It’s clear for sports fans in America that being able to watch all the sports you love could get a bit pricey.
Currently, Paramount+ holds broadcast rights to multiple NFL games through their ties with CBS. A deal that would make a Ferengi grin. While the platform offers access to multiple international soccer leagues, the only exposure in the states until now was college basketball, and again because of CBS. The deal with UFC marks the first for Paramount+ where they will be the sole provider. The lack of draw for UFC viewership has been a topic of discussion at times, but move away from a PPV model could drive a rise in subscriptions for the platform. With events held year round, the UFC could also help lock-in subscriptions from month to month. As streaming platforms become the norm for our consumption of live sports, no longer will the driving factor be viewership, but instead subscriptions. Unfortunately, for us as the consumer, we are left with a bit of a quandary to navigate.
The future of broadcasting live sports is streaming, plain and simple. This means, for the avid sports connoisseur, there’s another platform to add to the ever growing list. How ironic, that the cord-cutting mentality, that was once welcomed, is now proving more painful for the wallet, and appears to be getting worse. The decay of regional markets in the NBA and MLB due to the bankruptcy of Bally Sports has left many fans with questions. The ability to access broadcasts, even of local games, may prove to be more challenging in the future, if the games are broadcasted at all. To imagine a single streaming platform exclusively broadcasting an entire sport is not that far fetch. Currently, we see YouTubeTV, Apple TV, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and more offering exclusive cover to some degree of multiple sports.
The behavior of the streaming services is no different than what we saw out of the likes of CBS, FOX, ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBC, and more. The deal between Paramount+ and the UFC kicks in at the beginning of 2026. Subscribers can be on the lookout for a price hike in the near future, the odd coincidence that commonly takes place after deals like this. Streaming services already have significant hold at every level of sports from college all the way to the Olympics. The dilemma that was cable has been replaced by the dilemma that is streaming platforms.
