United States: Paramount acquires UFC broadcasting rights for $7.7bn over the 2026-2032 cycle

Paramount Global, owner of the CBS media group and the Paramount+ OTT platform, has acquired the exclusive US broadcasting rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the American MMA organisation owned by the TKO Group, from 2026 until 2032 (seven years), announced the UFC on 11/08/2025.

The contract comes with an average annual fee of "$1.1bn (€944.6m)", or $7.7bn (€6.6bn) over seven years, with "the contract's payment schedule weighted more toward the back end of the deal," said the American organisation.

In detail, Paramount will exclusively broadcast the UFC's 13 flagship events and 30 Fight Nights via its Paramount+ streaming platform, while some events will be simulcast on CBS channels.

The UFC is thus ending the "pay-per-view" model for the US market: events will be included in the Paramount+ subscription, at no additional cost to users. "This shift in distribution strategy will unlock greater accessibility and discoverability for sports fans and provide an important catalyst for driving engagement and further subscriber growth for Paramount+," explained the UFC.

Paramount…