All PPV Events Move To ESPN+ In US
ESPN+ is going to be the new home for all UFC pay-per-views events, starting with UFC 236 next month.
Having switched from Fox Sports to ESPN on January 1st of this year, the UFC have now made an exclusive deal where fans can only purchase a UFC pay-per-view card in the United States, through ESPN+.
An excited Dana White said on Twitter:
“I am very excited to announce that ESPN+ will be the new, exclusive home for UFC pay-per-view events. Let me say that again, all UFC pay-per-views will be available for purchase exclusively through ESPN+. Starting with UFC 236, on April 13th. ESPN+ will deliver the best pay-per-view experience ever, with unrivalled access to live fights. You get replays, archives, originals and so much more. If you are a UFC fan, ESPN+ is a must have!”
Kevin Mayer, the Chairman, Director-to-Consumer and International, The Walt Disney Company (which owns ESPN) said this on the deal.
“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. 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.”
Speaking to Megan Olivi, Dana also said that ESPN and the UFC have extended their distribution agreement for two more years. It will now expire in 2025, rather than 2023. Extending it from five years to seven years.
In the same interview, Dana also said that he had also signed a new seven year deal to remain the UFC President.
New ESPN+ subscribers will get one year of ESPN+ and a UFC PPV event for $79.99 Existing ESPN+ subscribers will be able to purchase UFC PPV events at $59.99 per event.
If you’re in the US, what do you think about this deal?
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