TKO Secures New Media Rights Deal For The UFC With Paramount

This summer has been filled with multi-billion-dollar acquisitions (ESPN acquiring NFL properties and WWE’s Premium Live Events), and on Monday morning, another was announced, but this time in the combat sports world.

Paramount, a Skydance Corporation and TKO Group Holdings, Inc., announced an exclusive seven-year media rights deal for the UFC that is worth $1.1 billion a year, totaling $7.7 billion over the life of the contract (“The contract’s payment schedule is weighted more toward the back end of the deal”). The deal will begin in 2026 and will have select UFC events on CBS, while the rest will be available on Paramount+ for subscribers to stream.

According to the press release sent by TKO, “Starting in 2026, Paramount will exclusively distribute UFC’s full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights via its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, with select numbered events to be simulcast on CBS, Paramount’s leading broadcast network.”

Later in the release, it mentions that with this new deal, there will not be any need for Pay Per View (PPV) as those events will be part of the Paramount+ subscription for those in the U.S. The international media rights have not been secured, but they are currently exploring this option. That could mean that, for now, UFC premium live events could potentially be on PPV outside of the U.S. if the international media rights aren’t secured by January.

Below are some quotes from the CEOs of TKO and Paramount.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Dana, Ari, and Mark. Rarely do opportunities arise to partner on an exclusive basis with a global sports powerhouse like UFC – an organization with extraordinary global recognition, scale, and cultural impact,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount. “Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms. Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win. We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of fans in the U.S., and potentially beyond.”