ESPN Nears Deal To Add Linear TV Rights To UFC Package, Elbowing Out Fox

ESPN Nears Deal To Add Linear TV Rights To UFC Package, Elbowing Out Fox

ESPN, which last month set a streaming deal with the UFC, is close to adding linear TV rights to its package, ending the circuit’s seven-year run on Fox Sports.

Related
LeBron James-Led Rout By Cleveland Draws ESPN's Second-Best NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 Rating Ever

Sources confirmed the UFC is paying $300 million a year in a five-year deal, which is roughly double what Fox had been paying. Endeavor, which led the $4 billion acquisition of the UFC in 2016, had been in talks with a range of suitors, including Fox. The streaming rights acquired by ESPN+, the new $5 a month streaming service, came in at $150 million a year.

Live ratings have been declining for the UFC, but it remains a big draw with young male viewers, an appealing target for many advertisers. When negotiations began earlier this year, it was a big question whether the rights would land in a desirable range for the sellers. But the sports rights market overall remains vigorous as programmers look for reliable ratings linchpins for their schedules. As with the TV ad market, while ratings may have declined, pricing remains healthy for for the moment.

ESPN, which is under the leadership of new president Jimmy Pitaro, is looking to show that it remains the dominant player in sports. Asked last week about the frothy marketplace for sports rights, and also about ESPN’s view of its NFL deal, which expires in 2021, Pitaro was upbeat. In particular, he noted the network’s appetite for ring sports. It recently closed a major deal with Top Rank Boxing. “Combat sports in general are of interest to us,” he said. (MMA purists will note that UFC fighters do not technically step into a “ring,” but rather an octagonal structure.)