Observed Signal · Oct 2, 2025 · Partnership · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Paramount Secures UFC Rights in $7.7B Deal
Paramount, following its merger with Skydance and under new CEO David Ellison, has secured exclusive U.S. rights to all UFC events for seven years in a reported $7.7 billion agreement. The deal, reportedly finalized quickly, moves UFC’s full slate — including 13 marquee pay-per-view cards — onto Paramount’s streaming platform and will eliminate the UFC’s traditional pay-per-view model beginning in 2026; select fights will also be simulcast on CBS. The agreement ends ESPN’s partnership for UFC rights. TKO, the parent company of UFC and WWE, separately signed a five-year, $1.6 billion deal moving WWE premium events to ESPN’s upcoming streaming service. Paramount is positioning year-round live sports to drive Paramount+ subscriptions and reduce subscriber churn.
A major, multi-year sports-rights deal shifts live-event distribution from PPV to subscription on a large streaming platform, reshaping CTV/streaming content strategies and advertising opportunities.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Paramount agreed to exclusive U.S. rights to all UFC events for seven years in a $7.7 billion deal.
- The agreement eliminates UFC’s pay-per-view model and moves events to a streaming subscription starting in 2026.
- Paramount will simulcast select UFC fights on its CBS broadcast network.
- ESPN lost the UFC rights; TKO separately signed a five-year, $1.6 billion deal moving WWE premium events to ESPN.
- The deal is the first major move by Paramount’s CEO David Ellison since the Skydance merger and was reportedly negotiated in two days.
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UFC Consolidates All Content on Paramount+
UFC will consolidate major non-pay-per-view programming and live events on Paramount+ beginning in 2026 under a reported seven-year media-rights partnership. The deal, reportedly worth $1.1 billion, makes Paramount+ the exclusive home for all UFC events in the U.S., Latin America and Australia and moves shows including The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series onto the streaming service. The partnership shifts UFC revenue away from direct pay‑per‑view buys toward a guaranteed rights fee and aims to use year‑round original programming as a retention driver for Paramount+ subscribers. The new era launches with UFC 324 on January 24, 2026 and includes 13 numbered marquee events for the year on the platform.
Paramount+ Raises Prices to Fund Exclusive UFC Deal
Paramount+ announced a subscription price increase effective January 15, 2026, raising its ad-supported "Essential" tier to $8.99/month and its ad-free "Premium" tier to $13.99/month, with larger hikes for annual plans. The company says the move helps finance a seven-year, $7.7 billion investment that makes Paramount+ the exclusive U.S. home for UFC events, substituting the prior pay-per-view model. New owner Skydance Media is pressing the direct-to-consumer business to reach profitability in 2026 and has eliminated free trials. Paramount+ is also securing exclusive creative deals (including with the Duffer Brothers) and pursuing broader strategic moves such as an active bid for Warner Bros. Discovery; the company names David Ellison as CEO and has appointed Bari Weiss to lead CBS News.
Paramount+ UFC Goes Programmatic for Live Sports
Paramount is launching live, in-game programmatic buying for UFC events on Paramount+, marking a move to real-time, guaranteed ad placements within premium sports broadcasts. The venture follows Paramount’s July-rights deal for UFC, valued at $7.7 billion over seven years. UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett will debut the feature on January 24. Advertisers can access selected ad units programmatically through Amazon DSP, Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP, with private marketplace bidding for UFC Numbered Events preliminaries and Fight Nights in the US. Main-card placements will be sold as Streaming Fixed Units tied to specific episodes. Paramount’s CRO Jay Askinasi, a former Roku executive, oversees the modernization push. The initiative aligns with broader adtech trends around live sports and programmatic TV, alongside parallel moves by NBCUniversal to enable DV360 access to Olympic inventory.
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