UFC & Paramount Skydance Forge Massive New Media Partnership for U.S. Streaming

Paramount Skydance will become the exclusive home for Ultimate Fighting Championship events starting next year under a major new media rights deal with TKO Group. The agreement will run for seven years and gives Paramount the rights to all 13 of UFC’s marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Night cards each year. All events will stream on Paramount+, and select cards will also air on the CBS television network.

The deal is valued at an average of $1.1 billion per year. Paramount said the payments will be structured so that more of the money is paid later in the agreement. The partnership means UFC will leave behind its current pay-per-view model, a major shift in how fans access its biggest fights.

The announcement comes less than a week after the completion of an $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and the former Paramount Global, creating the new Paramount Skydance company. Paramount CEO David Ellison called live sports “a cornerstone” of the company’s strategy, saying that adding UFC is “a major win.” TKO Group CEO Mark Shapiro described Paramount’s reach as significant and said the partnership “unlocks powerful opportunities” for the company in the years ahead.

Both companies see the deal as a transformative moment for how mixed martial arts is delivered to audiences, combining UFC’s global fan base with Paramount’s streaming and broadcast platforms.

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