Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Report: ESPN Acquires UFC TV Rights For $1.5B

ESPN is doubling down on UFC, the mixed martial arts league the Disney-owned sports behemoth secured its first TV rights deal in April.

Variety cites sources familiar with negotiations say ESPN has struck a deal for a second portion to the package currently held by Fox Sports that will bring the total cost in the neighborhood of $300 million per year for five years, totaling $1.5 billion. The new deals, which cover a total of 30 fights per year, kick in early 2019.

As with their other pact, the events covered under this deal will be split between ESPN’s linear channels and ESPN+, the new streaming service launched last month.

Fox is exiting the UFC business after spending well north of $1 billion on a new WWE deal. After nabbing a different set of TV rights from UFC in April for a five-year deal worth $750 million, the second pact will deliver an additional 30 fights to Disney. UFC will still pay-per-view and its Fight Pass streaming service.

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