Paramount Secured the UFC’s Next U.S. Media Rights Agreement
Paramount and TKO announced a seven-year UFC media rights agreement on August 11, 2025. Beginning in 2026, the deal made Paramount the exclusive U.S. distributor of UFC events after earlier public discussion of several possible partners, including Netflix.
The negotiations had included several options
In November 2024, TKO executive Mark Shapiro discussed the possibility of dividing UFC programming across different partners. He identified linear television, streaming and pay-per-view as components the company could consider during negotiations.
He also said he expected Netflix to participate in the discussion. Those comments described potential bidders and distribution arrangements before a final agreement had been announced.
The announced package combined the main events
The Paramount agreement covered thirteen numbered events and thirty Fight Nights annually. Paramount+ would stream the full U.S. schedule, with selected numbered events also shown on CBS.
The companies said the arrangement would move away from separate pay-per-view purchases for those events. Numbered cards would instead be available to U.S. Paramount+ subscribers without an additional event charge.
The contract defined a U.S. rights package
TKO reported an average annual value of $1.1 billion across the seven-year term, with payments weighted toward the later years. The announcement said Paramount could explore international rights as they became available.
That territorial distinction mattered: the agreement established the U.S. package, while other markets required their own arrangements. The confirmed Paramount deal supplied the outcome after earlier reports had considered Netflix and the possibility of multiple distribution partners.
Sources
- Awful Announcing / CNBC: November 2024 discussion of potential partners
- TKO/Paramount: official August 2025 term, schedule, distribution and annual value
