ESPN set to increase UFC viewership prices in October just weeks before end of broadcasting rights deal

ESPN+ is rebranding as ESPN Select, meaning a significant price increase for UFC fans to watch fights during the last few weeks of the broadcast partnership.

Disney, ESPN’s parent company, announced on Tuesday that several of its streaming platforms will undergo significant price increases in Q4 and beyond. This includes ESPN+, which is rebranding to ESPN Select, which has been a hub for UFC fight fans to watch events.

The UFC is set to begin its new broadcasting rights deal with Paramount and CBS on January 1st, after agreeing to a massive contract earlier this year. Netflix was also reportedly in the mix for the rights to broadcast UFC events before a last-second snag in negotiations.

In the last few weeks of the UFC-ESPN broadcasting marriage, fight fans will have to pay a hefty price compared to what they were paying beforehand.

Final weeks of ESPN/UFC partnership will see significant price increases

Beginning on October 21st, ESPN Select will move from $11.99 to $12.99 a month, with the annual plan moving from $119.99 to $129.99. ESPN Select, with advertisements, will change from $16.99 to $19.99 a month.

Without ads, ESPN Select increases from a monthly price of $26.99 to $29.99.

The UFC agreed to a $7.7 billion deal to move to Paramount for the next seven years, a massive deal in combat sports broadcasting. UFC will also abandon its traditional pay-per-view format in favor of a subscription-based viewership model.

Paramount+ currently costs $7.99 monthly with ads, and $12.99 per month without them. UFC CEO Dana White recently acknowledged that post-fight performance bonuses will increase for UFC fighters after the partnership goes into effect in January.

Over the last few years of the UFC-ESPN partnership, the cost of viewing UFC programming has increased repeatedly, at the behest of consumers. ESPN will host four UFC pay-per-views in 2025, including the final PPV card for the foreseeable future at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.