UFC owners explain how Paramount broadcasting deal was reached within 2 days

TKO Group Holdings dropped a bombshell announcement revealing a $7.7 billion broadcasting rights deal, which will see Paramount become the exclusive home of UFC in 2026.

As it turns out, the deal didn’t take a significant amount of time to be finalized. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel has revealed that the agreement took just two days to reach the finish line. So, how was a deal struck so quickly.

As it turns out, Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount led to a quick closure for UFC broadcasting rights. Emanuel explained the process during an interview with CNBC (via MMAFighting).

“It was the marketplace that was the bidder and many different configurations,” Emanuel told CNBC about how the deal got done. “It came together in 48 hours after it was multiple players for different configurations of our content, pay-per-views, Fight Nights. We have 13 pay-per-views, 30 Fight Nights and once [the Skydance] deal closed, they jumped in very quickly and Mark and team after we kind of figured out the economics, all the other stuff, Mark and team figured out.”

TKO COO Mark Shapiro chimed in, saying no stone was left unturned when finding the right broadcast partner.

“We were always, of course, going to look at two parts of the strategy,” Shapiro explained. “One is monetization, maximizing the value of our rights. But the second just as importantly, what is the right home and platform for the future growth of our brand and our business? So if we can be in one place at the right price in this scenario, as you said an AAV (average annual value) of $1.1 [billion] per year, which is two times what we got on the last deal, we check the box on the financial part of this.”

Shapiro also added that pay-per-views are “a thing of the past.” He said the goal is for fight fans to look at Paramount+’s $12.99 a month subscription and realize the value they’re getting for all the numbered UFC events alone.