This morning, the Sports Business Journal ran a story about the changing strategy of the UFC digital platform Fight Pass as it attempts to gain and retain subscribers.
After the deal which put the UFC on ESPN+, many thought that Fight Pass would be dead. But according to the interview with the UFC’s Crowley Sullivan, the digital service is up 22% in subscribers “year-to-date.” While the UFC does not officially share its UFC digital subscribers as the WWE does for its Network (as WWE is publicly traded), the growth is something touted by the promotion.
The service relaunched after 18 months to reboot. With a focus on original content, Fight Pass is serving to be more than just a place to watch the Early Prelims. Its core is still live events but there has been a notable move toward more feature programming. Sullivan indicated that the subscriber growth occurred during the pandemic without live sports as many sought to fill a void. However, he says that the gains occurred when UFC live events began again in May. One might infer that this was due to the marketing of the platform during the UFC events.
Fight Pass has localized its content as well which may attribute to the uptick in subscribers. As reported by the Sports Business Journal, it launched a local channel in Russia and has plans for another in Japan.
Payout Perspective:
Fight Pass is not dead even with the partnership with ESPN. One may not have predicted this a year ago and many would not have seen an increase in subscribers. At $100 a year, it shows that there is a core MMA fan base willing to pay to see more even if they have to pay for ESPN+ and ESPN PPVs. One has to suspect that the investment in original content has aided the platform especially during the pandemic. Once again, the UFC has done a great job in remaining on top of industry trends and knowing where to invest and what its fan base wants.
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