The Sports Business Journal reports that ESPN did not pressure the UFC in a return back to the Octagon during the pandemic. In an interview with the UFC’s COO Lawrence Epstein, he indicated that despite the lack of programming, the network did not attempt to apply pressure on them.
The article does not inquire as to whether Endeavor, the owners of Zuffa, pressed the company back into the Octagon. The UFC was one of the first sports organizations to return to live sports this past May with events in Florida. It then held events in Las Vegas at its facility, The Apex and then on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
The SBJ article looked at what it describes as a “misconception” in sports media that the networks were pressuring leagues to come back to live sports due to the immense amount of money they spend on rights fees.
Epstein said that ESPN gave the UFC flexibility to do what they wanted to do on the UFC’s timetable. He dismissed the rumors that the company wanted to get back to action due to a $450 million per year rights deal with ESPN. “It’s not true – we didn’t do it for the money,” Epstein told the Sports Business Journal adding, “ESPN didn’t push us to do it.”
Since the UFC came back in May, they have taken few weekends off from holding events. This past summer, ratings were up on ESPN and its PPVs on the network’s digital platform has seen good buy rates including UFC 251 drawing 1.3 million buys and UFC 249, the company’s return to PPV after the shut-down drew 700,000.
Payout Perspective:
While the UFC has experienced a boon period for its business despite losing three months between February and April, it has made up for that with weekly events, exposure ESPN and praise for its COVID-19 protocol. Still, it’s the parent company, Endeavor, which has been reeling during this period.
Endeavor has experienced layoffs and paycuts which began this past spring. The UFC is one of the only assets that the company has that is a viable asset for its portfolio. After a failed IPO in 2019, 2020 has not been much better as most of its businesses have been down or flat. But this is where the UFC stands out. It has produced for the company at a time where it has needed it. So, while the UFC may not have had pressure for ESPN to return, Endeavor likely hoped that the company moved quicker on its return.
Leave a Reply