The Sports Business Journal reports that the price of UFC PPVs on ESPN+ will go up another $5 in 2023. Disney announced the price hike from $74.99 to $79.99 starting in 2023.
According to Disney, the rise in price reflects the “value of UFC events and the popularity and the quality of UFC events.”
This will be the fourth price increase since December 2019 when ESPN+ became the sole distributor of UFC PPVs in the US. Initially, the PPVs were reduced to $59.99 to accommodate for the $5 subscription fee with ESPN+. It was then increased to $64.99 starting in January 2020 with a PPV featuring the return of Conor McGregor as he took on Donald Corrine. It then increased to $69.99 in 2021 with another Conor McGregor PPV. It now increases to $79.99 starting with January’s UFC 283. This time around its not Conor McGregor, but Glover Teixeira versus Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Title.
Payout Perspective:
The rise in PPV price should not be a surprise considering the popularity of the UFC and the value it has to the ESPN digital platform. Will we see the breaking point for some UFC casual fans that do not automatically order UFC events? Perhaps, but we’ll also see more marketing and promotion to drive these events to entice viewers.
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