Perhaps one of the hottest business items in the sports industry this summer will be what the UFC will do with its media rights. Its run at ESPN ends at the end of the year, and there is speculation that the MMA promotion will command near $1B for its content.
According to a recent Sports Business Journal post, White is considering multiple partners for the next deal. Although he was noncommittal about the next deal, he did concede that it is likely that the UFC have multiple partners.
It is worthy to note that while a renewal with ESPN is not out of the question, the company is fielding all offers. As an option, it may maximize its dollars by partnering with more than one company. The SBJ noted 4 companies in the running for the rights: ESPN (of course), Netflix, Prime Video and WBD.
Netflix might be seen as the frontrunner as TKO already works with it through WWE. Thus far, the relationship has been fruitful and has found ways to maximize its dollars. Also, the Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez fight will be streaming on Netflix globally.
The multiple bidders is a boon for the UFC as we can see the price for the media deal rise or a collaboration that would give the company $1B for media rights. This, without even Jon Jones or Conor McGregor fighting in the past year. The UFC has cornered the market on the young, white male demo with disposable income. It has secured top sponsorship deals with IBM, Meta and Monster Energy. Despite its unapologetic lean to the right on any and all issues, the UFC is tremendously popular and will reap its benefits.
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