The UFC has begun rolling out offers from potential partners for new broadcast rights deals to commence in 2026, but promotions are not rushing to announce.
In April, the UFC’s exclusive negotiation window with ESPN allowed other networks and possible streaming partners to start creating offers to acquire some or all of the upcoming broadcast rights deals. The UFC reportedly seeks around $1 billion a year under the terms of the New Deal after signing a seven-year agreement with ESPN, which began in 2018.
The UFC has begun talking to other suitors, but TKO’s president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro is still ongoing talks with ESPN.
“At this point we are discussing with various third parties regarding UFC rights,” Shapiro said in a quarterly TKO financial call Thursday. “I call conversations thoughtful and strategic. There’s nothing to be announced at this point. ESPN is still heavily in the mix.
“I think we’ve been pretty vocal about how great partners they are and how they helped us grow and succeed. They’re one of the best marketing machines in the business and we believe that all the excitement comes, not to mention being called brands and next week. And while they’re definitely part of the equation, as I said for the time being, there’s no different conversations, different parties, and no more actual updates.”
Shapiro referenced “ESPN flagship.” This is the Disney-owned network to launch all standard channels currently available for cables and satellites, such as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, along with future plans for existing streaming services.
The UFC never signed a new contract with ESPN during its exclusive negotiation window, but the two parties never reached an agreement during that time. It was only after the expiration of its exclusive period that UFC was allowed to test the market for potential offers from other networks or streaming services.
Although no decisions have been made, Shapiro has doubled the company’s flexibility in regards to UFC’s future broadcast rights agreements for pay-per-views, fight night events and other programming available from promotions.
“We remain very flexible,” Shapiro said. “That’s the beauty of owning your own league. It’s the beauty of having an executive management team that is as agile and close as we do. As we say, we are the owners and we make the best decisions for the long-term future of our sports and brands.
“The market remains strong. Our content is all year round. It’s a young man. It’s an incredible number under the age of 18. Believe it or not. The high school numbers are off the charts.
The UFC actually signed an original contract with ESPN in May 2018, but it doesn’t sound like the promotion is still racing towards the finish line due to the new broadcast rights deal that begins in 2026.
The talks are ongoing and will not slow down until an agreement is reached.
“We’re not in a hurry,” Shapiro said. “This is a current unstable economy. There is a lot of uncertainty and we also understand that there are not many major sports rights that will immediately clash with the market.