UFC Rumored to Leave ESPN and Move to Netflix Streaming Platform
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is reportedly looking to end its current pay-per-view (PPV) partnership with ESPN and establish a new one with streaming giant Netflix.
The potential deal, which is yet to be confirmed by either party, is said to commence after the UFC's contract with ESPN concludes. This comes amidst a string of issues between the two parties, including technical problems that prevented thousands of viewers from purchasing UFC events on ESPN's platform.
The latest incident occurred during UFC 313, where technical problems prevented many viewers from accessing the event. Dana White, UFC CEO, expressed his frustration about the technical issues during the post-fight press conference. In response, White streamed the beginning of the event to 20,000 Instagram users via his personal, cage-side TV monitor.
According to reports, ESPN is not getting the PPV buys that they had expected from UFC. The contract between the two parties covers 30 events per year, 20 on ESPN and 10 on ESPN linear networks. However, the UFC reportedly gets paid 300,000 pay-per-view buys as a 'buy-in' from ESPN.
The new PPV partnership between UFC and Netflix would be a natural fit. Netflix currently holds the rights to events staged by WWE, which is owned by UFC's parent company, Endeavor. The deal would start next January, according to reports.
The UFC is not the first sports organisation to partner with Netflix. In 2019, the NBA signed a multi-year deal with the streaming service to produce original programming.
Some viewers who couldn't watch UFC 313 were charged twice, according to Sports Illustrated. This incident adds to the growing list of issues between the UFC and ESPN. The original contract between the two parties locked UFC in for five years, but negotiations and extensions made it seven.
Despite these issues, the UFC-ESPN partnership has been successful in many ways. UFC 313 was broadcast on ESPN's streaming service, reaching a wider audience than ever before. However, the technical issues and disappointing PPV numbers have led to a re-evaluation of the partnership.
As the negotiations between UFC and Netflix continue, fans eagerly await the official announcement of a new deal. Whether this partnership will bring about a more seamless viewing experience for UFC fans remains to be seen.
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