Paramount has acquired the U.S. rights to TKO Group’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) under a seven-year agreement for $7.7 billion. “Under the deal, Paramount will exclusively distribute the UFC’s full slate of its 13 marquee numbered events and 30 ‘Fight Nights’ on its streaming platform, Paramount+ — with select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS — starting in 2026,” ESPN reports. BREAKING: UFC has agreed to a seven-year, $7.7 billion exclusive media rights agreement with Paramount, effectively ending the PPV model. Under the terms of the deal, all UFC events will be streamed on Paramount+, with select events also broadcast on CBS. pic.twitter.com/1lZbTEMpA4 — Leading Report (@LeadingReport) August 11, 2025 More from ESPN: It’s a shift away from the UFC’s existing pay-per-view model, which Paramount and TKO say will allow the mixed martial arts programming to reach more consumers nationwide. “Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms,” David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said in a statement. “Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win.” Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO, added that the deal will mean “deeper engagement for UFC’s passionate fan base” and that its athletes “will love this new stage.” UFC events currently air on ESPN — which has offered tiered pricing for fans to view content across the sports network’s TV offerings and streaming platform ESPN+ since 2019. UFC’s partnership with Disney-owned ESPN runs through the end of 2025. “This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes. For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport,” he added. Breaking News UFC has a new home in 2026 only on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/FUQjemPnBS — danawhite (@danawhite) August 11, 2025 CNBC noted: Paramount won’t charge users any additional fees for access to the events, eliminating the pay-per-view model that ESPN+ has used for certain premium UFC events. Disney’s ESPN had been paying an average of $500 million for five years of UFC rights. That deal expires at the end of 2025. “The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO Group’s president and chief operating officer, in an interview. “What’s on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It’s an outdated, antiquated model. So, it was paramount to us – forgive the pun – where it’s one-stop shopping, especially for our younger fans in flyover states. When they find out, ‘Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I’m going to automatically get UFC’s numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?’ That’s a message we want to amplify.” It’s been a busy few days for both Paramount and TKO. Paramount officially sold control of the company to Skydance Media on Thursday, bringing in new leadership led by Chief Executive Officer David Ellison. Also last week, TKO signed a five-year, $1.6 billion deal with ESPN for the U.S. rights to WWE’s premium live events. UFC and WWE merged to become TKO in 2023. TKO leadership initially believed it would sell just the 30 Fight Night events to Paramount and the premium numbered events to another media partner, said Shapiro. When the Skydance-Paramount deal closed Thursday, the two sides negotiated this deal in 48 hours, he said.