The UFC goes to have curiosity from quite a few networks and a number of streaming retailers for the corporate’s upcoming broadcast rights and now TNT Sports activities is expressing curiosity publicly about getting concerned within the bidding.
With the UFC’s present take care of ESPN coming to an finish on the shut of 2025, the MMA group continues to be in an unique negotiating window with the Disney-owned community via April 15. However as soon as that date passes, the UFC can start fielding provides from different potential suitors with TNT Sports activities CEO Luis Silberwasser voicing his curiosity in getting that dialog began.
TNT Sports activities, which is a part of the Warner Bros. Discovery household, only recently misplaced the rights to the NBA after working collectively for 34 years. The corporate may probably add the UFC to bolster its general sports activities choices, which additionally contains a part of the NCAA March Insanity event that kicked off this week.
“We like each,” Silberwasser advised The Varsity podcast about probably working with the UFC or F1 racing. “UFC is a unbelievable property and has piqued our curiosity.
“Formulation One, as properly. Given our expertise with sports activities internationally, we all know the fervour for Formulation One. And we all know that on this market, it has grown and it has nice potential as properly.”
Whereas Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav downplayed the corporate investing in any new sports activities regardless of dropping the NBA rights, Silberwasser clearly nonetheless believes TNT Sports activities may gain advantage from including not less than a part of the UFC’s broadcast rights.
At present all UFC programming, together with pay-per-view occasions, air completely via the ESPN household of networks, which additionally contains ESPN+ for streaming.
Beneath phrases of a brand new broadcast rights deal, the UFC may probably break up up the bundle to a number of retailers with an organization like TNT Sports activities probably touchdown a number of the UFC Combat Night time occasions whereas a streaming service similar to Netflix may bid completely for the larger, extra profitable pay-per-view occasions.
Whereas the UFC can’t settle for any provides till after April 15, it’s extremely unlikely a brand new deal is struck with ESPN earlier than that unique negotiating window closes.
As a lot curiosity as TNT Sports activities may need within the UFC, Netflix has emerged as the favored frontrunner to finish up with half or the entire broadcast fights after the streamer already struck an enormous 10 yr, $5 billion deal to land WWE’s flagship sequence Monday Night time Uncooked. WWE is a part of the identical firm because the UFC underneath TKO Group Holdings.
After all, TNT Sports activities gained’t probably be alone in not less than attempting to become involved within the UFC’s broadcast rights with the promotion reportedly in search of over $1 billion per yr underneath phrases of the brand new deal that kicks off in 2026.
