PSKY Pops as UFC Joins Paramount+ Lineup
PSKY Pops as UFC Joins Paramount+ Lineup
By:Gus Downing
Paramount Lands a Knockout: $7.7B UFC Deal Sets the Stage
On August 11, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) announced a landmark seven-year, $7.7 billion deal to secure exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for UFC, starting in 2026. This marks Paramount’s first major strategic maneuver since merging with Skydance Media—a merger officially completed just four days earlier, on August 7.
The agreement covers 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights annually on Paramount+, at no additional cost to subscribers. Select events will also be simulcast on CBS. As of this morning, PSKY shares have jumped over 7%, signaling investor confidence in the high-profile acquisition. TKO Group (TKO), UFC’s parent company, soared over 10% when the news broke on the 11th.
A Fan-Friendly Pivot: Ditching the $80 Pay-Per-View Model
The deal is also historic in that it ends UFC’s longstanding $80 pay-per-view model. Instead, access to all major UFC content will be bundled into Paramount+ subscriptions, drastically lowering the barrier to entry for new fans of the sport.
As TKO Group President Mark Shapiro put it, this shift embraces a premium live-event model—similar to the WWE—but with broader reach, especially among younger fans. UFC CEO Dana White admitted he was surprised that the deal landed at Paramount and continued to tease a potential White House event on July 4, 2026, as part of the partnership.
Why This Could Be a Win for Paramount+ and UFC Growth
For Paramount, adding UFC—a global sports powerhouse—is a major win for subscriber retention and growth. Skydance CEO David Ellison emphasized live sports as a key competitive edge for Paramount+.
Average UFC pay-per-view buys hover around 500,000 per event, not including the multitude of pirated streams—an ever-growing issue as streaming services become increasingly fragmented. This move could potentially bring over one million new subscribers to Paramount+ and opens new opportunities for fans who were previously priced out by pay-per-view costs.
For UFC, this is the first step toward moving from a paywall to platform-wide integration. It opens the door to a new subset of fans that the UFC has never fully reached before: casual viewers. These newfound fans may find themselves intrigued by the sport and stick around, creating both new eyeballs for UFC and increased subscriber retention for Paramount.
The Risks and Opportunities Ahead
Despite these bullish factors, Paramount+ is shelling out $1.1 billion annually for UFC rights—more than double what ESPN previously paid. This raises the stakes for both parties: if UFC viewership doesn’t increase over the next seven years, Paramount could wind up on the wrong side of the deal.
Cord-cutting trends, Paramount’s recent struggles with ad revenue, and the financial strain of the Skydance merger make this a high-risk pivot. However, with high risk comes the potential for high reward.
Those rewards could be enormous. Exclusive live sports content like UFC may serve as the glue that keeps subscribers engaged while competitors shift strategies—such as Netflix’s recent foray into the NFL.
Gus Downing is host of the tastylive Network show Risk and Reward. @GainsByGus
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