New UFC broadcast deal could result in “free” pay-per-view events

TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro has teased the idea of UFC’s entire pay-per-view package being included in a broadcasting deal.

Right now, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is on fire. From their ESPN deal to selling out arenas across the globe, the promotion is doing some incredible work. Of course, in an industry like this, it’s always important to look ahead to the future.

UFC is part of the TKO family alongside WWE. Currently, under their ESPN agreement which expires in 2025, fans in the United States have to pay for the ESPN+ streaming service and then pay an additional fee to watch the main PPV cards.

RELATED: Dana White announces the UFC will return to England for a pay-per-view event in 2024

During the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Communications conference recently, Mark Shapiro teased a big shift in strategy.

The UFC plans to be "flexible" with the next broadcast rights deal … including the possible end to the traditional PPV model

TKO president Mark Shapiro teased that possibility when addressing ESPN launching their own flagship streaming service https://t.co/jjVUYO2Nrz

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) May 20, 2024

Shapiro teases UFC’s PPV future

“If I, for example, was launching direct-to-consumer flagship ESPN, I might think about just buying out the pay-per-view and putting it right on that flagship channel,” Shapiro said. “Like you can only get it, just like ESPN+, if you have flagship.

“If you’re trying to launch ESPN flagship and whatever they might call it, that’s the working title, and you’re trying to charge $29, $39.99, whatever it might be, what better than to have a monthly quote-unquote pay-per-view that sits exclusive to that platform. Now, we haven’t had those conversations with ESPN, but that’s just an example of the kind of flexibility that we’re going to bring to the conversations.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

There are plenty of directions this could go in. Either way, it feels like things have never looked better for the UFC.

What are you most excited to see happen in the next few years for the UFC? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!