June 4 (Reuters) – Paramount Skydance and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced a six-year deal, under which UFC’s numbered event main cards in Canada will be streamed exclusively on Paramount+ starting next year.
The deal is the latest step in Paramount’s push to become a live sports streaming destination, as media companies bet on live events to boost viewership and drive subscriber growth in a mature streaming market.
The agreement builds on the $7.7 billion deal in August last year, under which Paramount secured exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the UFC, allowing it to carry the full U.S. slate of 13 numbered events and 30 “Fight Nights”.
The UFC was one of the earliest bets by David Ellison after he became Paramount CEO following the company’s merger with his production studio Skydance.
Under the expanded deal, all 13 UFC numbered events that traditionally feature championship bouts and the sport’s biggest stars will stream live on Paramount+ each year. The deal ends UFC’s traditional pay-per-view model in Canada.
Since the UFC debuted on Paramount’s platforms in the U.S. and Latin America, over 10 million households have watched more than 100 million hours of UFC programming on Paramount+, the company said.
TKO Group Holdings-owned UFC is a mixed martial arts organization that produces more than 40 live events annually. Specific events to launch the service in Canada will be announced later in 2026.
The expansion to Canada comes as the media giant prepares to complete its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, whose live sports portfolio includes TNT Sports’ Major League Baseball and NASCAR rights.
(Reporting by Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara)
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