The UFC was getting ‘pretty close’ to Netflix before they ultimately went with Paramount.
The UFC’s broadcast rights deal with ESPN, which started in 2019, comes to a close at the end of this year.
2026 will begin a new era as the UFC cashes in on a $7.7B media-rights deal with Paramount, with fight cards streaming on Paramount+ and select events on CBS.
Before the UFC landed on Paramount, there were many rumors about the premier promotion going to the streaming giant Netflix, given their recent foray into combat sports with massive live events such as Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor, and recently Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford.
The head of TKO (the UFC’s parent company) recently shed light on why the UFC didn’t go to Netflix.
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TKO president says Netflix was only interested in the UFC’s numbered events
Speaking on The Varsity, TKO President Mark Shapiro said Netflix brass made it clear that they were only interested in the UFC’s pay-per-view or numbered events – cards that have much more depth than the average Fight Night event held at the UFC Apex.
Netflix would have done away with pay-per-view entirely, as they have their own subscription-based paywall.
TKO wanted to package the Fight Nights with the numbered events, but it looks like Netflix did not budge.
“There was one moment of disappointment,” Shapiro said of the Netflix negotiations (via Awful Announcing).
“And that was when we were getting pretty close with Netflix, frankly, and they kind of stood by the fact that they didn’t want to have the volume,” Shapiro added.
“Over the course of conversations, they really didn’t come off of that. And that’s what opened the door for Paramount and CBS,” Shapiro said of why the Netflix deal didn’t work out.
Netflix boasts massive viewership numbers for its boxing events
It might be a while before Netflix takes another swing at the UFC, but for now, the streaming giant is staying busy in the sport of boxing.
Last weekend, 41M viewers tuned in to see the super-fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
The viewership numbers for Canelo-Crawford weren’t nearly as high as they were for Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2 (74M) or Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson (125M).
We’ll see if Netflix’s next boxing event featuring Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis can surpass Canelo vs. Crawford in views on Nov. 14.