Paramount Acquires UFC Rights For $7.7 Billion In A 7-Year Deal, Days After Skydance Merger

Paramount Skydance Corp. (PSKY) on Monday acquired the U.S. rights of TKO Group Holdings Inc.’s (TKO) UFC for $7.7 billion in a seven-year deal.

This comes days after Paramount Global completed its merger with Skydance Media. The UFC deal is valued at roughly $1.1 billion per year, amounting to $7.7 billion over the seven years.

Paramount’s shares traded nearly 5% up in Monday’s pre-market session. Stocktwits data showed the retail sentiment around the company was in the ‘bullish’ territory.

As per the terms of the deal, Paramount will be the exclusive home of all UFC events in the U.S. Paramount will exclusively distribute UFC's full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights via its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, starting in 2026.

The two companies will also move away from UFC’s pay-per-view model, allowing Paramount+ subscribers to access these events at no additional cost, the company said in a release. “I couldn't be more excited to join forces with Dana, Ari, and Mark. Rarely do opportunities arise to partner on an exclusive basis with a global sports powerhouse like UFC,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount.

Ariel Emanuel, Executive Chair and CEO of TKO, called it a landmark deal for UFC. Last week, Paramount and Skydance announced the completion of their merger, after receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July.

TKO noted that UFC has 100 million fans in the U.S. who engage across digital, linear, and social platforms. It has nearly 600 male and female mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes on its roster, the company said.

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