@tithas @ThePeoplesMMA @Codpiece @wilKO @Hardkore @Drake
Tagged a few that I know like this info
I went looking for some info I was not 100% on & ...
UFC's current Fox deal averages about $110m a year for 7 years. Topping off at about $150m in 2018.
Like most TV deals it escalated yearly.
Also UFC carries ALL cost for production. That was something Lorenzo insisted on & Ari is not a fan of.
Expected US TV bidders are Fox (*huge favorite) Turner & NBC with others (ESPN most likely bidding but not $300m per)
As I said in many threads, UFC is open to a true partner as far as UFC goes or just a partial partner (content distribution related) **
& ... like I & many others have posted, the WME era begins with this deal *** - no matter how badly some think Ari lives & dies by every PPV & rating
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* Fox Sports is considered a front-runner to renew the deal because UFC programming is a big part of FS1’s schedule and generally draws the channel’s biggest ratings. FS1’s program schedule would have a big hole to fill if the UFC went to another network.
** The package the UFC will take to market will include the rights to four annual broadcast windows that Fox now holds, six annual cable events and weekly programming on Fox Sports 1, plus the UFC’s over-the-top Fight Pass service. It is not expected to include the UFC’s lucrative pay-per-view business, which will likely be retained by WME-IMG. But some media executives believe any winning bidder will have more of a say in what matches will be part of the UFC’s pay-per-view events. Whether a network will share in some of the PPV revenue is a deal point that will be negotiated, sources said.
*** The negotiations mark the first significant deal under the UFC’s new owners, WME-IMG, who paid $4 billion for the company in July. Much of the company’s aggressive bid was based on leveraging the UFC’s media rights around the world, especially domestically. This will test its bullish attitude about the marketplace.
The UFC’s timing is noteworthy. On the plus side, it comes when most major sports rights are tied up well into the next decade, making the UFC appealing to media companies looking to grow their audience with the UFC’s fans, who are coveted by all networks because of their youth and passion.
Above info from Meltzer, SBJ at various times since the deal
