With the race to safe dwell sports activities and leisure extra aggressive than ever earlier than, tv networks are breaking out the large bucks to lure audiences away from field units and social media as a way to bolster their month-to-month subscription numbers. To that finish, Paramount and ESPN have inked epic offers to place a headlock on UFC and WWE’s extremely common programming. So, with each leagues altering channels in 2026, right here’s what you want to know.
UFC’s 7.7 Bn Deal With Paramount+
The world’s hottest MMA league might be punching and kicking its strategy to Paramount, ending the prevailing pay-per-view structure with Disney’s ESPN+ service, thanks to a staggering $7.7bn US rights deal. Underneath the brand new seven-year contract, all 13 of UFC’s flagship numbered particular occasions and 30 Combat Nights per 12 months will stream over the Paramount+ platform. A few of these occasions are additionally anticipated to air on CBS. For struggle followers, watching UFC simply acquired cheaper. An ordinary numbered pay-per-view prices $79.99 per occasion, plus the ESPN+ subscription at round $11.99 monthly. Paramount+ is significantly cheaper. Its month-to-month subscription price sits at $7.99 monthly with adverts, or £12.99 ad-free.
“This historic cope with Paramount and CBS is unimaginable for UFC followers and out athletes,” stated UFC’s Chief Government Officer Dana White. “For the primary time ever, followers within the US can have entry to all UFC content material with no pay-per-view mode, making it much more inexpensive and accessible to view the best fights on an enormous platform.”
Breaking Information 🚨UFC has a brand new house in 2026 solely on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/FUQjemPnBS
— danawhite (@danawhite) August 11, 2025
Whereas Paramount and UFC might lengthen this deal globally sooner or later, worldwide rights contacts imply that it’s particular to the USA at current. For instance, in Canada the UFC rights are with Sportsnet and TVA Sports activities, and within the U.Okay., they continue to be with TNT Sports activities.
WWE WrestleMania Heads To ESPN
ESPN could also be leaving the octagon, however the sports activities community is now headed to the professional wrestling ring after signing a five-year, $1.6 billion rights deal with WWE for its major events. In contrast to the Paramount+ deal, nonetheless, WWE’s programming is unfold out throughout a number of networks. Right here’s how issues will pan out when the brand new deal begins in 2026:
ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service will change Peacock because the place for U.S. followers to see premium dwell occasions, starting with WrestleMania 42 in April 2026. This might be adopted by WWE’s calendar of particular occasions together with SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble. This transfer comes as a shock to many, since Netflix had been anticipated to increase their present deal that airs the grappling league’s weekly exhibits reminiscent of Monday Night time Uncooked. For many who are nonetheless confused, right here’s the breakdown of WWE’s main exhibits and the place you’ll discover them:
- Month-to-month premium dwell occasions: ESPN from April 2026
- Monday Night time Uncooked: Netflix
- WWE NXT: The CW
- Friday Night time Smackdown: USA Community
“WWE’s settlement with ESPN is a pivotal second for our thousands and thousands of followers throughout the USA: the chief in sports activities leisure partnering with the most important model in sports activities media,” stated Nick Khan, who’s the president of WWE. “Bringing WWE’s flagship occasions to ESPN’s platform is tremendously thrilling. We all know the sky is the restrict.”
Whereas U.S. viewers will nonetheless want a number of subscriptions to maintain up with WWE, worldwide followers win right here so far as price as a result of Netflix has full rights to all WWE content material in territories together with Canada and the UK, which means one month-to-month subscription covers all of it. As soon as regarded down upon as a lesser type of sports activities and leisure by some tv rights consultants, the UFC and WWE are breaking their very own data for content material contracts and look like going from energy to energy below the possession of TKO.
