Dana White believes the NFL, in particular, took notice when the UFC signed its landmark media rights deal with Paramount+. White says league executives were left asking questions they couldn’t answer.
What We Know: The UFC signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount+ last year. The agreement marked a major shift in how the promotion packages its content. It also signaled the UFC’s arrival as a true competitor in the broader sports media landscape. The deal placed UFC alongside major league properties fighting for a shrinking pool of premium distribution partners.
What They Said: Dana White (via UFC Fight Night 279): “We literally, right now, are competing with the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, and the NHL. Think about where we [UFC] sit in the pecking order of the top sports in the country. I don’t know this to be true, but I fu**ing guarantee you it is. The day we announced that we did a $7.7 billion deal, the executives at the NFL said, “How the f**k did we not get this money, and how did we not know that kind of money was sitting open.”
Dana White believes UFC is competing with every other league for media rights money: “If you look at where TV was 15 years ago, all these powerful cable channels and all this stuff. The cable industry is taking a nosedive. So, what do you have left? You have NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox. Then you have like three powerful streaming services. There’s a lot of people fighting over the same turf.”
What Remains Unclear: The NFL has confirmed White’s allegations. In the months following the UFC’s agreement with Paramount, the NFL approached the company about a re-negotiated rights agreement with the league. Whether that discussion surfaced because of the UFC is unknown.
What It Means: Make no mistake about it, the UFC is turning a profit. The landmark rights agreement was a boost for the promotion’s bottom line, however it remains to see if subscriptions to Paramount+ will follow. However, the UFC is no longer an afterthought in sports media rights conversations. White’s comments reflect a growing reality. Premium sports content is scarce, and competition for distribution dollars is fierce. Every major league now operates in the same shrinking ecosystem.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
