Downloads of Paramount+ spiked dramatically following UFC Freedom 250. According to a report by Sports Business Journal, the event, held at the White House, could be reshaping how Paramount thinks about streaming.
What We Know: UFC Freedom 250 made history as the first professional sporting event held at the White House. Paramount+ streamed the card exclusively, skipping CBS entirely. That decision drew criticism, but it also delivered results. According to Sensor Tower data acquired by SBJ, Paramount+ downloads nearly quadrupled from their prior 30-day average — a 276% increase.
What They Said: UFC CEO Dana White Post-Fight Press Conference Sunday: “I just got off the phone with David Ellison [Founder and CEO of Skydance Media]. He’s going crazy. Out of the gates from the first fight, the fight exceeded all their expectations. I’ll let Paramount make their own announcement, but it was monstrous tonight. You don’t get calls from billionaires flipping out too often, so he is extremely excited.”
What Remains Unclear: No official viewership data or subscriber data has been made public by Paramount or the UFC. The data presented by SBJ was through a third party source.
What It Means: While we still await the official viewership and subscription data, the event did spark conversation and interest nationally. With over 200,000 people attending the three-day event in Washington D.C., the event should was a success. What could be a benchmark event for the UFC this past weekend may never be replicated again. UFC CEO Dana White said he doesn’t plan on hosting another event like this ever again. However, it will be interesting to see if pressure mounts on the UFC to produce similar events aroun dthe world.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
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.
