CBS will air a one-hour primetime special this Friday evening, the night before UFC 329. The broadcast blends live sports coverage with original storytelling.
What We Know: This Is UFC: McGregor vs. Holloway airs Friday, July 10 at 9 p.m. ET, live/delayed PT. The special features live weigh-ins, plus a sit-down between Nate Burleson and Conor McGregor. Dana White also appears in additional interview segments. UFC 329 then streams exclusively on Paramount+ Saturday, July 11, under the promotion’s existing rights agreement with the platform. This is the first time that CBS has aired a pre-event special on the network.
What Remains Unclear: CBS has not announced if it will carry any of the action during Saturday’s night’s card. The event currently is only streaming live on Paramount+. However, the network has simulcast two-hour blocks in certain instances since their media rights agreement began in January.
What It Means: There’s any number of ways to look at this concept by CBS. With the sports viewing audience glued to World Cup soccer, the UFC 329 return of Connor McGregor has had little shine. As an effort to cross promote the event, CBS is dipping into it’s primetime lineup on Friday night to air the one-hour special. The other way to look at this is could CBS/Paramount be sinking too many assets into the UFC for promotion. By airing the special, the event will likely take on a very different tone than the customary weigh ins at UFC events. Either way, the promotion gains added exposure for a rematch 13 years in the making. UFC 329 also features a lightweight contenders’ bout with No. 5 ranked Benoit Saint Denis vs. No. 6 Paddy Pimblett. If successful, similar crossover specials may follow future marquee UFC events.
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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.