Dana White says NFL executives questioned their own media deal after UFC's $7.7B Paramount agreement
UFC CEO Dana White claims NFL executives expressed regret over not securing a larger media rights deal after the UFC's surprising $7.7 billion, seven-year deal with Paramount last summer. While industry observers initially believed Paramount overpaid under new owner David Ellison, early subscription data from UFC on Paramount+ shows promise, though the $1 billion+ annual cost without PPV revenue remains a significant challenge.
Key quotes
Dana White: NFL said 'How the f— did we not get this money' after UFC's $7.7B deal
Conventional wisdom among sports media industry types when the UFC signed a surprising seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount last summer was that the popular MMA promotion well outkicked its coverage.
Paramount has seen some promising subscription data driven by UFC on Paramount+, but paying over $1 billion per year, with no pay-per-view model to fall back on, is a rather steep hill to climb.
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