UFC Wants to Stick with ESPN; ‘They Do a Great Job’
UFC Wants to Stick with ESPN; ‘They Do a Great Job’
TKO’s president Mark Shapiro called Disney CEO Bob Iger a ‘sports freak,’ and made it clear he wants the relationship between the companies to continue.
There can be little doubt in the success of UFC pay-per-views on ESPN+, if recent comments by TKO president Mark Shapiro are to be taken at face value. Shapiro spoke to investors at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on Wednesday, and as part of his comments spoke to how much his company enjoyed working with Disney to present UFC fights, and that he hopes to get a new deal struck with ESPN’s parent company as soon as possible.
Key Details:
- Shapiro told investors “it is our intention to re-sign with ESPN.”
- The negotiating window between TKO and Disney opens in January.
- Shapiro also mentioned there are “two or three” other platforms that are anxious to negotiate with TKO if it doesn’t renew with Disney.
Shapiro was very blunt about TKO’s desire to continue offering UFC events on ESPN+, and other programming within the ESPN ecosystem. TKO’s current deal to broadcast UFC fights on ESPN platforms runs all the way through 2025, but it’s quite clear that Shapiro would keep the relationship going far longer if it was left up to him.
“It is our intention to re-sign with ESPN and Disney because they’ve shown that they do it best,” Shapiro said Wednesday. “They understand synergy. They understand marketing. They do a great job technologically, with developing their platforms, engaging their consumers. And of course, ESPN Flagship, which is their direct-to-consumer, is on the way. So we’re anxious to see what that’s all about and where we can fit in there.”
“Flagship” is the name Disney has given the new sports streaming service it’s working on launching by fall 2025. The forthcoming service will carry an exceptionally large number of live sporting events — even more than ESPN currently does — and may even include livestreams of linear ESPN channels, though that has not been confirmed by Disney.
Shapiro also praised Disney CEO Bob Iger for his dedication to the details of every major sports deal, calling him a “sports freak.”
“When I worked at ESPN, there wasn’t a Monday morning I didn’t get notes on sports content for the weekend while he was running Disney,” Shapiro expounded. “Those are the kind of champions you want to be with. And I think folks underestimate how much money ESPN and Disney spend on a weekly basis promoting our UFC fights.”
Formal talks haven’t begun yet, as the negotiating window between Disney and TKO for a new UFC deal doesn’t open until January 15, 2025. Shapiro’s praise for Disney and its leader was certainly a big carrot, but his comments also included a stick aspect if the two sides emerge from their haggling period on April 15 without a new deal in place.
“If we get out of that window and we don’t have a deal, we will immediately take up with two or three platforms specifically that have told us they’re anxious to have those conversations,” Shapiro said.
The next major UFC event on ESPN+ is UFC 306, which is set for 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 14. Viewers can click here to sign up for ESPN+ and purchase the PPV of UFC 306 for $79.99.
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