UFC's $7.7B TV Deal Blows NHL's Contract Out of the Water - Could Hockey Be Next?
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
The UFC signed a monumental multi-billion dollar deal to broadcast on Paramount, and with the NHL's growth in recent years could they be next in line?
In what can only be described as one of the most lucrative rights deals in sports history, the UFC announced on Monday that they had a contract in place to stream their events exclusively on Paramount Plus, reaching an exorbitant $7.7-billion dollar deal.
How the UFC's New Deal Changes the Sports Media Landscape
It's a seven-year deal at a cost of $1.1-billion a year, but with the UFC and their parent company TKO growing continually with year after year of record-breaking profits, it feels like numbers are just a formality.
The UFC is unquestionably one of the most popular entertainment events in the world, not even just in sports. This deal sets the standard for other leagues and organizations that if they want outreach; they need to pay.
The WWE and Netflix put together a similar deal with a 10-year, $5-billion streaming deal that saw their reach grow exponentially; and WWE is under TKO's umbrella as well.
It shows that streaming and broadcasting rights are as lucrative as ever, with insane profits leading to more advertisements and therefore even more money.
Why the NHL Could Push for a Massive Raise in Its Next Rights Negotiation
But as the league continues to see record-breaking profits themselves, their next rights deal in 2028-29 (at least for the US) could reach at least $5.5-billion or higher.
While it's still seen as a smaller league compared to the NBA and NFL, they have the majority of the entire world watching; the reach stretches globally, and if the NHL plays their cards right (which so far, they have); it could reach unprecedented levels.
What This Means for Fans and Future NHL Coverage
The NHL already kicked things off with an agreement with DAZN in order to broadcast more internationally, and they've already made a deal with Amazon to broadcast on Prime Video for Mondays; so the seeds have been planted.
It's likely that the NHL would shift their programming to exclusively Prime or DAZN for their online content, and while the TV rights are going to still be there; the lucrative chance to reach such a global audience means it'll be worth the cost.
Also, this would hopefully reduce or downright eliminate regional blackouts, and we could see an evolution of streaming to replicate what NHL Center Ice tried to do years ago.
The UFC got themselves a whole lot of exposure with their new deal, and the NHL might not be far behind, so long as Gary Bettman has his hands firmly in the mix.
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