UFC CEO Dana White teased the possibility of UFC Freedom 250 being simulcast by CBS when the event was being planned for the White House lawn last year. But it appears that possibility was never under serious consideration.
According to a report in Sports Business Journal, “UFC and Paramount always planned to have Sunday’s White House card streamed exclusively on Paramount+ … despite some comments from organizers — especially government officials — that CBS would carry UFC Freedom 250.”
Last year, Paramount and UFC struck a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal that sent all of the MMA promotion’s inventory to Paramount+. However, about six months into the deal, CBS has simulcast preliminary fights for a couple of UFC numbered events, and viewership for those bouts has been solid. It was reasonable to believe, based off of White’s comments and those made by White House officials, that CBS was in line to air at least part of the spectacle.
Alas, Sunday’s seven-fight card came and went exclusively on Paramount+, meaning there won’t be any Nielsen-measured viewership for the event. It’s unclear exactly what the reasoning was for keeping the event a streaming-exclusive, though the majority of UFC cards since the Paramount deal began fall into that category.
Nevertheless, CBS will reportedly simulcast some UFC bouts “in the near future.”
So far, the UFC pact seems to be off to a strong start for Paramount. The company reportedly gained one million Paramount+ subscribers in a single day for its first UFC card back in January. CBS’s first simulcast drew around 2.5 million viewers for a set of preliminary fights.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.