THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® SIGNS THREE-YEAR BRITISH AND IRISH TELEVISION AGREEMENT WITH BT SPORT

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) has signed a landmark three-year broadcast deal with BT Sport for its British and Irish television rights.

The new partnership will see all of the UFC’s live events – including the Prelim bouts – screened exclusively live on BT. British and Irish fans will also be excited to learn that, for the first time, they will not miss a second of the tense build-up to fights, with all the UFC’s flagship Primetime, Countdown, Road to the Octagon and Ultimate Insider shows airing on BT during fight weeks.

BT Sport will also carry the long-running The Ultimate Fighter® reality show, live coverage of each and every UFC weigh-in and will produce original weekly programming specifically for the UK and Ireland market. 

Garry Cook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of UFC EMEA, said “The keys to success for UFC, in broadcast terms, are to identify strategic partners who are committed to building the business together beyond just airing non-European premium live content.  UFC athletes are the most committed and dedicated in the world of sport and this new relationship will help people gain a more in depth understanding of the sport and our brand.”

Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, said “We’re delighted to have signed this agreement with UFC. We’ve said BT Sport will offer a wide range of sports that appeal to different audiences and we know that UFC has a huge, committed fanbase in the UK and Ireland and we hope they will be excited about our plans to develop the coverage of the sport.”

UFC adds to prestigious roster of elite sports being shown on the BT Sport channels including Barclays Premier League football, FA Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby Union and the WTA tour.

Cook added: “This agreement is a landmark step in UFC’s development in the UK as it will increase our exposure to a much wider and more mainstream sporting audience.  It means that the UK joins the USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil as one of our largest TV broadcast markets.

“BT Sport certainly shares our vision for the premium quality broadcast of elite performance sport for our UK audience and we’re very excited about the strategic partnership we’ve entered into.  We look forward to working alongside them and showing a wider fanbase how exciting and engaging the UFC is.”

BT will begin airing UFC programming this summer, and live event programming will start on 3rd August. 

For more information please visit ufc.com or www.btsport.com.