One major step up for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2025 would be the new media rights deal. Dana White and Company’s current broadcasting deal with ESPN is almost at its end. After a 6-year deal with FOX, UFC had a pretty impressive run with ESPN. It was a 5-year deal signed in 2018 for $1.5B, and later the contract was extended for 2 more years. Currently, the yearly transaction between UFC and ESPN amounts to $300M. However, according to Bloomberg, the MMA promotion aspires to earn $1 billion per year for domestic broadcasting rights. And that has seemingly sent a hint of a rise to Wall Street. 

The exclusive negotiation window with ESPN became void in April 2025. But things got interesting as White brought in hopes of putting UFC on multiple platforms. Talking to Sports Business Journal about the negotiations, the UFC head honcho claimed, “Everything is going well—we’re happy with all the discussions we’re having.” On being asked whether we’d get to see UFC on multiple platforms, White replied, “I don’t know—I don’t know yet, but yes, it’s likely.”

As the talks of UFC’s media rights deal grow louder, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have entered the mix. With 200 million subscribers, Prime Video could maximize reach and value by bundling the UFC events through Prime memberships. Meanwhile, Netflix wants to cater to its 230 million subscribers with UFC as a marquee live event. To make things even more interesting, Warner Bros. Discovery also entered the talks after losing its rights to stream NBA matches. On top of that, ESPN still expects to remain a partner. But the UFC officials arguably have one goal—to promote the fights on multiple platforms and receive around $1 billion per year for the deal. 

And this move will most likely put the TKO Group in a more expensive stance with Wall Street. Right now, TKO Group’s stock value is set at $174.35. Its value has gone up by 22% since the start of this fiscal year. According to stock research firm Bernstein Research, TKO Group’s stock price is expected to rise to $190. The reason? They expect the UFC to actually meet the $1 billion goal with the domestic broadcasting rights deal. 

However, the world is still wondering about a couple of things regarding the UFC’s new and upcoming deal for media rights. What are the parameters that the UFC officials are looking out for during the negotiations? Let’s hear it from the chief operating officer of TKO Group Holdings, Mark Shapiro. 

What exactly is Dana White & Co. expecting from the media rights negotiations?

During the JP Morgan Global, Technology, Media, and Communications conference, Mark Shapiro revealed the company’s desire to make a smart, strategic decision that could have long-term implications. The TKO Group’s president claimed that money is not the only factor that influenced such decisions. The goal for Shapiro is to do what’s best for the brand. 

Weighing in on the negotiations, Shapiro confirmed that the organization was in talks with multiple media outlets. He said, “Demand is strong. But we want to be thoughtful and strategic about who we sign up with. When we signed on the dotted line to go 10 years with Netflix [for WWE], you’re making a bet. They’re making a bet on you but you’re making an equal bet on them.”

On the criteria being considered, Shapiro revealed, “It goes every which way as it relates to these UFC rights. Who’s going to be around, who’s going to stick around?” The TKO president continued, “Who’s got a long-term strategy, who’s going to be good in just the short term? Can you divide it up into multiple packages and have your cake and eat it, too? What’s the future of pay-per-view? Do you need pay-per-view? This is all stuff we’re analyzing and having conversations on.”

On top of that, the TKO Group COO mentioned that ESPN is going to launch its own standalone streaming service. The starting price is reportedly set at $29.99, which will include access to the PPV broadcasts. One thing is certain—the UFC is set to rise and meet the $1 billion goal soon. And with that, the market value of Dana White and Co.’s parent company is expected to rise.