The change in broadcast partner will mark a sea change for the promotion as it moves away from its historic pay-per-view (PPV) business model. The change couldn’t be coming at a more appropriate time, as there are fewer stars and more athletes on the roster than ever. The promotion is built to hold LOTS of events, not necessarily ones that are worth shelling out $80. In recent years, it’s become extremely expensive to be a UFC fan, a fact made more difficult by general economic instability.
While discussing the new Paramount deal, TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro talked about moving away from pay-per-view. He also dropped a number for the monthly cost at $12.99, a dramatic improvement to the current expenses.
”The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past,” Shapiro said on CNBC. “What’s on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It’s an outdated, antiquated model. So, it was paramount to us – forgive the pun – where it’s one-stop shopping, especially for our younger fans in flyover states. When they find out, ‘Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I’m going to automatically get UFC’s numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?’ That’s a message we want to amplify.”
Currently, $12.99 is the monthly rate of a premium Paramount+ subscription. Shapiro spoke of that figure as if it’s not going to change in 2026, which feels almost too good to be true given the money Paramount is throwing around to add UFC fights and South Park to its platform. Still, as of right now, Shapiro is the best source we have in regards to future pricing.
If the $12.99 a month rate holds, it will cost about $156 to watch every UFC event in 2026, less than the costs of two 2025 UFC PPV events.
