Fans of the
UFC and
Professional Fighters League are going to have to endure
another price hike in they want to keep watching the events held by
those organizations.
Disney on Tuesday announced that the ESPN+ monthly subscription fee
will increase from $10.99 to $11.99 on Oct. 17. The majority of UFC
events and PFL offerings are available through ESPN+, though some
can be viewed on ESPN lineal networks, as well. Meanwhile, an ESPN+
subscription is required to be able to access UFC pay-per-view
events — which, of course, include an additional charge to
purchase.
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When the UFC initially became broadcast partners with ESPN, the
price for ESPN+ was $4.99 per month. Subscription price increases
have become the norm over the years, as the price was raised to
$6.99 per month in 2021 and to $9.99 in 2022. Last October, it went
up to $10.99.
The UFC’s broadcast deal with ESPN will expire in 2025. UFC CEO
Dana White recently indicated that the promotion could end
up having multiple broadcast partners when the ESPN contract
concludes.
“Our rights deal is going to be a big deal coming up here,” White
said. “Who knows? We could end up like the NBA and the NFL where we
end up on multiple channels instead of just one. … It’s all moving
and changing so quickly.”
The PFL, meanwhile,
inked a new multi-year rights deal with ESPN late last year.