UFC and Professional Fighters League fans will have to endure further price increases if they want to continue attending events from these organizations.
Disney announced on Tuesday that it will raise the price of its ESPN+ subscription from $10.99 to $11.99 per month starting Oct. 17. Most UFC events and PFL broadcasts are available on ESPN+, with some also available on ESPN’s affiliated networks, but UFC pay-per-view events require an ESPN+ subscription, which of course costs extra to purchase.
When UFC first became ESPN’s broadcast partner, ESPN+ cost $4.99 per month. Subscription price increases have become commonplace in recent years, with the service increasing to $6.99 per month in 2021 and $9.99 in 2022. It was increased to $10.99 in October of last year.
UFC’s broadcast deal with ESPN expires in 2025. UFC CEO Dana White recently suggested that UFC may have multiple broadcast partners once its deal with ESPN ends.
“Our broadcast rights deals are going to be a big thing going forward,” White said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We might end up being on multiple channels, not just one, like the NBA or the NFL. … Everything is moving and changing so quickly.”
Meanwhile, the PFL signed a new multi-year broadcasting rights deal with ESPN late last year.
