ESPN’s subscription streaming service logged a record amount of additions this weekend amid the debut of UFC Fight Night. The event’s success once again highlights the use of combat sports as a way for media companies to compete in a crowded over-the-top space.
ESPN+ gained a combined 568,000 new subscribers on Friday and Saturday. The vast majority of those—525,000—signed up on Saturday alone, in the lead up to the nighttime event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ featured 13 live fights, headlined by a bout between Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw. Cejudo successfully defended his flyweight championship against Dillashaw, a bantamweight champion.
The sports broadcaster said the Fight Night debut marked the largest event and subscription catalyst for ESPN+ since its launch last year.
“Our first UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ was a thrilling evening of action and a great success, with a record-setting night that continued the momentum for ESPN+, delivered strong ratings on ESPN and marks a great start to our new agreement with the UFC,” said Kevin Mayer, The Walt Disney Company’s chairman of direct-to-consumer and international, in a statement.
The fight boosted traffic to ESPN’s digital media properties as well. On Saturday, there were more than 1.8 million unique visitors to MMA-related digital content across ESPN digital platforms, which includes ESPN’s app and website. That represented the most-trafficked Saturday for MMA content on record.
“All day, and across all ESPN platforms, we collectively demonstrated the promise of what we can do to fulfill our mission of serving a wider array of sports fans,” said ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro.
Saturday’s event was the first fight card as part of a five-year media deal between UFC, The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer and international segment, and ESPN. As part of that partnership, announced last year, ESPN+ will offer 20 exclusive UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ events annually and all preliminary fights for UFC on ESPN Fight Night programs.
SportTechie Takeaway
The success of UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ shows a heightened interest in combat sports, demonstrating why media companies are increasingly investing in such sports to gain an edge in the streaming market. DAZN led its U.S. launch with a focus on combat sports, headlined by its deals with Bellator MMA and Matchroom Boxing.