Paramount and UFC, which struck a major rights deal last January, have agreed to expand their partnership to Canada.
The expansion includes 13 UFC "numbered events," traditionally known as pay-per-views. As part of the deal with Paramount, UFC fight streams are included for all Paramount+ subscribers at no additional cost. These typically feature championship bouts on main cards, showcasing the UFC's biggest stars.
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«"Together, we're making it easier than ever for Canadian fans to watch the sport's biggest fights," UFC CEO Dana White said in a statement. "I love Canada and am thrilled for fans to enjoy the Paramount experience.".
Rodrigo Mason, head of direct sales for Paramount+ in Latin America and Canada, said the expansion «allows us to serve the deeply engaged MMA audience while strengthening what Paramount+ is built for: high-quality live sports and entertainment with global relevance.».
Details about the first UFC broadcasts on Paramount+ in Canada will be announced later this year, the companies said.
In 2025, shortly after completing its merger with Skydance, Paramount signed a seven-year deal with the UFC, while the mixed martial arts company was finalizing its deal with ESPN. The $7.7 billion agreement, covering the U.S. and Latin America, signaled to Hollywood and the sports world that Paramount, under David Ellison and now pursuing a much larger merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, had become a major new player in the media market.
Despite Paramount+'s steady growth and, in some ways, exceeding expectations, the streaming service remains second-tier, lagging behind Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and HBO Max. Ellison is taking a number of aggressive steps aimed at strengthening the company's position in the streaming space.
Since broadcasting began in early 2026, UFC fights live on Paramount+ remain the most-watched event. According to Paramount, more than 10 million households have watched over 100 million hours of UFC programming on Paramount+. Because the previous agreement with ESPN included pay-per-view content in addition to an ESPN+ subscription, viewership on the comparatively cheaper Paramount+ platform has been more than 15 times higher than the pay-per-view average over the past two years, the company reported.
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