MMA promotion UFC's recent high-profile UFC Freedom 250 event, held on June 14, garnered a total global audience of 34 million, of which 17 million were domestic viewers in the US and Latin America on the Paramount+ streaming service.
That 17 million figure, which accounted for cumulative viewers who watched one minute or more of the broadcast, meant it was the most-watched UFC event ever in the US, although in the US it boasted an average of 7 million throughout the event.
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Scheduled to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, UFC Freedom 250 was held at the White House in Washington DC in a makeshift arena and featured two high-profile championship bouts as headliners alongside a card filled with prominent names.
Now, the UFC has accounted for viewership from a number of prominent international markets to come up with the 34 million total global figure, including Australia, China, India, South Korea, New Zealand, and the UK.
Although Spanish fighter Ilia Topuria and French fighter Ciryl Gane both competed across the two main events, Spain and France have yet to announce their viewership totals, with UFC stating that those will have to wait until mid-July at the earliest.
Over 50 networks covered the event in more than 170 countries.
Social media numbers for the marquee event were also predictably high, with UFC garnering 126 million social media video views throughout fight week (June 8 to 14), with 5 billion engagements and follower growth across platforms of 536,000.
Paramount is the exclusive UFC broadcaster for the US and Latin America, after the pair agreed a bumper seven-year, $7.7 billion deal in 2025, which has now gone into effect.
That deal sees only select events simulcast on CBS, with Paramount+ retaining streaming exclusivity for the remainder of the UFC’s catalogue.
Under previous broadcast agreements, linear coverage was reserved for preliminary card bouts only, with the main cards exclusively on pay-per-view.
Now, though, with this agreement signaling the end of the pay-per-view model for UFC events, early main card matches are now being used to entice linear viewers into joining Paramount+, part of the company’s wider strategy to insulate itself against growing cord-cutting among linear customers through the OTT platform.
Early viewership increases under the deal were positive, with bouts in March and April hitting multi-year highs early into the deal, although neither can compare to the 7 million average of UFC Freedom 250, thanks to the likes of top stars Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, and Justin Gaethje.
With the rights to UFC coming in at a money-spinning $7.7 billion over the next seven years, further viewership growth will be required to prove that the UFC is not an albatross around Paramount’s neck in years to come.
However, the UFC is a favorite of US President Donald Trump, whose administration dismissed antitrust concerns over Skydance’s 2025 acquisition of Paramount back in 2025, and who hosted the event at the White House.
