US media giant Disney has struck a new multi-year exclusive rights agreement in the Philippines with prominent mixed martial arts promotion UFC, supporting the expansion of its ESPN sports brand internationally.
Through the deal, the Disney+ streaming service will host UFC action on its ESPN content area at no extra cost to existing subscribers, either via the Disney+ app, or the streamer’s distribution partners in the territory – telecoms firm Globe, payments platforms GCast/AliPay, and TV operator Cignal.
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ESPN on Disney+ will feature live coverage of all UFC events, alongside a ‘curated’ selection of ancillary content and shoulder programming, including UFC Countdown, UFC Connected, The Ultimate Fighter, and perhaps most crucially, the Asia-Pacific-focused Road To UFC series.
The deal will begin with this week’s UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev card, a top-line numbered event, on October 24.
Disney+’s rights portfolio in the Philippines also includes basketball’s elite NBA, already popular in the country, and the annual NCAA men’s and women’s national basketball championship ‘March Madness’ tournaments.
The addition of the UFC follows the recent launch of the ESPN sports broadcasting brand on Disney+ to a range of global markets.
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, head of ESPN in Asia-Pacific (APAC), added: "The Philippines is an incredibly important sports market in Asia-Pacific, with a deep-rooted passion for combat sports and a fan base that brings tremendous energy to the region's sports culture.
“As we continue to expand ESPN's presence across APAC, the Philippines plays a key role in that growth. Bringing iconic sports properties like UFC to ESPN on Disney+ allows us to build on that passion."
There are not currently any active Filipino fighters in the UFC, although in the past, stars such as Mark Munoz have graced the octagon.
For UFC, this is the second media rights deal in recent days, after extending its multi-year agreement in France with pay-TV network RMC Sport – soon to be renamed CMA Sport – late last week.
