The Professional Fighters League (PFL) mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has continued its international growth plans after securing a new deal with pay-TV operator Sky New Zealand (NZ) for the 2026 season.
The agreement, which started with the PFL Madrid on March 20 but was only announced yesterday, will see Sky NZ air all 16 PFL Global events in NZ in 2026.
The next event to be aired will be PFL Chicago on April 11, featuring former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Sergio Pettis facing rising contender Mitch McKee in the main event.
Adam Crothers, Sky NZ’s head of content partnerships, said: “PFL has been investing in developing talent across Aotearoa, Australia, and the Pacific – and it shows!
“That growing local presence makes it a compelling addition to our Sky Sport line-up, as we know fans are eager to follow athletes who represent our region on the world stage. We’re looking forward to an exciting year of PFL on Sky.”
The deal builds on PFL’s previous agreement with Sky NZ in 2022, which saw the broadcaster air the league’s inaugural Challenger Series and the 2022 Regular Season, Playoffs, and PFL World Championship.
PFL chief executive John Martin said: “Sky is synonymous with premium sport in NZ, and so we’re incredibly excited to announce our new partnership for the iconic broadcaster to exclusively show all 16 PFL Global events in 2026.
“NZ has an incredibly rich sporting culture, and with fighters on the PFL roster such as Jay-Jay "The Māori Kid" Wilson, who wears his heritage proudly, we’re looking forward to showcasing our product to the fans.”
The new deal is the latest in a slate of broadcast partnerships struck by PFL this year as it looks to boost its global visibility, having most recently renewed its tie-up in Japan with the U-Next streaming service to air all PFL programming, including PFL Global events, PFL MENA, and PFL Africa.
January saw the league sign a multi-year rights agreement with SM Rights, a division of major US network Fox Corporation, across Mexico and Central America, while PFL struck deals in China with streaming platform Migu and with RMC Sport covering France, Monaco, Andorra, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.
Last month, meanwhile, the PFL struck a wide-ranging deal with Sportradar, through which that firm will distribute betting data and betting streaming rights for the promotion.
The exclusive deal will see Sportradar sit at the heart of the promotion's global betting and gaming strategy, covering its entire sports betting ecosystem, including betting data, odds formation, live broadcasts, real-time betting wagers, and fan engagement initiatives.
A key focus for PFL is now to secure a new media rights deal in the US, with the promotion’s existing agreement with sports network ESPN expiring later this year.
