Following the PFL's recent acquisition of Bellator, the next big question about the growing fight promotion concerned which platform would be their broadcast home for the immediate future. That answer was provided via an announcement on Thursday, with the PFL confirming that it has inked a fresh deal with ESPN.
A press release from the promotion stated that the PFL had signed a new multi-year rights agreement that includes live event distribution of the PFL's Regular Season, PFL Playoffs, and PFL World Championship across ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN+. Additionally, ESPN+ Pay Per View will distribute the PFL's new Super Fight Division in the United States from its launch in 2024.
The deal, which will also include regular shoulder programming to promote the events and their athletes, was struck by PFL CEO Peter Murray, who said he was pleased to be able to secure ESPN as the promotion's home moving forward.
"We've had five successful seasons on ESPN and we're excited for the next phase of growth for MMA and the Professional Fighters League with this agreement," said Murray.
"Our innovative sport-season format, elite roster of athletes, and the launch of the PFL PPV Super Fight Division, which will feature some of the world's greatest combat sports stars such as Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul, are ushering in the new era of MMA as a mainstream global sports entertainment platform."
The PFL's press release explained:
The PFL features some of the sport's top fighters who will also be highlighted across ESPN platforms in pre- and post-fight coverage, as well as shoulder programming on linear and digital channels.
The PFL PPV Super Fight Division will be a global platform for some of the best MMA fighters and combat sports stars. Francis Ngannou, arguably one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in the world today, is under an exclusive MMA contract to fight in the division and is joined by one of the most influential figures in combat sports, Jake Paul, and women's star fighters Claressa Shields, Amanda Serrano and Savannah Marshall. The first PFL PPV Super Fight will be in early 2024 with headlining fighters and location to be announced at a later date.
PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30 percent of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the "Champions League of MMA" with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development.
PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.
