• Loading stock data...
Friday, December 13, 2024

Bellator MMA Leaving Paramount for CBS Sports Network

  • Bellator, CBS Sports Network and Paramount share a parent company.
  • The status of Bellator’s deal with streaming service DAZN is uncertain.
Bellator MMA Leaving Paramount for CBS Sports Network
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Bellator MMA is leaving the Paramount Network after seven years. 

The promotion will air future cards on CBS Sports Network — Bellator and both networks share a parent company in ViacomCBS. Preliminary rounds will stream on CBSSports.com and on Bellator’s YouTube channel.

“We are excited to make this move,” Bellator President Scott Coker told Front Office Sports. “It’s going to be great for the brand. We will be one of the featured products on CBS Sports Network and I think this is just the beginning. A lot of other doors will open up with this.”

Meanwhile, Bellator’s future with its other major media partner — the embattled streaming service DAZN — remains in question. While DAZN streams events on Paramount Network and, soon, CBS Sports Net, there hasn’t been a standalone Bellator event on DAZN since January and no exclusive events are even in the works. 

DAZN is also reportedly withholding rights fees for live sports that were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A message left with a DAZN spokesperson was not immediately returned. 

“We are still in dialogue [with DAZN] and we are still waiting to see when they’re coming back,” Coker said. “They haven’t committed to when they are going to come back and start doing big fights.”

Bellator and DAZN entered into a five-year deal reportedly worth nine figures in 2018. The agreement called for seven exclusive fights per year on top of simulcasting fights on Viacom properties. 

Boxer Canelo Alvarez filed a breach of contract lawsuit against DAZN on Sept. 8. The complaint seeks $280 million in damages alleges DAZN “failed to put forth a single alternative plan by which it would pay Alvarez the $35 million it had promised him for each of his fights.”

“There’s still time to produce some big fights with them,” Coker said. “Their programming for big fights, big events, has stopped. … We are trying to figure out which direction they are going to head in.”

Viacom and CBS Corporation reunited in late 2019 after a 13-year split, and Viacom acquired the majority stake in Bellator in 2011. 

Bellator was the only remaining sports property airing on Paramount Network after it rebranded from Spike TV in 2018 and began shifting to primarily scripted and unscripted original content.

CBS Sports Network has rights to a variety of college and professional sports that include the WNBA, NWSL, UEFA Champions League, Professional Bull Racing, the PGA Tour and tennis. 

CBS Sports Network, however, reaches almost 40% fewer households than the Paramount Network, but likely with a better-suited audience — the channel has a distribution of approximately 50 million while Paramount touts 80 million. 

“They were very good to us, but to be on a sports platform that can promote your brand with several different verticals is a much different beast,” Coker said. 

The first Bellator card will air on CBS Sports Network on Oct. 1, with Bellator 247 featuring fighters Paul Daley and Derek Anderson in the main event. 

Coker said that the deal will also allow events to stream live in every time zone, whereas previously, events were shown on tape-delay.

FOS senior reporter A.J. Perez contributed to this story.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sponsored

Racing Forward: How SailGP is Redefining High-Performance Sailing and Championing Gender Equality

The most exciting racing on water is making waves by rewriting the narrative of what’s possible for women in high-performance sports.
Oct 19, 2024; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Fifa president Gianni Infantino (left) and Inter Miami CF co-owner Jose Mas (right) celebrate Inter Miami CF post match against the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium.

Club World Cup Ends Up on DAZN After Apple Deal Falls Through

DAZN will stream all 63 tournament matches for free starting next June.
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Elon Musk looks on before Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.

Can Elon Musk’s X Fix Its Rampant Fake Sports News Problem?

Little is known about how X will enforce its new policy aimed at parody accounts.
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) drives past New York Liberty forwards Kayla Thornton (5) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center.

Kelsey Plum Backs Out of Unrivaled

She’s skipping the new league’s season, along with Caitlin Clark.

Featured Today

Nov 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Wilson NBA basketball held by a referee during the second half between the Utah Jazz against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena

‘Obvious Weak Point’: Refs Remain an NBA Gambling Concern

A season after Jontay Porter, the biggest risk may not be players.
Nov 2, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader runs with a flag before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Michigan Stadium.
opinion
December 7, 2024

College Football’s Billionaire Backer Era Begins

Is this the new normal in CFB recruiting?
LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic (9) celebrates with midfielder Riqui Puig (10) after scoring a goal against Seattle Sounders FC in the second half in the 2024 MLS Cup Western Conference Final match at Dignity Health Sports Park
December 6, 2024

With or Without Messi, Major League Soccer Is Barreling Into the Future

After the Cup final, the league looks to accelerate its growth.
Dec 18, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; FIFA president Gianni Infantino claps during the awards ceremony after the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium.
December 2, 2024

FIFA Wants More Matches. Resistance Is Growing Inside the Global Soccer World

Resentment and frustration over expanded schedules is nearing a breaking point.
Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending his hiring announcement at Loudermilk Center for Excellence.

UNC Job Brings an End to Belichick’s Short-Lived Media Career

Bill Belichick had six media jobs this football season.
Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Broadcaster Scott Van Pelt prior to a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
December 12, 2024

Scott Van Pelt Headlines ESPN’s Talent Lineup for Tiger’s New Golf League

TGL launches in January with backing from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
December 12, 2024

YouTube TV Jacks Up Prices Again Before NFL Playoffs

The Google product has more than doubled in price over seven years.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
December 11, 2024

NFL Scheduling Gambit Pays Off With Two Blockbuster Sunday Games

The Week 15 schedule has a game pairing seen only once since 1970.
December 11, 2024

Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest Saw $650,000 Awarded—and $5 Million Missed

The weekly contest on ESPN’s “College GameDay” paid out $650,000.
December 11, 2024

F1’s TV Ratings Similar to 2023, but Still Below the Record Highs..

The F1 season averaged 1.1 million viewers in the U.S.
December 11, 2024

WBD Secures Comcast Deal, Readies for Future Without NBA Rights

The TNT Sports parent company continues to remake itself in dramatic fashion.