One of the worst-kept secrets in sports media is no longer a secret as the Dana White-led Zuffa Boxing has completed a five-year rights deal with CBS Sports parent company Paramount.
The agreement, expected for weeks, will see the newly formed boxing venture featured regularly on the Paramount+ streaming service when competition begins in January. There is also a possibility that events will be simulcast on CBS broadcast television.
Zuffa Boxing was formed last year when White, president and CEO of UFC, brought together the mixed-martial arts promotion’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, and Saudi Arabia-based entities, including the Saudi General Entertainment Authority led by Turki Alalshikh. A core premise of the venture is to create a much more regular iteration for boxing competition, including 12 cards in the first year, compared to how the sport currently operates.
White and Alalshikh recently collaborated on the high-profile fight between super middleweights Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, setting several gate and attendance records at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Paramount agreement creates a certain symmetry as UFC also recently signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion rights agreement with the company. White, however, tells Front Office Sports that the two media rights pacts were struck separately.
“I pitched UFC to everybody and I pitched boxing to everybody. This is how it turned out, and they’re separate deals, but the relationship with Paramount already has been incredible,” White says to FOS. “Right from the beginning, we’ve completely jelled, and it’s only going to get better.”
Financial terms for the Zuffa Boxing pact were not disclosed, but White said “this is a good deal that gives us an opportunity to build the [boxing] business.” In addition to the U.S., the Paramount deal will cover Canada and Latin America.
Gridiron Promotion
White said there is a strong chance the debut of Zuffa Boxing will be promoted during CBS coverage of late-season NFL games—representing a massive promotional platform since the arrival of the new venture early next year will coincide with the network showing its highest-rated football games of the year.
“This partnership marks a bold new chapter—not just for us, but for the future of boxing,” said Paramount direct-to-consumer chair Cindy Holland in a statement. “It’s a partnership that advances several of our core priorities: delivering premium sports to fans, providing audiences with year-round marquee live events, and creating long-term value through a differentiated, must-watch portfolio of content.”
White’s counterpart at sister TKO company WWE, president Nick Khan, is also deeply involved in the Zuffa Boxing venture and has his own background in the sport, including previously managing star fighters James Toney and Manny Pacquiao.
Editors’ note: RedBird Capital, a stakeholder in Paramount Skydance, is also an investor in Front Office Sports through RedBird IMI.
