Skydance-owned Paramount has struck a seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement with TKO Group Holdings to become the exclusive U.S. home of the Ultimate Fighting Championship beginning in 2026. The contract covers all 43 annual live events—13 marquee “numbered” cards and 30 Fight Nights—which will stream on Paramount+ and, in select cases, simulcast on CBS. Paramount will pay an average of about $1.1 billion a year, nearly double the roughly $550 million that Disney’s ESPN currently spends, and subscribers will no longer face pay-per-view charges for premium bouts. The move is the first major strategic step since Paramount completed its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance; the company’s shares rose as much as 37 percent after the announcement. UFC President Dana White said the richer rights package should allow the promotion to raise fighter compensation and broaden its audience. White also confirmed plans, backed by President Donald Trump, to stage a UFC card on the White House South Lawn on 4 July 2026—the United States’ 250th anniversary—with a live CBS broadcast under discussion. Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison called the UFC deal a cornerstone of a wider push to expand live sports and bolster subscriber growth on Paramount+. The studio also intends to ramp up film production to as many as 20 releases a year while retaining core cable brands such as Nickelodeon, MTV and BET.