UFC launches streaming channel in partnership with Kick

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has struck a partnership with Kick that includes the mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation launching a dedicated channel on the streaming service.

Founded in 2022, Kick bills itself as a community-driven online streaming platform and is backed by Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven, the cofounders of gambling company Stake.com. The UFC announced a partnership with Stake back in February.

This will be the first time official content from the UFC will be available on Kick, though UFC fighter Max Holloway agreed a partnership with Kick as an official streamer in November 2023.

“We’re thrilled to begin our relationship with Kick by becoming a major element of their innovative streaming service, joining some of Kick’s most well-known streamers, including Westcol, and Adin Ross,” said Nicholas Smith, vice president of global partnerships for TKO Group, the UFC’s parent company.

“We’re looking forward to our Kick channel becoming a strong, reliable platform to drive awareness for all our live UFC events, while enhancing the UFC live experience with unique, compelling content for UFC fans around the world.”

The UFC’s existing broadcast deal with ESPN, which has been the exclusive US home of the promotion’s events since 2019, is up for renewal at the end of 2025. The organisation is pushing for more live fights on ABC as part of an extension of its media rights contract with the Disney-owned network, according to Mark Shapiro, the president and chief operating officer of Endeavor and TKO, who said that the UFC is also open to having multiple broadcast partners after its current agreement expires.

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