Sean O’Malley doesn’t think the PPV price increase is a good idea.
Recently, the UFC announced that they will be raising the price of ordering a Pay-Per-View event in the new year. The prices will increase from $69.99 to $74.99 beginning with UFC 270 on Jan. 22. Expectedly, this news has been unwelcomed by fans. The displeasure now has trickled down to some athletes. Among those against the price bump is Sean O’Malley.
“Dana White raises pay-per-view by five dollars,” O’Malley said on a recent episode of his podcast (via BJ Penn). “What the hell are we doing here, Dana?”
The UFC has been putting out over 10 PPV events a year constantly for the last several years. However, there has also been a rise in the number of people who are watching these events on illegal streams. O’Malley thinks that the price hike will only perpetuate the amount of illegal streaming taking place.
Also, when asked if he thought the increase will be reflected in the paychecks of fighters, O’Malley was not so sure.
“No, I doubt it,” O’Malley said. “But, could be. It is just so easy to stream it illegally. Not talking from experience, but just saying it. Whoever is in control of legal streams at the UFC, they need someone that is good enough at hacking (them) right before the main event starts. Every single time that they just shut it right before the good stuff.”
In recent years the UFC was been actively trying to stop the illegal streaming of their events. The crackdown of social media posts and streams began with White issuing a threat of police action to anyone caught streaming illegally. O’Malley thinks of himself as one of the top earners for the UFC, so it will be interesting to see if a potential rise in illegal streaming has any impact on O’Malley’s bottom line or that of his peers.
Do you think the price increase is too much, or is it reasonable to expect a hike up each year?
