It appears that there is still a long way to go in negotiations on a new deal between the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and FOX
A report by John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal (via mmapayout.com) claims that the UFC’s forecasted figure of $450 million in order to secure broadcasting rights for the promotion has not been met by the TV network.
The figure offered by FOX has been confirmed by Darren Rovell, who also claimed that he did not believe the current owners, WME-IMG, though that offer was realistic:
Can confirm Fox initial offer for UFC rights in the $200M range, as first reported by @Ourand_SBJ.
UFC sale document said rights were worth as much as $450M. Don't believe WME/IMG ever thought that was realistic.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 27, 2017
The report by mmapayout.com also claimed that it is early days in negotiations:
“In its pitch to potential buyers, the UFC stated that its media rights revenue would be $450 million with its next deal.
The current deal ends next year. It yields an average of $115 million per year over the course of the 7-year pact. Per the Sports Business Journal, it is seeking a 10-year deal which would place its ask at $4.5 billion overall.
The UFC and Fox had an exclusive negotiating period of 3 months prior to the promotion going on the open market to solicit other buyers. Although the two could not come to an agreement within that window, it seemed almost expected as the new owners of the UFC would like to see what market it might have for it.”
