• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SEENIT

TV, Film, Broadband, Pay-TV, Games, Computing and Tech | News, Comment & Reviews

  • NEWS
  • UPCOMING BLU-RAYS
  • ADVERTISE
  • Twitter

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) confirms BT Sport deal

May 7, 2013 - Staff@seenituk

BT_SPORT_LOGO_380BT has been confirmed as the new home of the mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Last month a report by mmajunkie.com which quotes UFC Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa Garry Cookas saying a UK deal was “very close”.

Following a spate of rights acquisitions by BT, including 38 Barclays Premier League matches per season, internet speculation suggested the UK telecoms and TV firm was likely to be the UFC’s new partner.

UFC today confirmed the signing of “a 3-year ground breaking partnership” with BT starting from August 1st.

Garry Cook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of UFC EMEA, said “The keys to success for UFC, in broadcast terms, are to identify strategic partners who are committed to building the business together beyond just airing non-European premium live content. UFC athletes are the most committed and dedicated in the world of sport and this new relationship will help people gain a more in depth understanding of the sport and our brand.”

Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, said the channel was “delighted to have signed this agreement with UFC.”

Green added: “We’ve said BT Sport will offer a wide range of sports that appeal to different audiences and we know that UFC has a huge, committed fanbase in the UK and Ireland and we hope they will be excited about our plans to develop the coverage of the sport”.

In addition to the Premier League games, the channel has already announced deals to show Rugby Premiership matches and games from a number of international football leagues including Italy’s Serie A, France’s La Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer in the US and the Brazilian Football Championship.

It has also signed a deal with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to show up to 800 hours of live tennis, including the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships.

In February it further boosted its portfolio of rights with the purchase of Disney’s UK and Ireland ESPN business.

As well as signing up major rights, BT has been signing on screen talent for its channels, which will broadcast from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Spurs and Wales player Gareth Bale recently signed up as BT Sport Ambassador and will also appear “regularly” as a guest.

The channel which has already announced Jake Humphrey, Lawrence Dallaglio and Clare Balding as presenters.

Humphrey will front coverage of the channel’s 38 Barclays Premier League matches per season while Dallaglio will serve as rugby union expert and Balding will present a “unique” sports themed chat show.

Later this week BT is expected to unveil more details about its retail offering, including pricing and platform availability.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

RECENT ARTICLES

Gotham Knights – new Red Hood character trailer released

Pac-Man World Re-Pac gets two new trailers ahead of August release

Idris Elba’s Beast gets new behind the scenes video featurette

Free League to release The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying for 5E next year

UPCOMING BLU-RAY RELEASES

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic comes to Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray next month

Eureka to release new trilogy of Boris Karloff classics

Disaster epic Shattered Earth is getting a UK release next month

Eureka to release restored edition of The Most Dangerous Game for 90th Anniversary

POPULAR

CMA approves BT and Warner Bros. Discovery sport channel tie-up

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s cut is coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in September

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton to headline new Death in Paradise spin-off

Streaming sticks and Smart TVs will be forced to prominently display UK catch-up apps under new rules

ADVERTISE ON SEENIT

We’re pleased to offer a number of advertising opportunities to high quality brands including sponsored content, competitions and advertising placements.

Please contact us for details.

 

TOPICS

Audio Blu-rays and DVD Cinema Gaming Guides Streaming Telecoms Television

Copyright © 2022 · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Copyright · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · StreamedTV.uk