The upper echelon of TKO Group Holdings is furious with ESPN following streaming issues of UFC 313.
A new report from Erich Richter of the New York Post highlights frustrations from TKO about the streaming issues that have occurred throughout ESPN's time hosting UFC pay-per-views. The streaming issues were so severe that ESPN removed the paywall from UFC 313 and enabled all fans to watch for free the following day.
Now, UFC 313 could prove to be a tipping point, as ESPN's exclusive negotiation rights window is scheduled to expire soon. The UFC can start negotiating with Netflix, Amazon, and others on April 15.
“Unfortunately, we experienced a technical issue that impacted purchases of the UFC PPV on ESPN+ shortly after 10 p.m. ET.,” an ESPN spokesperson told The Post. “Our teams identified and resolved the issue, restoring full functionality ahead of the main event. We apologize for the inconvenience and are taking steps to ensure a better experience in the future.”
Erich Richter appeared on New York Post Sports' Against the Cage to state that after he published the article linked above, he was contacted by a well-connected person who suggested the UFC would "surely" try to make a deal with Netflix.
During a Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, TKO COO Mark Shapiro commented that TKO would be flexible in its approach to UFC pay-per-view.
“Life has changed on the pay-per-view front,” Shapiro said (via Awful Announcing). “Look, it works for us, but we are super flexible. Linear, broadcast, streaming, pay-per-view, not pay-per-view.”
WWE, which is also under the TKO umbrella, recently entered a partnership with Netflix. Under the agreement, WWE Raw will stream on the platform worldwide, and all WWE pay-per-views will air on Netflix internationally. In 2014, WWE launched the WWE Network, leaving behind the traditional pay-per-view format.
Fightful will continue to report more on this matter as more information is available.
