The Foxtel Group and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have unveiled a multi-year agreement to make Main Event the sole destination for Pay-Per-View (PPV) for all UFC events in Australia, beginning January 1, 2024.
In a change for fans used to purchasing a PPV via UFC Fight Pass, they will be redirected to the Main Event platform on Foxtel and Kayo Sports from 2024. UFC Fight Pass will still deliver memorable archived matches, breaking UFC news, and highlights from around the globe.
Main Event is accessible exclusively through Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Since its 2008 launch, Main Event has become the premier Australian PPV platform, often broadcasting the UFC’s biggest global bouts and playing a pivotal role in fostering new fighting talent. This new deal further solidifies its status as Australia’s PPV heavyweight.
UFC has seen tremendous growth in popularity since it was first shown in Australia in 2008. Today, it boasts more than 700 million fans worldwide, including 4.3 million in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, the UFC enjoys the youngest fan base of any professional sport, with nearly half of its followers aged between 18-39.
In celebration of this landmark partnership, UFC fighters Alex Volkanovski, Tai Tuivasa and Jack Jenkins, joined Foxtel Group and UFC executives, as well as hundreds of fight fans, at an event held at Sydney Harbour.
Patrick Delany, Foxtel Group’s CEO, lauded the extended partnership, emphasising UFC’s potential for growth domestically,
“For 15 years we have been bringing the biggest UFC fights to Australian audiences and this new agreement will extend and elevate that partnership on the cusp of a golden era for the sport.
UFC boasts the youngest fan base of any professional sport in the country and it’s exciting to continue our partnership with a brand that has such enormous growth potential – both at home and abroad. It’s the perfect match for our more than 3 million sports subscribers streaming on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.”
Rebecca McCloy, Executive Director – Commercial, Sport, also underlined the synergistic nature of the deal, as both UFC and Foxtel continue to expand their popularity and subscriber base. She further highlighted how this deal aligns with Foxtel’s long-term rights agreements with other major sports entities in Australia.
UFC President Dana White expressed his excitement over the extended broadcast partnership, praising Foxtel and Kayo Sports as the country’s best sports broadcasters,
“I am excited that we are extending our broadcast partnership with Foxtel Group. Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning.
Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round.”
The first major event under the renewed agreement, UFC 293, will be held at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney this September, and is expected to be a sell-out. PPV will be available through Main Event, on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
