Dana White and Co. Set for Massive Profits as Controversial Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley Type Deal With TNT Avoided by UFC CEO

In a shocking move, the NBA is close to signing a new broadcasting deal. This marks the end of TNT’s NBA broadcasts after decades. Now, is the UFC trying to walk a similar route with ESPN? After all, the promotion’s deal with ESPN will run through 2025 and there are a lot of speculations about the UFC looking at different avenues.

In the month of May, TKO Group Holdings President Mark Shapiro revealed insights into the promotion’s upcoming broadcast rights negotiations. However, let’s not forget how WWE, which is also owned by TKO, signed deals at the start of 2024. So Raw and Smackdown moved to new channels. Will TKO have a similar decision for the UFC? Not necessarily.

UFC and Dana White are reported to be on track to double their profits soon!

ESPN and UFC’s broadcast partnership began in 2018 when the two companies signed a seven-year deal valued at $1.5 billion at the time. Therefore, much of the focus regarding the future of the UFC has been placed on the upcoming broadcast rights deal, which will see negotiations taking place later this year.

UFC’s deal with the sports giant, ESPN, is set to run through 2025, but in light of the impending TNT and NBA split, which marks the end of their association since 1989, questions have been raised regarding the UFC’s next move.

As reported by MMA Fighting, speaking on a financial call, Shapiro stated, “As far as multiple partners, one partner, we’ll see what happens when we get there… We’re not looking to get away from them. We’re not looking to reduce our commitments, but at the same time, we have a window, we’ll listen, we’ll talk, and we’ll do what’s in the best interests of the UFC going forward.”

In fact, he also discussed the current situation of various sports. He was of the opinion that NASCAR and WWE also have strong media deals. And when it comes to the NBA, he pointed out how the league is on the way to crack one of the biggest deals. Hence, he felt optimistic about the UFC.

“That’s what happens when you have four bidders at the table, at a minimum, and you have a premium sports property like the NBA. We look at UFC as a premium sports product with great growth ahead of it. We feel good about the potential package we’ll end up with and we see the demand for live sports is outstripping the supply of premium sports content.”

In light of Wall Street analysts’ predictions of a potential doubling in revenue from a new broadcast deal, Shapiro’s insights underscore the UFC’s position as a hot commodity in the sports broadcasting market. Clearly, the MMA promotion has a very important decision to make soon. After all, a big chunk of their revenue comes from broadcasting deals. However, they can surely learn a lot from the current case of ‘Inside the NBA’ show on TNT. That’s a situation they might want to avoid with ESPN. No one likes being left in limbo.

‘Inside the NBA’ and its future hangs in the balance with NBA’s latest move

According to reports available, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, along with Ernie Johnson and Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith, the team behind the desk at ‘Inside the NBA’, have been left hanging as there is no clarity regarding the NBA’s decision.

It was also reported that the group signed contract extensions in 2022 which are set to remain valid through the expiration of the NBA’s broadcasting deal with TNT, but there has been massive speculation if the stars of the show will shift to a new channel or not.

On the other hand, several reports also state that Disney, Amazon, or NBC could be the NBA’s next partner. Disney has agreed to pay $2.6 billion per year. That’s much higher than the current $1.5 billion deal. Similarly, Amazon has pitched a $1.8 billion deal and NBC is willing to pay $2.5 billion per year if they get to air half of the games exclusively on the Peacock streaming service.

With the total value of O’Neal’s earnings estimated to be close to $492 million, including salaries and endorsements, and Barkley estimated to be earning around $200 million, it remains to be seen if the iconic crew will manage to survive the tumultuous change in broadcast partners for the NBA.

So while the UFC seems poised for lucrative opportunities, it appears that they will look to avoid dealing with the challenges currently being faced by the ‘Inside The NBA’ legends. What are your thoughts on the UFC and Dana White’s plans for their new broadcast deals? Let us know in the comments below!