ESPN’s exclusive deal with the UFC seems to have backfired for Dana White as the entity has raised the prices for the PPV events four times since the promotions inked a broadcasting deal with ESPN in 2018. How this backfired on Dana White? Well, this has led to a significant increase in PPV piracy and the entire TKO is worried about the hubbub. Over the last few years, the cost of the pay-per-view has jumped from $59.99 to the current $79.99.

Well, the growing number of pirates has even forced the TKO president Mark Shapiro to comment on their shortcomings. Shapiro admitted that the growing prices of PPV views have forced the general consumer to increase their take desperate measures to watch the fights. “ESPN and Disney were very aggressive, if you will, on pricing the pay-per-views and they have full control over that, but they have control given what they’re paying us for those rights.” said Shapiro.

He further added, “Over the period of our partnership, they probably went a little quicker and a little higher than we would have liked. We voiced that to them, especially in this era of piracy where we’re seeing our piracy numbers really jacked up and we think that’s driven by them pricing it too high. They were very receptive to that feedback.”

The TKO President further emphasized the top brass of the entity, including Dana White, had a deep discussion with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to discuss the growing animosity between the viewers and the promotion’s pricing. “We had a meeting in Las Vegas a few months ago with Jimmy Pitaro and Dana [White].” It must be noted that ESPN’s deal with the promotion is about to lapse next year and the top brass are about to sit at a round table to have negotiations. However, despite Shapiro’s comments, the community appears to have no trust for either Dana White or the promotion.

Fans called out Dana White and UFC for their absurd PPV pricing

So what’s the reason for the piracy of the UFC PPV events? Well, according to a social media user, it’s the fact that the cards don’t have depth. It might be a bit true considering the fact that after UFC 300, most of the UFC premium cards have been lacking the depth, “Quality is down, price is up. Fighters are STILL underpaid. But hey, at least the 5 people at the top are becoming incredibly rich. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

It must be noted that the American economy is going through a bit of recession after the COVID-19 storm got away from the world and it’s difficult for the working-class people to afford most of the cards now. A social media user even stated that he used to buy every PPV before ESPN decided to increase the prices to $79.99 in 2023. “I used to pay for every PPV. Now I only buy it if I really care about the card. They are too expensive. Sure, I can afford it, but it’s no longer worth it. I really hope they move somewhere else.”

Furthermore, another fan highlighted the issue of value for money, “Sh*t damn near 80% of the PPV cards don’t be worth the $80 price tag. There needs to be better matchmaking for that price.”

The growing cost of watching the UFC has forced the fans to calculate their expenses, “For $40, I would buy the ppvs just to not deal with headache but the crazy ppv price in addition to espn+ subscription is insane. Costs like $1200 a year to consume all ufc content yearly. Thats absurd.”

Breaking UFC’s monopoly is not an easy task but PFL-Bellator has been trying its very best to dismantle the industry but still, they are far way from doing that. Looking at this a frustrated fan said, “The only way this will change is if the law literally breaks the UFC’s monopoly over MMA.” Last but not least, a fan said, “100$ for 5 fights, bleh.” 

Will the new negotiations bring down the price of PPVs or will there be a new mechanism to watch UFC? We might not know it till Dana White declares it. Regardless, what’s your take on the quarterly announcements? State your thoughts in the comments below.