TKO Group Holdings is positioning itself to make boxing a major force in the streaming era through a new long-term media rights deal with Paramount. Beginning in January 2026, TKO’s newly launched Zuffa Boxing promotion will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.
The agreement includes 12 events per year to start, with plans to grow that number over time. Select fights may also simulcast on CBS or other Paramount-owned platforms, but Paramount+ will serve as the primary hub for the new league. This deal follows Paramount’s $7.7 billion UFC rights agreement and further cements its strategy to center combat sports within its streaming business.
Zuffa Boxing is a new venture backed by TKO and the Saudi entertainment conglomerate Sela. It is led by UFC president Dana White, WWE president Nick Khan, Saudi General Entertainment Authority chairman HE Turki Alalshikh, and Sela CEO Dr Rakan Alharthy. The structure reflects a deliberate move to bring the UFC model into boxing, with tight control over production, promotion, and distribution. That model worked for MMA, and now TKO is betting it can do the same for boxing.
Financial terms of the Paramount deal weren’t disclosed, but this isn’t just a licensing arrangement. TKO wants to own boxing the way it owns the UFC. That means making it scalable, bankable, and built for streaming. Paramount gives them the platform, global reach, and distribution flexibility to do exactly that.
Paramount sees the partnership as part of a broader strategy to deliver marquee live sports programming to subscribers year-round. Cindy Holland, chair of direct-to-consumer for Paramount, said the collaboration advances core priorities like delivering premium sports, building a must-watch portfolio, and creating long-term value. She pointed to the strength of TKO’s production and the growing demand for combat sports content.
White was more direct. He said Paramount will be the place to watch the biggest fights in combat sports, both UFC and boxing. HE Turki Alalshikh added that the appetite for boxing is already proven, and this partnership is designed to ensure the sport continues to thrive.
No schedule or event details have been announced yet, but with 2026 on the horizon, Zuffa Boxing looks positioned to reintroduce boxing to a global streaming audience with the kind of scale, investment, and vision that’s been missing from the sport for years.
The Streaming Wars is intentionally ad-free
We don’t run display ads. Not because we can’t, but because we don’t believe in them.
They interrupt the reading experience. They cheapen the work. And they burn advertisers’ money on impressions nobody actually wants.
So we chose a different model.
We say the things people in this industry are already thinking but don’t say out loud. We connect the dots beyond the headline and focus on explaining why things matter to the people working in this business.
If you believe industry coverage can exist without clutter and interruption, you can support it here → SUPPORT TSW.
Support is optional. But it directly funds research and continued coverage — and helps prove this model can work.
Support TSW →
