Christy Sullivan
CTV – CTV2 – CTV News – CTV Life Channel – CTV Comedy Channel – CTV Drama Channel – CTV Sci-Fi Channel – TSN
TSN and RDS Extend Broadcast Partnership with UFC®
– New multi-year agreement includes extensive broadcast and digital rights across TSN, RDS and Bell Media platforms –
TORONTO (December 11, 2018) – TSN, RDS, and UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, have agreed on a multi-year renewal in which the networks continue to serve as the broadcast partners of UFC in Canada. The agreement, which includes extensive broadcast and digital rights, was announced live from Toronto on SPORTSCENTRE in advance of one of UFC’s biggest events of the year, UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA, hosted at Scotiabank Arena.
Under the terms of the agreement, TSN and RDS are the home in Canada for 22 UFC Fight Night main cards and late preliminaries, as well as preliminary fights ahead of UFC’s 12 pay-per-view events. TSN and RDS will also broadcast Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, focused on finding the next generation of UFC talent.
TSN and RDS will also distribute UFC content beyond linear broadcasts, including across social channels and via other Bell Media platforms, such as the short-form video content hub SnackableTV. The all-new Crave will feature a UFC collection where fans can stream content on demand, and as a result of UFC’s exclusive agreement with ESPN and ESPN+ in the United States, TSN viewers will also have access to original UFC content from ESPN.
“We are incredibly excited to build on our strong relationship with UFC to extend our agreement as their Canadian home,” said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President, TSN and Discovery Networks. “This expanded partnership allows us to deliver even more UFC content across not only TSN and RDS but also Bell Media platforms, providing additional choice and coverage to our viewers.”
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with TSN and RDS, as they have been a key component of UFC’s growth in Canada,” said David Shaw, UFC Senior Vice-President, International and Content. “Canada is one of UFC’s most important markets, supported by a strong and loyal fan base. With this continued relationship, TSN and RDS will help us reach more UFC fans in Canada than ever before.”
The new agreement with TSN and RDS also allows UFC FIGHT PASS® to expand its offerings to customers in Canada with eight exclusive UFC Fight Night events and all Early Preliminary fights from each UFC live event. FIGHT PASS customers will also have access to the largest collection of combat sports programming in the world, featuring UFC’s full archive of historic events, classic bouts, and original content, as well as live events from leading independent promotions from around the globe.
UFC programming is also available to TSN and TSN Direct subscribers on TSN.ca and the TSN app. The complete UFC on TSN broadcast schedule can be found here.
About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2018, UFC boasts more than 284 million fans worldwide and has produced over 450 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About RDS
RDS is Canada’s French-language sports broadcasting leader. In addition to its world-class content delivered across multiple platforms, including RDS, RDS2, RDS Info, RDS.ca and RDS GO, RDS offers the broadest portfolio of French-language sports programming in the world. Official broadcaster of the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, CFL and Grey Cup, NFL and Super Bowl, MLB and World Series, Olympic Games until 2024, FIFA World Cup until 2026, Premier League, exclusive French-language broadcaster of the Montreal Alouettes, Laval Rocket, Formula 1 and the Tour de France, RDS’s slate of channels present more than 4,000 hours of live programming each year, including UFC, the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and World Junior Championship, NASCAR, PGA Tour golf including all four majors, ATP tennis including all four Grand Slam tournaments, Season of Champions Curling and Skate Canada events. RDS is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit BellMedia.ca.
About TSN
TSN is Canada’s Sports Leader and provides world-class content across its industry-leading platforms including five national television feeds, TSN Direct, TSN.ca, and TSN Radio stations across the country. With a broad portfolio of multimedia sports assets, Champions Live Here as TSN delivers more championship events than any broadcaster in the country. The network’s deep and diverse roster of live sports programming includes the Grey Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship, Spengler Cup, Hockey Canada events, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Season of Champions Curling, FIFA World Cup™, Premier League, Soccer Canada, CONCACAF Gold Cup, MLB, Golf’s Majors, NASCAR, F1, Grand Slam Tennis, UFC, NCAA March Madness, and Skate Canada and Rugby Canada events. TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company.
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