A Newly Created STARZPLAY Sports UFC streaming Channel will Launch showing UFC® 300: PEREIRA vs. HILL and all live UFC events
UFC Content Also Available on the STARZPLAY App.
United Arab Emirates – UFC, the world’s premier MMA organisation and part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and STARZPLAY, one of MENA’s leading subscription video-on-demand services, today announced a new exclusive multi-year broadcast partnership for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The agreement will see a new 24/7 STARZPLAY Sports UFC dedicated channel launched across the region, as well as all UFC content featuring on the STARZPLAY App, giving multiple touchpoints to the consumer via internet enabled devices, smart TVs, games consoles and regional IPTV services.
STARZPLAY will stream every UFC event live, including all the preliminary bouts, so fans don’t miss a single minute of action. In addition to presenting all UFC events live, STARZPLAY will also produce localised Arabic-language content and provide hours of additional UFC content on demand, such as preview shows and original programs, including UFC Countdown and UFC Connected.
Along with thousands of hours of premium entertainment content, STARZPLAY’s new sports channel and UFC coverage will be available throughout MENA to all new and existing subscribers via the STARZPLAY app on Smart TVs, mobile platforms, and online at www.starzplay.com.
Next weekend will see a huge night of action on STARZPLAY with UFC® 300: PEREIRA vs. HILL streaming live from Las Vegas starting with the early prelims from 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 14. Headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout that will see Alex Pereira go for his first title defence against former titleholder and No. 1 ranked contender Jamahal Hill. UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili defends against No. 1 contender Yan Xiaonan in the first ever all-Chinese UFC title bout. Also, Justin Gaethje puts his BMF belt on the line against former featherweight champion Max Holloway in a highly anticipated Fight of the Year candidate. The stacked, action-packed card will be available exclusively on STARZPLAY.
David Shaw, UFC Executive Vice President, Head of International and Content, said, “The MENA region is so important to UFC, we have had incredible success hosting live events, alongside our partners at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Now we will have an incredible platform to broadcast all UFC content to our ever-growing fan base in the Middle East and North Africa. Starzplay has come on board with fresh and innovative thinking on how to tailor our content across the region and we can’t wait to kick things off with UFC® 300.”
Andy Warkman, STARZPLAY Head of Sport said “UFC has a longstanding relationship with our home of Abu Dhabi, and we are thrilled to become the new exclusive home of UFC in MENA. UFC has a huge fanbase in the region and STARZPLAY is looking forward to partnering with UFC to deliver unparalleled coverage, localised for the region. Our new dedicated STARZPLAY Sports UFC channel and UFC on-demand content hub, illustrates our commitment to showcasing world class sport tailored for MENA viewers.”
UFC has a long and rich history in the Middle East with a total of 17 events being held in the region since 2010. Yas Island in the UAE was also home to Fight Island during the pandemic, allowing UFC events to continue to be held in a safe and secure location on the island. UFC will be returning to Abu Dhabi on August 3 for a Fight Night at Etihad Arena, and also hosting the very first UFC event in Saudi Arabia on June 22.
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 259 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
About STARZPLAY:
Ranked consistently among the region’s top three subscription video-on-demand services, STARZPLAY http://www.starzplay.com streams an extensive variety of premium content, covering Hollywood movies, exclusive shows, Arabic content, documentaries, same-time-as-the-US series – plus live sports and dedicated kids’ entertainment – to 19 countries across MENA and Pakistan.
STARZPLAY has thousands of premium titles, including exclusive STARZPLAY Originals such as Kaboos, Harley, Million Dollar Listing UAE, Baghdad Central, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, STARZ original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen as well as STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie), cricket, rugby, UFC, boxing, golf, basketball and more.
STARZPLAY has secured tie-ups with a host of leading, global studios including Lionsgate, MGM, SHOWTIME, Paramount+, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery and Sony Studios along with regional producers such as UMS, Eagle Films and Falcon. Users can stream the discovery+ library or catch the latest Arabic series and movies from WATCH IT at no extra cost.
With the STARZPLAY Store, users can buy or rent direct-from-cinema movie releases and watch on their own terms, whilst STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports, the first free-to-play Web 3.0 fantasy sports game in MENA, gives users a new dimension to watching live matches on STARZPLAY Sports with real-time predictions and prizes.
Until 2022, STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) was the lead investor along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Investors and Delta Partners. In early 2021, STARZPLAY Arabia secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. In 2022, E-Vision, from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company acquired a majority equity stake of circa 57% in the company.
Reaching over to 2.9 million subscribers, STARZPLAY Arabia allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.
