The American MMA federation, Professional Fighters League (PFL) has roped in a media rights deal with the United Kingdom (UK) media network, Channel 4. Through this partnership, Channel 4 became the official broadcast partner of the PFL in the UK and Republic of Ireland for the upcoming 2022 season of the tournament.
In addition to this, the media network will provide original content generated by PFL Studios and 4Studios to their MMA enthusiasts.
The events covered in this deal include PFL’s Challenger Series, Regular Season, Playoffs and World Championship. The inaugural Challenger Series would kickstart on February 18, while the PFL regular season would commence on April 20, to more than 160 countries.
On this agreement, the PFL CEO, Peter Murray, gave his insights and said, “The Professional Fighters League is thrilled to announce our media partnership with Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. MMA fans in the UK and Ireland will now have unprecedented access to year-round live MMA events featuring star PFL fighters competing in a unique sport season format. Our partnership with Channel 4 illustrates MMA has further evolved into a mainstream sport and PFL is the fastest growing and most innovative league in the world.”
James Frewin, the PFL SVP of International, said, “The Professional Fighters League partnership with Channel 4 is a pivotal moment for the PFL as UK & Ireland are priority markets with an underserved fanbase. PFL is committed to continuing to reimagine and grow the sport of MMA around world.”
Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Sport, Joe Blake-Turner, commented on this partnership and said, “We’re delighted to be partnering with the PFL and bringing top quality MMA to British fight fans. The PFL is innovative, ambitious and exciting – a great fit for our expanding portfolio of sport.”
The Professional Fighters League is one of the fastest-growing sports leagues. The league caters to 600 million MMA fans worldwide and also has a strong standing in the sports business industry.