Polsat, the Polish terrestrial and satellite broadcaster, has secured an extension to the broadcast rights of the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Following the multi-year agreement, Polsat will carry around 40 live UFC events per year, encompassing the main cards of all numbered events and Fight Nights, in addition to prelims featuring a Polish fighter.
Furthermore, the network will offer hours of additional UFC content, which includes preview shows and exclusive programmes like UFC Countdown and UFC Connected.
UFC events will also be aired on Polsat Sports’ television channels and through the Polsat Box Go online streaming platform. UFC updates, fight highlights, and interviews will be extensively shared on Polsatsport.pl and Sport.Interia.pl, in addition to their respective social media profiles.
In recent years, MMA has become more and more popular in Poland. UFC has so far hosted two events in the market: one in Gdansk in 2017 and one in Krakow in 2015. Over the years, Poland has also produced two champions: Jan Blachowicz, who claimed the light heavyweight title in 2020, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who won the strawweight championship in 2015.
David Shaw, UFC Executive Vice President and Head of International and Content, said, “We have had a long and successful relationship with Polsat Sport. They have worked hand in hand with us to build up the sport of MMA and create superstars in Poland. We’re looking forward to taking this partnership to the next level in the years to come.”
Marian Kmita, Head of Sports Department at Polsat Television, added, “During the past six years, Polsat’s sports TV channels aired more than 250 live UFC events.In the meantime, we have built solid relations with our partners at UFC and with the fans. A renewed agreement is beneficial to everybody – the MMA fans in Poland can continue to watch their favorite content and UFC secures an outpost in the fast-growing Polish TV market.”
Back in February, UFC also inked a multi-year broadcast rights extension with ESPN Australia and New Zealand.