Paramount+ saw a major boost after its first UFC event went to air, marking a significant milestone for the streaming platform’s sports strategy. Nearly one million new subscribers joined Paramount+ on the day UFC 324 took place, making it the second-biggest sign-up day in the platform’s history.
Nearly 1 Million Join Paramount+ for UFC 324 as Streaming Era Begins
Dane Glasgow, Paramount’s chief product officer, shared the news with employees during a Tuesday town hall meeting. The January 24 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas drew 4.96 million average viewers and reached 7.18 million households worldwide, with a peak of 5.93 million concurrent streams. The event featured Justin Gaethje defeating Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision to claim the interim lightweight championship.
The subscriber surge shows a strong start for Paramount’s seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcasting partnership with UFC, which began in 2026 after the organization ended its previous deal with ESPN. The agreement eliminates the traditional pay-per-view model for U.S. viewers, making all 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights available to Paramount+ subscribers at no extra cost. During the ESPN era, fans paid up to $79.99 per pay-per-view event plus a monthly ESPN+ subscription.
UFC 324 Brings Paramount+ Its Biggest Subscriber Gain Since Super Bowl 2024
The nearly one million sign-ups on UFC 324’s event day trail only the Super Bowl in 2024, which brought 3.2 million new subscribers to Paramount+ in a three-day window. The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match on Netflix drew an estimated 1.43 million new subscribers during a similar timeframe, providing context for where the UFC 324 performance sits among recent major live sports events.
UFC 324 marked the platform‘s largest exclusive live event to date. The broadcast reached more homes than any live UFC event in nearly a decade across linear, broadcast, and streaming platforms combined. The event also generated 5.5 million social media interactions and trended on X for six consecutive hours worldwide, with 186,000 mentions representing a 123 percent increase from UFC 323 in December.
The retention challenge ahead will test whether Paramount+ can maintain momentum. Industry data shows 63 percent of subscribers who join streaming services for sports events remain subscribed after the event ends. Paramount+ faces its next test with UFC 325 this weekend, featuring a featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on January 31.
