UFC fans in the Middle East and North Africa will now have exclusive access to the promotion’s content, as part of a new deal with OSN.
OSN is the number one paid television operator in the Middle East. The UFC have reportedly (according to Sportbusiness.com) ‘agreed to a multi-year deal with the UFC’ which will provide the network with exclusive rights to UFC fights in North Africa and the Middle East.
The new deal will provide OSN subscribers with access to premier content covering live events, associated features and popular reality-TV series ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. Also included in the deal is the provision of UFC Fight Pass, which grants new subscribers access to the entire library and catalogue of previous events, as well as prelims and other selected live events.
Andy Warkman, who is the senior vice-president of sport at OSN confirmed:
“UFC on OSN will be industry-defining, as, for the first time, we will produce localised Arabic content ‘for the region, from the region’ to give UFC fans an unrivalled viewing experience.”
OSN is currently expanding into Africa, and this latest deal signifies a positive step towards furthering their reach into the continent.
The new deal is the first major signing by WME-IMG since their $4bn acquisition of the UFC in 2016.