TKO is reportedly looking position the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White house as more than just a one-night spectacle.
Freedom 250 will be hosted on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, President Trump’s birthday, in an event privately attended by service members and chosen guests. TKO COO Mark Shapiro previously said they expect a $30 million loss for the event, with a budget of $60 million being made available.
But as Blake Avignon reported from sources within TKO, Freedom 250 is not about making money, but rather making a play at subscriber acquisition for Paramount+.
“The move away from pay-per-view was always about turning UFC into a consistent streaming driver, and this is kind of event built to test that at scale. The setting does the heaving lifting. A fight card at the White House pulls attention far beyond the core audience, bringing casual viewers who wouldn’t normally seek out a UFC event,” Avignon wrote.
He continues to note that scale for the invite-only event is created through distribution and the Ellipse watch party. And the expectation internally is that “a moment like this expands the top of the funnel, then converts that attention into Paramount+ subscribers who stay engaged across the full UFC calendar.”
It is also said that even with the CBS deal for select fights, Paramount+ is believed to be where the long-term value sits.
Read the full article here
