UFC to Make Digital Platform Presentation at UFC 168, but Subscriber Details Leaking Early
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is slated to unveil its new digital platform as part of the festivities at this weekend’s UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva II event in Las Vegas, but details have already begun to leak.
UFC officials have made no secret of their plans to continue offering more live events in 2014 than in past years, likely hitting a mark of somewhere around 50 events in the upcoming year. The bulk of that expansion is intended to come from more and more international events.
The new digital platform is primarily a means to facilitate that expansion and make international offerings and other content available to fans across the globe.
As the UFC expands into more international markets, they intend to tailor those events primarily to the markets they are being held in. Thus, the timing will be what is best for the locality and not necessarily appropriate for television audiences in other markets.
With the advent of the UFC’s new digital platform, which is likely to be called UFC Fight Pass, fans across the globe will be able to watch events from other markets live, whether or not the event airs on a television platform in their region.
UFC Fight Pass will follow a subscription model. If a screenshot that leaked out on the internet over the weekend is accurate, the price will be set at $9.95 per month, which falls in line with comments by UFC president Dana White.
Aside from international live events, UFC Fight Pass will also feature the UFC’s vast library of content, which not only includes the UFC, but also Pride, WEC, Strikeforce, and other promotions the company has acquired over the years.
The UFC Fight Pass website screen shot that Twitter user @rossfinkelstein leaked over the weekend indicates that the service's primary viewing categories will be Live Events, Event Replays & UFC Fight Library, Television Shows, and Original Content.
UFC officials are expected to make a media presentation on Saturday, Dec. 28, to unveil full official details of the service, including programming and pricing.
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