ONE Championship to Begin Broadcasting on American Television in 2019
ONE Championship is continuing to extend its global reach with a three-year deal to air on American television beginning in January of 2019.
Though ONE Championship traded away undefeated welterweight champion Ben Askren to the UFC, it has also been busy inking deals with other fighters that could help it make an impact on the American market. ONE was previously content to build its brand in the Southeast Asian market, and has gained a tremendous position as the sport's leader in that region of the world.
Now, with the additions of former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson (who was acquired in the Askren trade), former Bellator and UFC champion Eddie Alvarez, and rising talent Sage Northcutt, ONE has inked a deal with Turner Sports to broadcast its product on American television and Turner's digital properties. MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday confirmed the news with independent sources following an initial report by ESPN.
The ONE Championship deal with Turner goes into effect in January of 2019 and is set to kick off with a Jan. 19 event emanating from Jakarta, Indonesia.
The deal is expected to cover a three-year term that includes airing programming on TNT on television, as well as digital properties such as B/R Live. Turner is also expected to broadcast shoulder programming for the events on TNT, which is likely to include a reality show.
TRENDING > Dana White Wants Max Holloway to Move to Lightweight Now
Prominent American mixed martial arts figures Rich Franklin and Miesha Tate, both former UFC champions, also work for ONE Championship.
(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
