UFC moves pay-per-views exclusively to ESPN-plus

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — UFC is set to make ESPN-plus the exclusive distributor of its pay-per-view events.

UFC and ESPN had already launched a billion-dollar partnership earlier this year, and the streaming service will now be the only way to watch the MMA promotion’s biggest cards of the month.

UFC 236 on April 13 will mark the PPV debut of the promotion on ESPN-plus. UFC PPV cards sold through ESPN-plus will include all bouts on the main card. The preliminary fights already aired on ESPN or ESPN-plus.

The PPV agreement will take UFC and ESPN’s deal through 2025. The companies had previously agreed to a $1.5 billion, five-year deal that started in January and marks the latest move away from traditional cable and satellite television operators, much as WWE did when it created its own network in 2014.

ESPN-plus can be streamed through iPhones, Apple TV, PlayStation 4 and other smart devices.