Source: UFC
The UFC announced their own digital network featuring new fights as well as access to their library today. We don’t normally post MMA news, but with the often rumored WWE Network on the horizon this very well could be a similar template to what the WWE may be looking to do. The complete press release is below:
Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization announces the launch of UFC Fight Pass™, the new digital subscription service which is a must-have for mixed martial arts fans.
Unveiled today with a two-month free trial, UFC Fight Pass delivers a minimum of 10 exclusive live events per year, exclusive live prelims, newly created and exclusive content in addition to unprecedented on-demand access to parent company Zuffa’s vast mixed martial arts video library.
UFC president Dana White said: “We’re very excited to announce this unique subscription service for our great fans. As the demand for live UFC events around the world continues to increase, we’ve responded by planning more big shows in international markets in local primetime. In 2014, there are going to be more international events than ever before – but we wanted to make sure that fans around the world could see these fights too.
“The UFC has always been ahead of the game when it comes to new media and new technology. We are putting together some sick cards in international markets and with UFC Fight Pass fans never have to miss a single UFC event, no matter where in the world the fights are taking place.”
Three international UFC Fight Night events have already been confirmed for UFC Fight Pass: UFC Fight Night: SAFFIEDINE vs. LIM on January 4, UFC London 2014: GUSTAFSSON vs. MANUWA on March 8 and a third international fight card in March. All cards feature top-10 ranked fighters competing in highly significant bouts.
UFC Fight Pass will also be the exclusive place to watch live Fight Pass Prelims™, the opening contests on major UFC Pay-Per-Views and televised cards.
In addition to more than nine exclusively live fights per month, UFC Fight Pass will also offer unparalleled on-demand access to the biggest MMA fight library in the world.
White said: “Zuffa has the biggest fight library on the planet, and with a UFC Fight Pass subscription, fans will get access to thousands of fights from the entire history of the sport. This is what fans have always wanted – we are giving them the keys to the candy store. Subscribers will be able to watch, on demand, the greatest fights and greatest fighters in the entire history of this sport. And I mean everything, from Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva, to Frank Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba and Fedor Emelianenko.”
Subscribers will be able to access hundreds of hours of content from the archive which includes two decades of UFC fights and the video libraries of other MMA organizations including PRIDE FC, PRIDE Bushido, Strikeforce, EliteXC, the World Fighting Alliance, Affliction Entertainment and World Extreme Cagefighting. See attached FAQ sheet for further details.
Additionally, there will be newly-created content for the service including regular behind-the-scenes reports, fighter diaries, UFC Upfront, UFC By the Numbers, UFC Fight Camp Insider and training tips. Plus, there will be exclusive content including the hotly-anticipated upcoming The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil season featuring bitter rivals Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen and future international editions of The Ultimate Fighter will be available exclusively on the UFC Fight Pass service.
“If you are a fight fan, UFC Fight Pass is for you,” White added.
UFC Fight Pass will initially launch in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, with a $9.99 price point per month in all four markets. Content will vary according to local television blackout rules.
A free two month trial starts now through February 28, 2014 providing access to live fights including the UFC’s first ever event in Singapore, UFC Fight Night: SAFFIEDINE vs. LIM, and UFC Fight Pass Prelims.
All bouts live and subject to change. Visit UFC.com and UFC.tv for more information.
UFC’s Fight Pass costs $9.99 per month and it appears that you have access to their entire library. If WWE or TNA made a similar service available at $9.99 per month, I think I’d have to bite and join the network. That’s an incredible amount of content for $120 per year.
Agreed, I would hope if TNA or WWE does something like this they offer the entire catalog and not just a rotation. I think it would definitely be profitable for either company, with the proliferation of apps directly connecting to the network via a smartphone, tablet, computer or Roku type device would make this very convenient.
Ring of Honor actually has a very similar service (Ringside Membership) for $7.95 a month. I actually got a membership last month for a discount on their Black Friday sale and was thoroughly impressed with all the content that was available. All of their TV episodes and a good number of events of theirs (with the exception of this year’s iPPVs) along with shoot interviews with Christian Cage and Jim Cornette.
I would still rather have an actual television network since I hate streaming content, but that would be the better choice if it was online.