Univision signed a deal with Combate Americas that will put 150 live television mixed martial arts events on Univision and its sports network TUDN over the next five years.
Combate's fight library will be available on PrendeTV, Univision's new streaming service.
Univision has been airing Combate events since 2018. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal signals that the new ownership at Univision, led by CEO Wade Davis, is willing to spend on programming.
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“We are excited to extend our relationship and look forward to growing the Combate brand in new and innovative ways across our Univision platforms,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of sports at Univision. “With our audience’s passion for thrilling, live action, Combate has teamed with our portfolio of soccer rights to deliver a powerful one-two punch. Combate is a fast-ascending property and we are committed to delivering more events from the premier Hispanic MMA franchise to fight fans than ever before.”
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For its part, Combate is rebranding itself as Combate Global as it tries to expand internationally.
“This powerful broadcast partnership will establish Combate Global as the premier MMA brand on TV in North America. Univision’s power and Combate Global’s excitement will inspire passion in a new generation of fans for this sport,” said Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren.
Combate Global events start at midnight ET. Under the new agreement with Univision, some soccer matches will serve as lead-in programming for Combate Global events. The new strategy will connect Univision’s fans with the Combate Global brand.
Matches from Combate Global's year-end Copa Combate will appear on Univision and TUDN.
Combate Americas live event programming averaged over 400,000 Total Viewers 2 plus in the U.S., often making it the highest-rated Spanish-language program on television during its time period
