BT Sports loses rights to UFC, Eleven sports set to continue UK coverage
The final UFC show screened by BT Sports will air in December Eleven sports set to take over in 2019
Eleven Sports the new UFC king in the UK?
The news was released recently that UK broadcaster BT is stepping out of the running to acquire the rights to show the UFC through 2019
BT has shown the UFC since 2013 but it looks like global broadcaster Eleven Sports are set to take over the coverage rights and this is where things get interesting and where the public is split.
Same beginnings?
Similar to the situation with BT sports when announced, the reaction is mixed, Eleven currently does not have any channels on UK television and the general public have no idea who they are. Outside of the UK though, that is a different story with the network showing some of the biggest sports on the planet not to mention they have picked up the rights to show Italian and Spanish top-flight football.
Although reactions from the public seem to be mixed, the reactions from people in the know, insiders etc have said not to judge the deal until we know all the details and that it will be great for the sport.
Speculation on the future
Speculations started as soon as the deal was announced, there has been talk of 2 Eleven channels launching in the UK along with speculation of a new streaming platform being introduced to carry the UFC and Eleven sports bus as of now, all we know is that BT won’t show the UFC after December and that we should be looking forward to a bright future for the sport in the UK
With UFC coverage ending at the end of the year, BT is still committed to showing UFC programming
“BT Sport remains the home of UFC and NBA at this stage, and we have long-term deals in place for our core content,”
In some eyes the future is bright for UFC in the UK, for others, it is up in the air at the moment.
Stay tuned for more breaking news on this story.
