Five Reasons Why UFC is Winning the Content Game

Rishabh Jain Oct 4th, 2021

In previous articles, we have discussed the ‘opportunities live streaming events’ provide.

While that was theoretical, we push forward the point with a case study – how UFC’s OTT app with the help of its ‘Fight Pass’ along with ‘Pay-Per-View’ made it the Gold standard in the space.

What is UFC?

Before we get into the details of the app, a quick explanation of what it is:

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is the largest promoter of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fights, with around 40 events each year, more than 500 fighters under contract and a growing international fan base.

While UFC has seen success since the turn of the millennium, the first UFC event was held in 1993.

Why is UFC’s OTT app successful?

UFC runs a ‘Fight Pass’ which is a digital streaming service that gives fans of UFC content 24/7, 365-days a year. Here’s 5 key reasons why UFC is the current reigning sports OTT champion globally:

Content

Content is the most important aspect of the success of your OTT channel.

UFC’s OTT app keeps fans engaged by offering them footage that can’t be found anywhere else. Think of the biggest sport in the world – football. Even football’s governing body, FIFA, can’t compete with this. The UFC app through its ‘Fight Pass’ gives users access to the Early Prelims from the biggest UFC Pay-Per-View cards along with over 200+ live events from promotions such as Invicta FC, GLORY Kickboxing, QUINTET (Team Submission Grappling), Eddie Bravo Invitational, Polaris, and many more.

Availability

Once the content is in, we have stated the importance of being available cross-platform. UFC has this covered by being available across devices, including Laptops, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPad, iPhone, Android devices, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and LG Smart TV. The app also has a devices page that lists the full list of apps it’s available on and how users can access the content.

SVOD and Pay-Per-View

In an earlier post, we stated the different revenue platforms OTT apps can look at. UFC’s ‘Fight Pass’ is available at US$ 9.99 per month or an annual package of US$ 95.99. So, it offers the customers an option to get the annual subscription at a cheaper price or sample a month’s content.

Over and above this, and one of the reasons why the app is considered so successful, major bouts are available only on ‘PPV’. This means they are available as a separate purchase with 24-hour access. These events are separate from UFC FIGHT PASS subscription depending on your region, states UFC’s official website.

The PPV events are added to the UFC Fight Pass library about a month after it airs live. In an era of FOMO (fear of missing out), fans are willing to pay the extra dollars for the live content which has made the model so successful and helps UFC generate more dollars!

Available Across Geographies

The digital era has connected people from various parts of the world to each other. Hence, OTT apps need to have their content reach other parts of the world. And that’s what UFC does. According to its website, other than Brazil, the content is available worldwide.

Ease of Subscribing/Cancellation

Consumers like transparency. If the monthly users are unhappy with the content, it’s easy for them to cancel their subscription. The website offers a ‘how to cancel/resume your subscription’ which makes it easy for consumers.

So, these are the five reasons why UFC is dominating the OTT sphere. If you’re in the sports/entertainment space and want to create your app on this model, we at Enveu are here to discuss the opportunities the OTT space provides.

Let’s talk!

Rishabh Jain - Director, Product Development, Enveu
Rishabh Jain is one of the co-founders and heads the Product Development at Enveu. A tech evangelist and deep tech advocate, he has been working in the Technology space, being part of many Big Data and IoT initiatives for over 10 years.

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