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  • Sportz Interactive expands client portfolio with addition of UFC

    Sportz Interactive expands client portfolio with addition of UFC

    Mumbai: Sportz Interactive (SI), a leading sports technology and content solutions company and a part of the Sportz Solutions Group, welcomed a new client relationship with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation and part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO).

    UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries, including India. With this region in mind, Sportz Interactive has been mandated to provide a comprehensive and forward-thinking social media strategy for India that includes regional-specific content creation, localisation, and implementation across UFC’s official social media platforms in India. SI will leverage its expertise in digital content creation and fan engagement strategies to expand Indian fan engagement on UFC’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts.

    The first successful implementation in the partnership was the launch of UFC’s first official Instagram account in India in January 2024. In the first two months, the account added over 210,000 organic followers and featured a collaboration with Bollywood superstar Vidyut Jammwal for UFC 298. Engagement across all UFC India platforms experienced a strong start, with over 250,000 interactions and three plus million views.

    Additionally, SI aims to drive viewership of UFC events on UFC’s broadcast partner in the Indian subcontinent, Sony Sports Network India – a partnership that was recently extended through 2028. SI, UFC and Sony Sports Network will collaborate on pre-fight week build-ups and live event coverage, including engaging with celebrities and sports figures, and promoting India’s UFC athletes, Anshul Jubli and Puja Tomar.

    Speaking on the relationship, UFC senior vice president and head of Asia Kevin Chang said, “India is becoming a massive UFC market and our efforts to connect with our fan base there is reflective of that. With their proven expertise in the industry, we are pleased to have Sportz Interactive on board to elevate UFC’s digital footprint and we will endeavor to deliver a truly bespoke experience to UFC fans in India.”

    Sportz Interactive head of partnerships & client success Raghav Mehta said, “We are excited about this opportunity to collaborate with UFC  to enhance their digital presence and engage fans in innovative ways. We look forward to maximising fan affinity and building this globally iconic brand in India and delighting sports fans along the way.”

  • SPNI renews exclusive UFC broadcast rights in Indian subcontinent

    SPNI renews exclusive UFC broadcast rights in Indian subcontinent

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), the leading sports broadcaster in the Indian subcontinent, has announced the extension of the exclusive broadcast rights for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for five years. The terms of the agreement include exclusive television and digital media rights for a wide range of UFC events through 2028.

    The premier promotion for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) worldwide, UFC caters to a massive global audience. UFC is renowned for its top-class fights along with talented fighters and is a dream platform for fighters across the world to showcase their MMA skills. UFC features many of the world’s greatest fighters, including Israel Adesanya, Leon Edwards, Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, Sean O’Malley, Alex Pereira, and Alexander Volkanovski. Some of the best up-and-coming fighters in UFC are coming out of Eurasia, which has a rapidly expanding fan base for the sport. And with the UFC roster inclusion of Anshul Jubli, the first fighter from India to receive win a UFC contract via winning the tournament for Asia’s best MMA prospects, ROAD TO UFC, and Puja Tomar, the first India-born female fighter, the timing could not have been better to make headway in the Indian subcontinent.

    Effective 1 January 2024, the agreement solidifies SPNI’s commitment to delivering premium UFC content to fans across the region on Sony Sports Network and SonyLiv. The comprehensive rights package includes exclusive coverage of 42 UFC LIVE events, encompassing 12 pay-per-view (PPV) and 30 fight night events each year featuring both Main Card and Preliminary bouts, along with additional content that includes UFC Countdown, UFC Connected, a variety of archive content, and Dana White’s Contender Series, a 10-episode live fight series which features up-and-coming talent trying to secure a contract with UFC .

    In addition to live events, Sony Sports Network will continue to broadcast live in Asia prime time the ground-breaking “win and advance” tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects, ROAD TO UFC. Sony Sports Network will also have access to archive content that will further enable them to engage audiences with the rich history of the sport.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer – distribution & International business and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul,

    “We are delighted to extend our partnership with UFC for five more years. Sony Sports Network is the go-to destination for MMA fans in the Indian subcontinent. We have also seen the inclusion of ‘The King of Lions’ aka Anshul Jubli along with Puja Tomar in 2023 has raised interest for UFC in India. Our partnership extension with UFC allows us to continue the exclusive coverage of live UFC events in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu along with an expansive portfolio programming to engage our viewers.”

    UFC SVP and head of Asia Kevin Chang, “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Sony Sports Network, which will remain the home for UFC in India. Sony Sports Network has been a valuable and trusted partner, helping to expand the UFC brand in many ways, from their ‘Ultimate Guide to UFC’ show, to their media and social promotions. We’re excited to extend our partnership and ushering in the next generation of Indian talent.”

    Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.

    Sony Sports Network is the premier destination for all the thrilling live action from UFC.