ESPN is yet again initiating a big price hike. It was announced they will raise PPV price of UFC again next year. UFC 283 is likely to be first event affected by the price hike.
UFC is taking a long pause before continuing weekly events. The biggest MMA promotion is done holding events in 2022 and will continue late in January of next year.
MMA fans will be eagerly anticipating UFC return. However, some may lose their enthusiasm after the recent update from ESPN.
ESPN is planning to increase the PPV price for ESPN+ in 2023. They will have a $5 increase, from $74.99 to $79.99. They added that this increase will not affect the subscription price of ESPN+, which is $99.99 annually.
UFC 283 is likely to be the first event with a new price tag. It will be the first PPV event of 2023, headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill on January 21. The co-main event will also be a title bout, with Deiveison Figueiredo putting his flyweight belt on the line against Brendan Moreno.
The last time they increased the PPV price was in January, from $69.99 to $74.99. With this new increase in 2023, UFC fans will be hit with the 4th price increase in 4 years.
Sports Journalist Adam Stern was the first to report the news on Wednesday. He wrote that ESPN is increasing the price to reflect “the value of ESPN+ and the popularity and quality of UFC events”. Fans found this reason to be pretty ironic with several controversies happening lately.
.@UFC PPVs on @ESPNPlus will increase in price from $74.99 this year to $79.99 next year, starting with #UFC283 in January, per @Disney.
🔲 Disney says the move reflects "the value of ESPN+ and the popularity and quality of UFC events," and that it doesnt impact ESPN+ sub price. pic.twitter.com/PBf0cMTIUE
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) December 22, 2022
“Quality?? You’re kidding me. I love the ufc but this is getting ridiculous. And you wonder why people seek out illegal streams. Go to the Peacock/WWE model. Seems to work for them. One flat rate.” One fan wrote.