TKO Holdings President and COO Mark Shapiro said the UFC event held at the White House this year became the most watched program in Paramount+ history.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference, Shapiro detailed how UFC’s relationship with Paramount+ has grown into one of TKO’s most important assets.
“The live event, of course, we had in Washington, DC for our country’s anniversary, birthday celebration, is the biggest live event ever on the platform,” he said, referring to the card staged at the White House.
Shapiro said Paramount+ has made UFC a centerpiece of its programming lineup rather than a peripheral offering.
“You go to their platform, you go to Paramount Plus, and you see we are front and center. We’re a focus. We’re a focal point for them, lined up right next to Lioness, which is Taylor Sheridan’s big hit and doing extremely well this year. So you can’t miss UFC, whether it’s long form or live, on Paramount Plus,” he said.
He pointed to engagement data showing the depth of the relationship between UFC and the str3amer’s subscriber base.
“It’s been a big hit. We’re driving acquisition. We’re driving retention. And we’re seeing terrific engagement. 25% of the viewers that watch Paramount Plus also watch UFC,” Shapiro said.
He added that the audience skews notably younger than the platform’s typical viewer, noting “our fans, the viewer for UFC, is 15 years younger than the average viewer consumer that watches Paramount Plus on a regular basis.”
Shapiro also noted the breadth of TKO’s relationship with Paramount extends beyond UFC’s flagship events. “Of course, Paramount Plus is a bigger partner. We have a PBR deal with them. We have Zuffa Boxing with them. So we’re all in on them,” he said.
He framed the record-setting White House event as part of a broader thesis about the value of live sports programming in a media environment increasingly shaped by broadcasting competition and artificial intelligence. Shapiro argued that live events carry a scarcity that protects them from disruption, telling investors that appointment viewing built around real time, unpredictable sports content continues to draw outsized engagement compared with other genres.
The milestone also comes as TKO reports strengthening momentum across its media rights portfolio, with international deals in markets including China, Japan, Korea, France and Canada delivering rights fee increases this year.
