In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO, Founder, and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans writes about the entertainment, media, and sports industry implications from the Paramount and UFC deal.
Having Paramount and Warner Bros. together would also put fighting in the form of UFC back on HBO, where it all began for HBO as the original home box office pay-per-view sports host.
You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).
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Paramount and UFC, WWE, and Endeavor are now doing business together. In a deal announced by The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount will distribute on its platforms exclusive fights and matches from UFC and WWE that are now owned by Endeavor. UFC CEO Dana White has now secured a major distribution deal for the brand and will also be the first ever to host a major sport events at the White House in Washington, D.C., for the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America, on July 4, 2026.
Paramount was in the news recently when David and Larry Ellison of Skydance Entertainment and Oracle purchased Paramount and its film library. Paramount Skydance was also rumored to have made a cash offer for Warner Bros. Discovery. The power play by Paramount continues to send shockwaves through Hollywood and all sectors of the entertainment, media, and sports industry.
Paramount is already a household brand name. Skydance will only place Paramount on stronger ground to compete with the other four major studios—three if it buys Warner Bros. If Paramount purchases or mergers with Warner Bros. Discovery, the proverbial pie grows larger for a major player in Hollywood history.
Going forward, will Paramount also consider licensing more sports programming? Even for non-big five sports? Maybe if the license price is right, it would be for a big five league sport (e.g., football, basketball, baseball, hockey, or soccer).
There are also questions as to labor negotiations and antitrust law. UFC does not have a union for its fighters, but some fighters have tried. UFC is not unlike other non-team sports in that unions or players associations with real power or organization are rare. Frankly, it is unnecessary for non-team sports where athletes have attorneys and representatives advocating for their individual deals.
The United States Justice Department will assuredly review any Paramount and Warner Bros. deal. History would show that a deal is likely to be approved with some negotiated concessions in the form of divesting of assets under control. Between Paramount and Warner Bros., the film library is one thing, but the sports properties and television is another. The good thing for Paramount and Warner Bros. is that neither one of their streaming platforms, Paramount+ and HBO Max, are the top performing in terms of subscribers or viewership. Combined, however, their library and sports content would be formidable alongside Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others.
Having Paramount and Warner Bros. together would also put fighting in the form of UFC back on HBO, where it all began for HBO as the original home box office pay-per-view sports host. WWE could also be very popular as pay-per-view programming. Paramount is an iconic brand that is continues to climb the mountain, pun intended.
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About Jeremy M. Evans:
Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.
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