Press Conference
Seoul and Las Vegas - UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced a new multi-year media rights partnership with CJ ENM, the multi-media conglomerate and leading entertainment company, that calls for CJ ENM to broadcast all of UFC’s live events and additional programming in South Korea.
UFC has experienced a meteoric rise since its first event was held in 1993 and is now one of the most popular sports globally with a fan base of more than 688 million. Currently, there are eight Korean athletes on the UFC roster, including two-time title challenger and fan favorite "The Korean Zombie", Chan Sung Jung. UFC has held two live events in South Korea, including UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal in 2015 and UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie in 2019.
As the new home for UFC in South Korea, CJ ENM will offer unprecedented exposure and access to UFC fans and reach a new generation across South Korea on multiple CJ ENM platforms including tvN, the newly launched tvN SPORTS, and OTT platform TVING.
CJ ENM has strengthened its sports offering with the launch of tvN SPORTS, which will feature UFC as cornerstone programming that also includes FINA World Championships, AFC U-23 Asian Cup, AFC Champions League, Bundesliga, Major Tennis Tournaments, THE CJ CUP, and Top Rank World Boxing.
Starting with UFC 274: OLIVEIRA VS GAETHJE this Sunday, May 8, the partnership between UFC and CJ ENM includes 42 live UFC events per year-- 12 numbered events and 30 UFC Fight Nights-- plus additional programming such as UFC Countdown, UFC Connected, Road to UFC, and a variety of archive content.
"This is a new era for UFC in South Korea, one of our most significant markets," said Kevin Chang, UFC Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific. "CJ ENM is one of the leading entertainment companies in the world with unrivaled influence and reach. Together we will connect with UFC fans in South Korea like never before.”
“We are confident that this partnership with UFC will create synergy between both companies,” said Ki Sung Hong, Executive Vice President of CJ ENM. "CJ ENM will be able to expand our boundaries to now deliver sports entertainment especially with the launch of tvN SPORTS, while UFC will be able to utilize CJ ENM’s expansive coverage. These global partnerships are a true indicator of CJ ENM’s expanding presence as a major global studio as we continue to strengthen our global competitiveness.”
UFC 274: OLIVEIRA VS GAETHJE airs live on Sunday, May 8, with the main card starting at 11:00 am KST. Updated information can be found on the event page at UFC.com and on the South Korea site KR.UFC.com.
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 198 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletesrepresentingmorethan75countries.Theorganization’sdigitalofferingsincludeUFCFIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
About CJ ENM
CJ ENM is a leading entertainment company originated from Korea. Since 1995, the company has engaged in a wide array of businesses across the industry spectrum including media content, music, film, performing arts, and animation, providing its top-notch original content to various media platforms. CJ ENM has created, produced and distributed globally acclaimed contents including Oscar-winning film Parasite, Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots, record-breaking Korean box office hits Roaring Currents, Extreme Job, Ode to My Father, along with sought-after television series such as Mr. Sunshine, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Grandpas over Flowers, I Can See Your Voice and more. To offer the best K-Culture experiences worldwide, CJ ENM presents KCON, the world's largest K-culture convention & festival celebrating Hallyu and Mnet ASIAN MUSIC AWARDS (MAMA), the world's No.1 K-pop music awards. With regional offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S., CJ ENM currently employs over 3,600 people. For more information, please visit: http://www.cjenm.com
UFC 274: Oliveira vs Gaethje took place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, live from a sold out Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses — and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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