The UFC’s new broadcasting era with Paramount+ has hit another big stumbling block, with fans claiming widespread streaming issues at UFC 330. And to be honest, the timing couldn’t have been worse for Paramount.
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UFC 330 is one of the year’s biggest cards and definitely not an experience fans wanted to be ruined after the company took over the UFC’s U.S. broadcasting rights in a landmark seven-year, $7.7 billion deal.
Although fans inside the arena seamlessly enjoyed the action, several viewers at home were stuck staring at error messages and buffering screens.
The problems also come during a crucial period for Paramount’s relationship with the UFC. The new UFC-Paramount collaboration, which began with UFC 324 in January, ended the previous pay-per-view model for UFC events in the United States.
Instead of spending around $80 for each numbered event, fans can now watch UFC Fight Night and pay-per-view cards with their Paramount+ membership.
The subscription costs approximately $8.99 per month for the ad-supported tier and $13.99 for the ad-free tier, making the new model substantially more affordable for regular UFC viewers. However, it appears that the transition has not been without problems.
When the Paramount+ era began at UFC 324, fans instantly attacked the coverage for cutting away from fighter walkouts and inserting advertisements between rounds and throughout the event.
The advertising complaints continued throughout subsequent UFC cards, with some fans claiming that the absence of pay-per-view has resulted in a more obtrusive viewing experience. Dana White, however, addressed the criticism surrounding the influx of advertising during the live broadcasts.
“I haven’t seen it yet,” he told the media. “And all this is a work in progress.
“It’s $8.99. You’re not paying, you know, however much anymore. These guys have to make some money, too. So yeah.”
To be fair, Paramount later made changes in response to the outrage, including restoring full fighter walkouts and limiting the amount of advertising that interfered with the live broadcast.
These modifications appeared to improve the platform’s relationship with UFC fans, particularly because viewers could now watch every UFC event with a single monthly subscription rather than purchasing separate pay-per-views.
But technical problems create a much bigger issue. When a stream constantly buffers or displays an error message, fans aren’t just dissatisfied with how the broadcast is presented. They are unable to watch the entire event altogether.
And to make optics worse, UFC 329, which featured Conor McGregor‘s much-anticipated homecoming, also received concerns about streaming issues shortly after it began.
Now with UFC 330 featuring Islam Makhachev‘s first UFC welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry in the main event, it is no surprise that fans were up in arms against UFC and Paramount for ruining their watching experience.
Fans turn on Paramount+ over UFC 330 streaming issues
As expected, many took to social media to complain that the Paramount+ stream was down, and they surely were anything but soft.
“@paramount Why can’t I watch UFC? All it does is buffer and then say error. My internet is hardwired. This is bull—-,” one viewer wrote on X.
Another fan specifically reported having problems while watching on a PS5, saying, “@paramountplus @ufc I’m on my PS5 trying to stream UFC but I am getting an ‘Error: Something went wrong. Please try again later’ message.’ I’ve tried redownloading Paramount+ but getting the same message. Please look into this and fix!”
The frustration quickly escalated, with another subscriber threatening to cancel the service: “@paramountplus get your s— together, I’m about to cancel.”
Another viewer questioned whether the problem was isolated to PlayStation 5, writing, “Is it just PS5? Sound, but no picture, then error.”
This one fan went on an all out rant: “Paramount plus is easily the worst streaming service available. I was pissed when I found out they got ufc. I have the service but I still watch the ufc on my veesee box.”
More chimed in with comments such as “Alright Paramount+ f—— sucks man,” and “I would much rather pay for a ppv than ever use this horrible paramount app ever again.”
It’s unclear whether Paramount will officially address the reported streaming issues. For the time being, however, the criticisms have made the broadcaster almost as much of a talking point as the action inside the Octagon.
