Ronda Rousey was right. Greed has changed the UFC into something unrecognizable. While fighter pay has been a long-running issue, the UFC’s $7.7 billion deal with Paramount has now started to affect viewers as well. Since the broadcast partnership began, UFC streams have been dominated by ads.
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Things have gotten so bad that ads are being prioritized over moments from the event that fans actually want to see. Think ring walks, moments between rounds, and even post-fight in-ring interviews. Everything has increasingly been interrupted by ads. And the same story followed UFC Perth on Saturday, May 12, in Perth, Australia.
As soon as the event began, Paramount started bombarding the broadcast with ads no one wants to see. And the main reason behind this is the elimination of the pay-per-view model. Previously, the UFC had its pay-per-view model, where everyone had to pay hundreds of dollars to watch the events.
The UFC proudly announced that it had gotten rid of the model. However, UFC Fight Nights didn’t have pay-per-view even before, so with Paramount’s entry, Fight Night events have been made worse. Previously, UFC CEO Dana White spoke about the matter and claimed Paramount had to make money somehow, and bombarding viewers with ads appears to be the way.
Despite the explanation, it hasn’t been easy for fans to watch the events. And it has gotten so bad that people have taken their complaints to social media to let the UFC and Paramount know about it.
UFC Perth’s Paramount broadcast was branded pathetic
One user couldn’t stand the ads. The user posted: “The amount of ads on Paramount+ during these new UFC events is absolutely pathetic. I cannot f—king stand it.” However, they are unlikely to go away because it’s the only source of revenue.
Another user was frustrated after missing out on an interview. “UFC & Paramount too busy jamming ads down our throats that we missed half of Marwan Rahiki’s post-fight interview after a brutal 1st round KO,” the user wrote. Rahiki won his second fight in the UFC. And considering he was on the main card, you can only imagine how Paramount treats fights on the prelims.
Meanwhile, the ads made this user wish for Paramount’s downfall. “I hope Paramount goes bankrupt with this pig work they’re doing in the UFC,” the user commented. Paramount was already in debt, which allowed Skydance to acquire it.
Someone else claims to have watched 500 ads since 5 in the morning. “Since 5am watching the UFC and the 500 ads for The Revenge of the Exes, thanks Paramount for your unbearable ads….,” the user wrote. The Paramount deal is turning out to be the worst thing that has happened to the UFC.
Someone else revealed that some commercial breaks didn’t even have commercials. “Why is Paramount still doing commercial breaks without any ads. Just give us some UFC insight or something, man,” the user commented. Only time will tell whether Paramount takes the feedback.
From the looks of things, the criticism for Paramount is continuing to mount among fans. Unfortunately, they will have to bear with it for the next seven years.
