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Fight Network Announces Broadcast Rights Agreement for
UFC® Content in Italy
– Fight Network to exclusively broadcast live preliminary fights of UFC pay-per-view events, UFC Fight Night® prelims, pay-per-view events on a 30-day delay, new seasons of The Ultimate Fighter®reality series and other UFC shoulder and original programming, including UFC NOW, UFC COUNTDOWN, event weigh-ins and press conferences –
TORONTO | ROME – Fight Network and UFC® today announced a new agreement for Italian broadcastmedia rights to UFC global events.
A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., Fight Network will deliver a slate of marquee UFCprogramming to fans in Italy on DTT (digital terrestrial television) Channel 62, including preliminary fights ofUFC pay-per-view events and UFC Fight Night events, broadcasts of all UFC pay-per-view events on a 30-day delay and new seasons of The Ultimate Fighter® reality series.
“Our landmark partnership with the global leader in mixed martial arts to broadcast exclusive contentreinforces our commitment to growing Fight Network’s footprint and fan base in Italy,” said Leonard Asper,CEO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. “As an established broadcast partner in Canada, we havealready been working closely with the UFC to bring awareness to the world’s fastest growing sport. Thispartnership now gives us the opportunity to do the same in Italy, where we hope to elevate the sport and theexposure of fast-rising homegrown UFC talent such as Marvin Vettori and Alessio di Chirico.”
Fight Network kicks off its UFC coverage in Italy this Monday, Jan. 15 with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT:STEPHENS vs. CHOI PRELIMS from St. Louis. The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin onMonday, Jan. 15 at 1:00 GMT (2:00 CET) with four exciting bouts. No. 10 ranked lightweight MichaelJohnson (18-12) moves to 145 pounds to face No. 10 ranked featherweight Darren Elkins (24-5). JamesKrause (24-8) faces Alex White (12-3) in a lightweight tilt. Matt Frevola (6-0) and Polo Reyes (8-4) squareoff in another 155-pound battle. And veterans Thiago Alves (26-11) And Zak Cummings (21-5) open thetelecast with a welterweight bout.
Additional UFC programming will launch on Fight Network in Italy and includes UFC NOW, UFCCOUNTDOWN, ROAD TO THE OCTAGON, event weigh-ins and press conferences, as well as libraryprogramming highlighting the UFC’s best fighters and biggest moments leading up to today.
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us onTwitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
For More Information Contact:
Fight Network
Ariel Shnerer
Director, Programming & Communications
ashnerer@anthemse.com
About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Acquired in2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together withstrategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network ofemployees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell outsome of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 163 countriesand territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 35 different languages. UFC FIGHTPASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand andoriginal content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFCat Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About Fight Network
Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to completecoverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available oncable, satellite and telco systems across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, as well as Roku and Apple TV devices across North America. Fight Network is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports &Entertainment Corp., a leading global sports media company. Fight Network also operates Dare to Defend, a non-profit organization aimed at addressing the issue of domestic violence and gender inequality, empowering women in the process.
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