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TSN the Exclusive Home in Canada
Multiplatform Deal Includes Live PFL Season and Additional Exclusive Content
Season Starts Thursday, May 9
NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization ever to present MMA through a regular season, playoffs and championship format, has reached a multi-year deal making ESPN and ESPN+ the home of the PFL in the United States, and with TSN, making it the exclusive home of PFL in Canada.
All ten PFL events will air live across ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer subscription sports streaming service in the United States, with up to three hours of exclusive action live on ESPN+ and up to two exclusive hours live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
TSN holds similar rights and will exclusively air all PFL events in Canada. The rights include the regular season, playoffs and championship event.
Six, five-hour PFL Regular Season events will take place on Thursday nights from May to August. Three PFL Playoff events will take place in October, with coverage also carried across ESPN+, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. PFL Playoff events will feature the top eight fighters in each of the competition's six weight classes attempting to fight—and win—twice in the same night to advance to the PFL Championship.
The season culminates with the PFL 2019 Championship on New Year's Eve with world title fights in every weight class live exclusively on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Winners of each title bout will be crowned PFL World Champion in their weight class and earn $1 million.
In addition to the live events, ESPN platforms will bring fans pre- and post-event coverage and additional exclusive PFL content, including an inside look at the league through a 'Road to the Playoffs,' 'Road to the Championship' and the PFL 'Best of Season.' The agreement starts with the telecast of the 2018 PFL Season Review and 2019 Roster Selection Show this spring.
Specific details about scheduling and surround programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
Fans can look forward to some firsts this PFL season, including the debut of MMA's first-ever 155-pound women's division which will feature two-time American Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison, as well as SmartCage and Cagenomics, proprietary PFL features that deliver real-time data and analytics to bring fans "inside the cage."
"We are pleased to add the PFL to our combat sports roster. This unique and innovative competition structure provides MMA fans with a great option to see some of the best fights and content in the sport," said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling. "ESPN is the home of combat sports, and we look forward to delivering thrilling live PFL events and powerful storytelling to fans, across all platforms."
"The PFL was created to offer the 300 million global MMA fans the sport-season format that other major sports like the NFL and NBA have, which is the transparency and meritocracy of a regular season, playoffs and championship," said Donn Davis, Co-Founder and Chairman, Professional Fighters League. "Fans can now follow the stories, and business partners can engage in the journeys, of the PFL fighters throughout the season. This agreement to bring PFL to ESPN and ESPN+ further validates our unique and innovative product and will accelerate the PFL's growth."
"We are thrilled to bring the PFL to ESPN, the undisputed leader in sports. ESPN is a ground-breaking pioneer that has fundamentally changed the way fans consume sports, and we at the PFL are reimagining MMA for fans and fighters," added Peter Murray, CEO, Professional Fighters League. "PFL will be the technology leader revolutionizing the way MMA fans experience watching live fights, using PFL's proprietary SmartCage platform and Cagenomics system, to display real-time fighter data and take fans inside the cage."
To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.espnplus.com
About Professional Fighters League
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) presents MMA for the first time in the sport-season format where individual fighters control their own destiny, competing in a regular season, playoffs, and championship. PFL's differentiated format and exciting fights sparked breakout growth in 2018 for the league. PFL 2019 and 2020 Seasons will be presented live on primarily Thursday nights, primetime on either ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes or ESPN+.
The PFL Season features elite MMA athletes across multiple weight classes, including the first-ever 155-pound women's division, with each fighting twice during the PFL Regular Season in May, June, July, and August. The top eight fighters in each weight class advance to the single-elimination PFL Playoffs in October, where fighters must fight twice and win twice in the same night to advance to the finals. The PFL Championship is New Year's Eve exclusively on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Winners of each title bout will be crowned PFL World Champion of their respective weight class and earn $1 million. Additionally, fans will be delivered next-gen stats never before seen in MMA through the PFL's proprietary SmartCage™ platform and Cagenomics™ technology.
PFL is backed by an investor group of sports, media, entertainment, and business titans. For more info visit www.PFLmma.com and follow PFL on Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@ProFightLeague) and Facebook (/ProFightLeague).
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company's Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.
Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHLgames, exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN's award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world's leading sports entertainment enterprise features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
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