ESPN Apologizes For UFC 313 Streaming Issues as Negotiating Window Nears Closing

UFC 313 was quite an event in the octagon, as Magomed Ankalaev secured a victory in the main event over Alex Pereira to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion on Saturday night. However, in the aftermath of the event, much of the discussion centered around the viewer experience on ESPN+, where users encountered frustrating buffering and purchasing issues.

Meanwhile, UFC President Dana White did not hold back in expressing his disappointment with the streaming distributor during his post-event comments.

“Yeah, there were problems buying [the pay-per-view] on ESPN+,” White said. “I don’t know what happened with their platform tonight, but yeah, there are a lot of pissed-off people.”

In response to the issues, ESPN+ took the step of making the UFC 313 event available for free via replay to all ESPN+ subscribers, rather than limiting access to those who had purchased the pay-per-view. Additionally, the network released a statement addressing the technical difficulties that disrupted the event.

“Unfortunately, we experienced a technical issue that impacted purchases of the UFC PPV on ESPN+ shortly after 10 p.m. ET [Saturday],” ESPN stated. “Our teams identified and resolved the issue, restoring full functionality ahead of the main event. We apologize for the inconvenience and are taking steps to ensure a better experience in the future.”

Despite these efforts, those who originally purchased the pay-per-view event were not issued refunds, as ESPN+ had managed to resolve the issue before the event concluded.

Looking ahead, the UFC is currently in the final year of its five-year, $1.5 billion domestic media rights agreement with ESPN. Notably, the exclusive negotiating window is set to close on April 15. Once that date passes, the UFC will have the freedom to explore agreements with other networks.

Furthermore, the UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings, which also owns World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Notably, WWE recently secured a ten-year, $5 billion agreement that went into effect this past January. Meanwhile, Dana White was actively involved in last week’s TKO boxing venture, which came together with support from Saudi Arabia-based entities.

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