Channel 4 secures exclusive deal with Professional Fighters League

8 February 2022

• Channel 4 to show exclusive MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) content from hugely popular PFL
• Deal includes coverage & streaming rights for the 2022 PFL Challenger Series
• The partnership includes original programming, archive content, and coverage of new PFL competitions for fans throughout 2022

Channel 4 has become the exclusive UK broadcast partner of The Professional Fighters League (PFL) in a special deal announced today (08.02.22).

Under the terms of the deal, Channel 4 platforms will carry the PFL’s inaugural Challenger Series, along with the 2022 PFL Regular Season which gets under way on 20 April and includes the Playoffs, and PFL World Championship.

Additionally, Channel 4 will bring MMA fans exclusive PFL content including original content from both PFL Studios and Channel 4’s in-house digital agency 4Studios and classic explosive archival footage from the 2019-2021 seasons.

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Sport, Joe Blake-Turner: “We’re delighted to be partnering with The PFL and bringing top quality MMA to British fight fans. The PFL is innovative, ambitious, fast and exciting. It’s really popular with younger audiences, particularly on digital and a fantastic addition to our expanding sports portfolio.”

PFL CEO Peter Murray welcomed the deal saying: “The Professional Fighters League is thrilled to announce our broadcast partnership with Channel 4.

“As MMA continues to be the growth sport of this decade, we look forward to expanding our unique product this year and building the United Kingdom and Ireland as two top priority international markets for the PFL.”

The season promises to be a thriller with plenty of British interest including PFL Featherweight fighter Brendan Loughnane, from Manchester. He returns after he delivered a first-round knockout to Sheymon Moraes in the 2021 PFL Season.

Loughnane went on to clinch a spot in the 2021 Playoffs, but ultimately fell short in the semi-finals and returns to the roster hungry for the title. 

Englishman Stuart Austin also returns for the 2022 season to take on the Heavyweight division alongside exciting Lightweights Myles Price and Stevie Ray from the Republic of Ireland and Scotland respectively.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About Professional Fighters League

In 2021 PFL concluded a successful third season as six fighters earned world championships and $1 million each in prize money at the PFL World Championship, MMA’s biggest night, on 27 October.

The league has seen 100 percent audience growth in 2021 and added leading brands to its blue-chip sponsorship portfolio, with more world-class talent and events coming to MMA fans across the globe this year.

Professional Fighters League is the No. 2 MMA company globally and features an elite talent roster with 25 percent of its fighters independently ranked in the top-25 of the world, including 2021 PFL champions Kayla Harrison, Ray Cooper III and Movlid Khaybulaev.

With live event coverage in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms, a portfolio of blue-chip brand partners, and backing from major institutional and high-profile individual investors, PFL is accelerating its global expansion to deliver a unique, innovative product to the more than 600 million MMA fans globally.

PFL is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league.  PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship. 

PFL is primetime in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and was broadcast and streamed live worldwide last year to 160 countries with partners including RMC Sport, FPT, Sky Sport, and more. The PFL roster is world-class, with 25% of PFL fighters independently ranked in the top 25 in the world. The PFL proprietary SmartCage data and analytics platform powers real-time betting and provides next-gen viewing experience.  

PFL has over two-dozen blue-chip brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, IBM, GEICO, DraftKings, Bose, Socios.com, Air Force Reserve, US Marine Corps, and more. PFL is backed by major investors including Ares Capital, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Swan Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and several NBA, MLB, and NHL team owners. 

MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams. 

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