Univision Takes Stake In MMA Circuit Combate Global, Whose Bouts It Has Aired Since 2018

Univision says it has taken a “significant” equity stake in Combate Global, a mixed martial arts franchise targeted to Hispanic audiences.

The media company, along with Televisa, have had a relationship dating back to 2018. Univision is in the midst of merging with Televisa.

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

The transaction follows a five-year rights agreement between the companies, which will see 30 live events broadcast a year, many of them originating at Univision’s Miami studio facility. Combate Global was initially known as Combate Americas.

“Since teaming up in 2018 Univision and Combate Global have created an entirely new audience for MMA. Today, those content hungry fans, combined with our dynamic athletes, represent the future of the sport. This announcement underscores Univision’s commitment to Hispanic MMA and we could not be more excited to further strengthen our successful partnership with them,” Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren said in the official announcement.

“This investment marks the first step in Univision’s broader strategy to deliver more exciting, live combat sports to our audience,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Sports Enterprises, Univision. “Combat sports rank as the second most popular sport among Hispanics. We’re excited to take our successful partnership to the next level as we collaborate with the Combate team to elevate the brand and bring compelling mixed martial arts content across the Univision platforms for years to come.”

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Combate events have averaged 425,000 total viewers in the U.S in 2021 to date on Univision, ranking as the highest-rated Spanish-language program in its time slot. Streaming is a key platform for MMA. The Endeavor-owned UFC has a deal with Disney for its fights to stream on ESPN+. Univision intends to make Combate Global programming a key feature of its forthcoming premium streaming service, which will build on the free, ad-supported PrendeTV.

ViacomCBS has acquired English-language rights to Combate Global events and is streaming them on Paramount+.

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