Coming this Sunday…Trumps 80th Birthday!!
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Specific plans for the broadcast on Sunday, June 14, have been scarce so far. White has suggested that
a portion of the undercard may air for free on CBS,
with the top fights held in reserve for Paramount+ subscribers, but no exact schedule has been released as of yet.
The South Lawn will only hold about 4,000 fans for the UFC fights. Sponsorship packages for those seats (which are "technically free,") are
reportedly going for as much as $1.5 million for a ringside view.
In a
recent story from "The Hollywood Reporter," executives from both TKO and Paramount suggested that one primary goal for the event is to drive signups on Paramount+, the streaming service that's home to all UFC events under
a behemoth seven-year, $7.7 billion deal.
Spokeswoman Rachel Reisner said in a statement: "There is far too much to celebrate about this great nation to let noise and division distract from the incredible moment ahead - and we look forward to welcoming millions of Americans to a fair that belongs to all Americans."
As a network, CBS is available in almost every home in America that contains a television set. Paramount+, on the other hand, has reported somewhere around 80 million subscribers. If the UFC were to air some of the White House event prelim bouts on CBS, but keep the title fights in the main and co-main event exclusively on Paramount+, that could significantly limit the overall reach.
Everyone else, meanwhile, will be in the Ellipse, across the street from the South Lawn, where the UFC plans to have a massive watch party. Attendees won't be able to see the fight in person, but they'll be in a makeshift arena watching on jumbotrons.
Even if every single existing Paramount+ subscriber watched this event, the UFC would still need to pick up an additional 45 million viewers either through new subscriptions or other broadcast methods in order to hit the goal of "Super Bowl-type numbers." It's not impossible, but it's also not easy.
(Donald Trump owns shares in TKO Group Holdings, but he does not own shares in Paramount.
There is no public record of Donald Trump owning shares in Paramount. TKO has a seven-year broadcasting agreement with Paramount to air UFC events on CBS and Paramount+, but Trump has no reported financial equity in Paramount itself)
If it's truly a celebration of America, shouldn't it be available to all Americans? Or at least those with a TV? Then again, maybe there is something quintessentially American about charging a subscription fee even for our big birthday bash (
on Donald Trumps’s, not America’s, birthday).
President Trump has promised a historic event on the White House lawn, while Dana White said he's anticipating "Super Bowl-type" numbers. But what's a reasonable bar for ratings success this Sunday?
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