UFC 329, headlined by Conor McGregor’s return, will stream entirely on Paramount+ with no live CBS simulcast; CBS will air only a Friday primetime weigh-in special featuring McGregor and Max Holloway.
Paramount’s strategy is to turn marquee UFC cards into subscriber drivers after its seven-year, $7.7 billion U.S. rights deal ended the old pay-per-view model and shifted all events to streaming.
Freedom 250 helped validate that approach: the June card averaged 7 million viewers on Paramount+ and lifted app downloads 184% the day before the event versus the prior day.
That audience roughly matched the NBA’s top 2025 Christmas Day window, when Spurs-Thunder averaged 6.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, strengthening the case for keeping biggest UFC cards behind the paywall.
CBS had simulcast portions of UFC 326 and UFC 327, but marquee events now appear likely to stay exclusive while lower-profile cards may still get broadcast exposure.