Coverage and streaming rights include inaugural PFL Challenger Series leading i
nto 2022 Regular Season
Partnership to focus on live events, original programming, archived content,
and coverage of elite talent
PFL MMA Regular Season kicks off on April 20 to more than 160 countries
NEW YORK (March 23, 2022) - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, and FPT Play today announced an exclusive broadcast partnership for 2022. FPT Play will become the exclusive PFL content provider in Vietnam carrying both the PFL’s inaugural Challenger Series and the 2022 PFL Regular Season, Playoffs, and PFL World Championship.
Additionally, FPT Play will bring MMA fans exclusive PFL content including archival season footage from 2019-2021 and original content from PFL Studios.
“2022 promises to be an action-packed year for the Professional Fighters League and we are proud to announce our broadcast partnership with FTP Play in Vietnam,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “FTP Play is the leading content provider for sports and entertainment in the country, and we look forward to delivering PFL’s world class brand of MMA to the fans in Vietnam.”
On this announcement, Ms. To Nam Phuong – Deputy General Director of FPT Play shared: “We are delighted that Professional Fighters League (PFL) and FPT Play have become strategic partners for 2022. This has created an opportunity for Vietnamese audiences to enjoy a world-class MMA season format on FPT Play's multi-platform television service system. Owning the exclusive rights to this season in Vietnam is a testament to the determination to develop unlimitedly high-end sports content, which is part of an overall and comprehensive strategy of products, services and content that FPT Play has persistently pursued.”
The deal was spearheaded in conjunction with Athletic Sports Group and its subsidiary Fight Globe, the world's largest combat sports distributor.
PFL is the first and only MMA league with a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship. The four competitors in each division who earn the most points advance to the win-or-go-home Playoffs, followed by the biggest night in MMA – the PFL World Championship – with each winner going home with the $1 million prize.
Following a breakthrough year that saw 100 percent audience growth, PFL has accelerated its momentum in the early part of 2022 with a multi-year renewal with ESPN, generating widespread buzz around the Challenger Series on fuboTV, and adding several leading brands to its blue-chip sponsorship portfolio.
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 and Ray Cooper III. PFL has live event coverage in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms and delivers a unique, innovative product to the more than 600 million MMA fans globally.
About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (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.
PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)
About FPT Play
According to GroupM's report, FPT Play is currently the unit with the largest market share in the OTT market in Vietnam with more than 27 million registered users and recorded service usage in 2020. This report also indicates that with this growth momentum, FPT Play will quickly become the top most used OTT platform in the future. This position has been further confirmed since the merger with FPT Television into a single brand named FPT Play. This decision allows FPT Play to officially hold two of the most important television technology platforms: IPTV and OTT.
