UFC launches dedicated TV channel in Russia

A new mixed martial arts channel, UFC TV, is launching in Russia on Rostelecom’s platform.

The channel will be available on an exclusive basis on Rostelecom’s interactive TV platform, and will also be available on the service provider’s Wink multimedia platform. Rostelecom’s interactive TV offering reaches 5.2 million homes across the country.

The channel will launch with coverage of the UFC Fight Night tournament featuring a bout between Alexey Oleynik and Alistair Overeem in St Petersburg on April 20. The fight will be aired on ESPN+ elsewhere in the world.

The new channel will deliver live broadcasts of all UFC tournaments, as well as replays in primetime. The channel will also include archive fights, interviews, reviews and other content.

Rostelecom content director Alexander Kosarim said that the channels “gathered the whole world of UFC in one place”, bringing together live coverage of tournaments that had previously only been available on different platforms.

UFC VP for Russia Andrey Gromkovsky said that the launch of UFC TV was “a new milestone” for mixed martial arts in Russia and the CIS.

The launch of the channel follows the recent launch of a UFC YouTube channel in Russia and a revamped promotional website. Gromkovsky said that the launch of the TV channel would “make UFC content accessible to an even wider audience, create an important platform for the growth of our fanbase and consolidate the perception of UFC as a leading sport brand in Russia”.