The Bellator mixed martial arts promotion has signed a media rights deal in the United States with CBS Sports, with live events to be aired on cable channel CBS Sports Network.
Bellator is owned by US media company ViacomCBS, which also owns CBS Sports.
As part of the deal, CBS Sports Network will televise Bellator events, both domestic and international, live in all US markets, while preliminary matchups will stream on CBSSports.com and Bellator’s YouTube channel.
To kick off the new partnership, CBS Sports Network will air Bellator’s upcoming European events, including Bellator 247 on October 1 in Milan, Italy, as well as the Bellator Paris event on October 10.
“We’re excited to have CBS Sports Network serve as the new home of live Bellator MMA events. It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of the best events and biggest names in the sport,” said CBS Sports executive vice president of programming Dan Weinberg. “Adding Bellator MMA to the CBS Sports portfolio will allow for greater promotion, engagement and exposure across all our platforms and assets including CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports HQ as well as our various social accounts.”
Bellator had previously aired on the Paramount Network in a deal which began in 2013. The promotion secured a multiyear deal with streaming service DAZN in mid-2018.
The organization recently signed a rights deal in Russia with OTT streaming platform Okko Sport.