Russian agency Telesport has agreed a multi-year deal to broadcast the mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League.
The deal is set to begin in 2021, as the 2020 season of the PFL has been postponed in its entirety due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Telesport’s deal includes rights to the regular season, playoff and championship events, as well as archive content and original programming created by the PFL Studios.
The PFL is advised on its global distribution by the Fighting Spirit agency.
The mixed-martial arts promotion sees fighters compete in a regular season across six weight classes. They fight each other twice across the course of the year with the top fighters advancing to the single elimination playoffs.
Telesport said that the response to the broadcast of the 2018 PFL Championship was “tremendous”, adding that “many Russian fighters have found success with the PFL, including 2018 welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov and 2019 heavyweight champion Ali Isaev”.
Peter Murray, chief executive officer of the PFL, described Russia as a “country that has consistently produced elite MMA talent, many of whom have made a name for themselves in the United States with the PFL.”
Telesport currently hold rights in Russia to Uefa national team events, the Olympic Games, Fifa World Cup and Spain’s LaLiga. It can exploit rights through its Sila TV streaming service, or distribute them to local broadcasters.
SportBusiness reported last month that the agency is close to renewing its rights to LaLiga in a five-season deal from 2021-22 onwards.