UFC Will Remain Strong in a World Without Cable, Says Its President
*By Michael Teich*
The UFC is ready for a future without cable.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White says the mixed martial arts league's five-year deal with ESPN puts it in a position to go the distance, despite declining linear television trends.
"Everything is going digital. Cord cutting is real. It's happening and we see it in all aspects of the business, whether it's pay-per-view or television," White said in an interview with Cheddar Thursday.
The deal with Disney's ($DIS) sports network includes the broadcast of 30 UFC events per year. Ten of those will appear on ESPN's television networks, while the other 20 will air on its new streaming service, ESPN+. The package is reported to be worth $1.5 billion.
"ESPN, not only are they the leader in sports and the best at what they do, these guys are way out as far as social media, digital," he added. "Now is the perfect time for us to be getting together."
The agreement with ESPN comes after Fox decided to tap out of its UFC partnership. Instead, the network is spending over $1 billion on a new deal with the WWE. White, however, is not worried about going up against the professional wrestling league.
"Our competition is whatever is going to pull the attention of 18 to 34-year-old males, whether it's a big movie coming out or college football. We don't look at the WWE and say we're competing head-to-head with these guys. Our stuff is real, their stuff is entertainment."
UFC makes its ESPN+ debut on January 19 in Brooklyn, N.Y., when flyweight titleholder Henry Cejudo steps into the ring to defend his title against current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/ufc-is-ready-for-a-future-without-cable).
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
