ONE Championships signs US broadcast deal with Turner Sports

ONE champions from Team Lakay. Photo from Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—ONE Championship and Turner Sports have signed a three-year partnership that will see the live events of the mixed martial arts promotion get distributed to the United States.

Also included in the agreement is the role of B/R Live—Turner Sports’ live streaming service—which will distribute programming surrounding the live events starting January 19.

ONE Championship has a total of 24 live events that will be broadcasted through B/R Live.

“We are thrilled with the partnership with Turner Sports, a truly iconic industry leader of premium sports content, to bring authentic, world-class martial arts action to American fans,” said ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong in a statement.

“ONE Championship is one of the most popular mixed martial arts organizations in the world, with a high concentration of passionate fans that make it a perfect fit for B/R Live and TNT,” said Turner Sports President Lenny Daniels. “We will leverage every opportunity within our portfolio to partner with ONE Championship and help further its footprint in the US.”

Although ONE is primarily rooted in Asia, it went on an aggressive recruiting spree in the last quarter of 2018 signing former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson in October.

Welterweight star Sage Northcutt was also added into the ONE roster in November.

“As the home of martial arts, ONE Championship has a simple formula of values, heroes, and stories that have resonated deeply across the globe,” said Sityodtong. “We look forward to showcasing the greatest martial artists in the world.”