UFC owners just bought a major streaming company, and it could change the hunt for a new TV rights deal

Just a couple years after buying the UFC, talent and sports superagency Endeavor has made another big acquisition – and this one could affect the UFC in a major way.

The company formerly known as WME-IMG announced this week it has purchased the streaming company NeuLion for $250 million. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because NeuLion is the company the UFC blamed when its stream of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match last summer left many angry customers demanding refunds.

Still, NeuLion has operated as the UFC’s streaming partner for some time, including on major events like UFC 200 and UFC 205. It’s also powered online streams for the NFL and NBA, making it a major player in this growing sector as more and more people turn to online streams to watch live sports.

So what does the purchase mean for the UFC?

That could depend on how negotiations for a new TV rights deal unfold. Previous reports have suggested Endeavor isn’t close to getting the huge rights fee increase it counted on when it bought the UFC, and dips in the ratings aren’t helping.

According to Variety, Endeavor is at least considering the possibility of foregoing a new TV deal for the UFC and instead “going direct to consumer.”

In other words, if Endeavor can’t get the price it wants for UFC broadcast rights, we could see a future in which all UFC content streams online in some form or another – no cable or satellite dish package required.

And honestly, if you’re trying to reach a younger demographic that’s less likely to look to traditional TV for content, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. At least, not as long as the streaming technology is more reliable than it was for Mayweather-McGregor.

It’s just a question of whether the UFC can make enough with a direct-to-consumer approach that it would be worth giving up the guaranteed money of a major TV rights deal.

Still, with so much changing so fast in terms of how people consume media, it’s hard to predict where things will stand years from now. Endeavor’s decision to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars for NeuLion suggests that, in one way or another, it’s betting on sports streaming being an important part of the business sooner or later.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.