Paramount+ Records Historic Viewership for UFC 324 Debut

Paramount+ has announced that UFC 324 drew an average of 4.96 million viewers across the United States and Latin America.

The event, held on Saturday, 24 January 2026 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, marked the first major activation of the organisation’s seven-year, USD7.7 billion (AUD11.1 billion) broadcast partnership with TKO Group Holdings.

The strategy to pivot away from the traditional pay-per-view (PPV) model appears to have yielded immediate results, with the event reaching 7.18 million global households, the highest for a live event in the streaming platform’s history.

Peak viewership hit 5.93 million, as fans tuned in to see Justin Gaethje capture the interim Lightweight championship in a brutal five-round unanimous decision over Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.

“Suffice to say the first live event exceeded expectations against all major benchmarks.”

“UFC 324 reached more homes than any other live UFC event in nearly a decade across linear, broadcast, and streaming,” Paramount stated in a formal release. 

A Strategic Commercial Shift

The partnership marks the end of the “double paywall” era for UFC fans in North America. Under the new agreement:

Numbered events (formerly AUD115.66 on PPV) are now included at no extra cost for Paramount+ subscribers (AUD13/month in the U.S.).

The main event generated 5.5 million social interactions, making it the “most social exclusive telecast” in the history of Paramount+.

While the stream drew praise for quality, UFC CEO Dana White was forced to address fan feedback regarding a high frequency of commercial breaks during the live broadcast.

On-Track Momentum and Global Tour

The organisation is moveing quickly to capitalise on this momentum. Following his victory, Gaethje has been positioned for a title unification bout against undisputed champion Ilia Topuria later this year.

Meanwhile, Pimblett remains under a mandatory 30-day medical suspension due to the heavy damage sustained during the “Fight of the Night” encounter.

The UFC’s international tour continues this weekend with UFC 325, live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The card is headlined by a featherweight championship rematch between local hero Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Diego Lopes. The event will again stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America.

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