UFC Set To Debut New Digital Subscription Network In 2014

The UFC is expanding into new horizons in 2014 with an alarming schedule of nearly 50 fight cards. Many of those cards will be on an international stage, including new seasons of The Ultimate Fighter abroad.

As a new way for UFC fans abroad to get the content they want, the UFC has created a new digital network that will be a subscription-based service replacing their current UFC.tv site. UFC CEO and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta spoke up to MMA Junkie to detail the new project:

“The UFC has always been ahead of the game in the digital world. The UFC was the first major sporting organization to embrace social media and the first to offer live pay-per-view events across multiple digital platforms. The new digital network continues that tradition of innovation, bringing unrivaled choice to UFC fans. The UFC’s expansion into international markets, and the extended calendar of events, is certainly part of the reason it makes sense to launch the digital network in 2014.”

An official name and price schedule hasn’t been released for the new network, which is set to begin airing a series of live fight cards starting with UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore. The yet-to-be-named March 8 at the O2 Arena in London will also show up on the new digital format.

The announcement proves that the UFC and MMA as a whole is rapidly expanding. However, many of the recent Fight Night events have been deemed lackluster, sparking the ongoing debate that the UFC may be trying to do too much and have spread themselves thin.

What are your thoughts? Do you thoroughly enjoy all of the fight cards, or are some of them becoming watered down? If an event is absolutely destroyed by a main event participant withdrawing from injury, the UFC may be gambling a bit in an attempt to saturate the market with content.

While no one can blame the business for its ambition, there’s a fine line between providing tons of high-level content for your fans and too much of a good thing. UFC Fight Night 29 and 30 would be recent examples of this in my eyes. Sure, you can find redeeming qualities from both events, but gone are the days of truly blockbuster cards on a regular basis.

The UFC still delivers with its pay-per-view shows, and UFC 166 and 167 are both great examples of this. Will the new digital network bring more fans to the sport and motivate the existing ones? Or will MMA hit its peak with a UFC event taking pace nearly every weekend?

Outer Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports