Paramount Puts It All in the Octagon

Welcome to The TV Room. Your weekly digest of television, streaming, and digital media insights that matter.

This week we're covering:

• 🥊 Paramount Is Fighting a Money Match

• 🕵‍♀️ Meanwhile, The Senate is Suspicious of The Skydance Merger

• 🎥 Creative Spotlight: Omnipod: “Bye-Bye Pricks. Hello Tubeless Delight. Meet Omnipod 5.”

• 😋 818 Tequila Offers Up a Pint-Sized Accessory

Paramount's UFC Gamble: Smart Strategy or Costly Mistake?

Paramount just dropped $7.7 billion on UFC media rights through 2032, more than doubling ESPN's previous $1.5 billion deal. The seven-year agreement represents a massive bet on live sports as the newly merged Paramount-Skydance entity scrambles to compete in streaming.

Analysts openly call it overpriced: Paramount will shell out an average of $1.1 billion annually versus ESPN's $550 million, a 100% jump for the same content.

48-hour sprint to a landmark deal

This deal didn’t come together after months of negotiation. After the Skydance-Paramount merger closed on August 7th, TKO president Mark Shapiro told CNBC the entire deal was hammered out in just 48 hours. Originally, TKO planned to split rights between multiple partners, but new Paramount leadership went all-in on the full package.

Markets seem to approve. Paramount stock jumped 20% in five days following the announcement.

Strategic overpay for streaming wars

Morningstar analysts called it an overpay but noted "it can only be judged as part of a bigger vision." That vision: using premium sports content to drive Paramount+ subscriptions and establish credibility in live sports bidding wars.

Fox Sports veteran Bobby Hacker puts it simply: "Paying double might seem absurd, but it could be the hook for subscribers."

Key strategic drivers include:

• Stock market validation (20% bump in five days)

• Subscriber acquisition hook for Paramount+

• Credibility in future sports rights auctions

• Pipeline expansion beyond UFC

Paramount is already eyeing TKO's Zuffa Boxing and making noises about MLB rights that ESPN is abandoning. New CEO David Ellison promised to be "opportunistic on sports rights coming to market."

Breaking ESPN's double-paywall grind

For UFC, the deal represents a massive win. Premium fight cards move from ESPN's double-paywall grind (requiring both ESPN+ subscriptions and pay-per-view purchases) to CBS's national reach, substantially widening audience access.

Morgan Stanley noted UFC's value has "quadrupled" to between $15 billion and $16 billion since the $4 billion majority stake sale in 2016.

Sometimes you have to pay championship prices to get in the ring.

Read More:

• Why Paramount Overpaid For UFC Media Rights - TV News Check

TV Industry Updates

• Merger scrutiny: Senator Adam Schiff demanded information from the FCC about their approval of Skydance's merger with Paramount Global.

• MSNBC makeover: MSNBC announced it will be rebranded as MS NOW (My Source News Opinion World) later this year.

• Charter lawsuit: Top Charter Communications executives were sued in federal court for allegedly making "materially false and misleading statements".

• Oscar’s takeover bid: YouTube is making a play to host the Oscars, as Google attempts to convince Hollywood to leave traditional TV networks.

• Late-night decline: Conan O'Brien stated that late-night TV is dying, but noted Stephen Colbert is "too talented and too essential to go away".

• AI glitch on OAN: One America News Network aired AI-generated images during a segment about female military recruits.

Creative Spotlight: Omnipod: “Bye-Bye Pricks. Hello Tubeless Delight. Meet Omnipod 5.”

Omnipod’s “Nobody Likes a Prick” campaign rewired the pharma playbook with a bold, culturally resonant tone that traded sterile messaging for raw honesty and irreverent wit.

The Details:

• The campaign leaned into the everyday frustrations of diabetes management, using sharp humor and self-awareness to stand out amid the usual pharma clutter.

• A Marvel comic tie-in introduced a teen with Type 1 diabetes who gains superpowers through the Omnipod patch, facing off against a villain named D’Spayre.

• Every use of a branded GIF triggered a donation to Children with Diabetes, turning digital engagement into tangible support.

What We Loved: The campaign broke every pharma advertising convention with unflinching honesty, concocting a blend of advocacy and storytelling that connected with audiences where clinical messaging couldn't.

Holiday campaigns are already in motion

Introducing The Nice List: your one-stop shop for holiday marketing resources, tools, and inspiration. Consider it your holiday prep HQ, where you’ll find:

• The 2025 Holiday Advertising Trends Report, which includes insights from 600+ marketers on how brands are planning, spending, and measuring success this season.

• What’s Driving Holiday Ad Performance in 2025?, a tvScientific x Adweek webinar that breaks down how marketers are adapting strategies in real time.

• And more content to drive your 2025 holiday advertising strategy.

Explore Holiday Resources

Marketing Mix

• Mini but mighty: 818 Tequila launched a social-first campaign for its new 50ml “818 Minis,” leaning into Gen Z’s obsession with “little treats”.

• Chrome on the block: Search.com offered $35 billion for Google’s Chrome browser, edging out Perplexity’s $34.5 billion bid.

• Sitcom stealth mode: Bilt’s new scripted series Roomies is gaining traction on social platforms, but the brand behind it hasn’t made a direct appearance yet.

• Traffic jam: Publishers say Google’s AI-powered search features are cutting into their referral traffic, with some reporting a 10% year-over-year drop.

• Blocked: A federal judge halted the FTC’s probe into Media Matters for America, citing potential First Amendment violations.

• VOA showdown: Kari Lake defended her cuts to Voice of America in court, arguing she’s operating within her authority.