Overview
- During Sunday’s telecast, UFC fighters Mackenzie Dern and Brian Ortega made a roughly 30-second, wordless walk-on after an announcer introduced them as “extra security.”
- Viewers on social platforms called the segment random and forced and criticized using awards airtime for a corporate promo.
- Paramount+ users reported the stream lagging by about a minute behind the live CBS feed, prompting worries about spoilers and live betting for upcoming UFC cards.
- The stunt aligned with Paramount’s seven-year, $7.7 billion U.S. rights pact that shifts UFC events to Paramount+ with select broadcasts on CBS, beginning with UFC 324 on January 24.
- The Globes broadcast also ran Paramount+ ads featuring UFC, the promotion amplified the moment on social media, and a show producer later defended the bit by saying it generated attention.