In some breaking midwinter news, Pokerstars – or, more officially, The Stars Group – have signed up to become the first-ever Official Poker Partner for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In doing so, Pokerstars have created a unique sponsorship category for the UFC. The partnership will include branding, social and other media content, and wider promotional collaborations.
Pokerstars will have their first branding presence at UFC 232, a card headlined by the rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, which is scheduled for this Saturday, December 29th, live and on pay-per-view from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ed. note: due to an ‘abnormality’ in Jon Jones’ pre-fight drug screening, the event has been moved to the Forum in Los Angeles.)
“UFC and PokerStars have a lot in common,” Stars Interactive Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Coyne said in a statement following the announcement. “We want to thrill and entertain, both in our products and customer experience. UFC is the world’s leading MMA promoter with millions of fans and followers around the globe, (and) PokerStars is the heavyweight of online poker. It’s a classic combination.”
UFC broadcasts reach over 1 billion households worldwide and are shown in over 40 languages, making this likely the biggest draw for Pokerstars in terms of professional collaboration. The UFC currently holds the top spot for pay-per-view broadcasts of any kind globally. Users either pay per event or by subscription, and the UFC’s 40+ live broadcasts per year generally sell out their venues.
The collaboration takes place at a propitious time for both entities, with legalised sports betting rapidly expanding in the USA. Multiple partnerships have recently been struck between sports leagues and gambling entities – MLB’s agreement with MGM Resorts, for one – and this deal, between one of the fastest growing sports organizations on earth and a behemoth of the poker world, could well wind up rivaling the others in scope and value.
