The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced it has partnered with ELEVEN, one of the leading sports broadcasters in Portugal, as its exclusive content provider for the 2021 season, expanding the league’s footprint in Europe.
ELEVEN will carry each PFL event across the Regular Season, Playoff and Championship, and viewers in Portugal will have the ability to watch the unmatched broadcast and streaming production that showcases MMA in a true season format for the first time.
“We are very excited to partner with such an influential network like ELEVEN which will be the exclusive provider of PFL content for the passionate fan base in Portugal,” said PFL CEO, Peter Murray. “With our continued international expansion efforts and our world class fighter roster, PFL continues to entertain MMA fans from around the world with unmatched live event coverage and unique storytelling capabilities.”
“ELEVEN is dedicated to bringing the best premium sports content to fans in Portugal, from the UEFA Champions League, to LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, F1, F2, F3, Formula E, NASCAR, WTA and the NFL,” said Jorge Pavão de Sousa, ELEVEN Portugal Managing Director. “The Professional Fighters League is a great addition to our portfolio of LIVE rights and we’re looking forward to bringing the competition to our viewers this season.”
Original programming created by PFL Studios – a fully integrated global media division of the Professional Fighters League producing original MMA content for all platforms including television, digital and mobile – will also be included.
ELEVEN is an award-winning platform delivering world-class entertainment to dedicated fans, with the UEFA Champions League, Formula 1, F2, F3, Formula E, NASCAR, NFL, WTA and top European soccer leagues among its portfolio of LIVE rights in Portugal.
The 2021 PFL season will begin on April 23 on ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in prime time in the United States. In Portugal, customers of ELEVEN can enjoy all 2021 PFL’s season exclusively on their network. The other regular season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17 and June 25.
PFL has quickly established itself as the no. 2 MMA company in the world with distribution on ESPN in the U.S. and to more than 160 countries via premium sports networks and platforms and has experienced tremendous YoY growth across digital channels – 68% follower increase on Instagram, 30% total audience growth across digital, and a 200% social engagement spike.
