Copyright Variety
Paramount and TKO Group’s Professional Bull Riders set a new five-year media rights agreement that will make Paramount+ the primary streaming home of PBR‘s Unleash the Beast tour. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. News of the deal comes after Paramount, now led by chairman and CEO David Ellison, signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with UFC — also part of TKO Group — making Paramount+ the exclusive rightsholder for the MMA promoters events. The PBR agreement for Paramount+ starts with the Unleash the Beast 2026 season, which begins Dec. 12. Under the agreement, Paramount+ will stream live coverage of the full PBR Unleash the Beast series, spanning five months in 19 cities across 17 states. The deal builds on the long-standing partnership between PBR and CBS Sports, which began in 2013 and runs through 2030. In October, CBS aired its highest-rated PBR broadcast of all time, reaching an average of 2.70 million viewers. CBS Television Network will continue to carry the PBR Game of the Week during the 2026 Unleash the Beast Season. In addition, Paramount’s partnership with PBR includes free streaming platform Pluto TV, which began in 2021 with the launch of PBR RidePass as an exclusive live channel on the platform. “This deal aligns with our longstanding relationship with CBS and reflects our shared commitment to expanding PBR’s reach,” said Sean Gleason, PBR CEO and Commissioner. “We are excited to continue this extraordinary partnership and thrilled that this new deal, bolstered by Paramount+, will bring our sport to an even broader audience.” “CBS Sports has been the home of PBR for decades, and we are proud to deepen our partnership by bringing the Unleash the Beast series to our expanding streaming audience on Paramount+,” said Dan Weinberg, EVP, Programming, CBS Sports. “This extension enables us to extend our reach, delivering dynamic PBR content to an even wider audience.” Highlights of the 2026 Unleash The Beast season include PBR’s debut at TD Garden in Boston and Doak Campbell Stadium at Florida State, as well as return visits to Madison Square Garden in New York for the 18th time and to Pittsburgh, PA following back-to-back sold-out nights at PPG Paints Arena in 2024. Kicking off December 12, 2025 in Manchester, NH the 2026 season will culminate in the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast, returning to Fort Worth, Texas with events at Cowtown Coliseum (May 7–10) and championship rounds at Dickies Arena (May 14–17). PBR is part of TKO Group Holdings, which recently announced major agreements with Paramount. Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ will become the exclusive U.S. home for all UFC events—including 43 annual events spanning marquee events and Fight Nights—with select events also airing on CBS. Building on that agreement, Paramount+ also secured the live streaming rights to UFC in Latin America and Australia for seven years beginning in 2026. Additionally, Zuffa Boxing will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America beginning January 2026. TKO-owned global sports marketing agency IMG advised PBR on negotiations with Paramount+.
