beIN MEDIA GROUP (beIN) and Group ONE Holdings (ONE) have announced an exclusive multi-year partnership to broadcast ONE Championship events live across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the first time in the region.

This is a milestone partnership that will mark the first time beIN is distributing mixed martial arts content to its audiences, underlining the growth of the sport across the region as well as the growing fanbase and rising demand for ONE’s dynamic content.

beIN SPORTS, beIN’s flagship channel, will broadcast ONE’s international events with both Arabic and English commentary across 24 territories in the MENA region. The broadcaster will also feature ONE round-up shows across its channels, in addition to dedicated social media and digital content throughout the year on beIN SPORTS’ platforms.

Mohammad Al-Subaie, CEO of beIN MENA said: “We are delighted to sign this agreement with ONE, a significant promoter of MMA throughout Asia, and one that has united fans and fighters alike under a powerful martial arts and e-sports banner. ONE events are a fantastic addition to our already impressive sports portfolio, and highlights our ongoing commitment to showcasing diverse sports to our subscribers across MENA.”

Hua Fung Teh, Group President of Group ONE Holdings, added: “This partnership with beIN will be the catalyst for ONE’s content proliferation across the Middle East and North Africa and will allow us to reach and engage live with our passionate fans here through the largest sports broadcaster in the region. beIN is one of the world’s leaders in sports broadcasting and we’re very proud that they’ve chosen to partner with us and showcase our unique products on their platform.”

One of the key drivers of the partnership is the demographic alignment. The Middle East and North Africa is a region with one of the most attractive demographics globally that is highly Millennial and GenZ (74% under the age of 39 ), digitally native and well-educated. ONE’s fan demographic mirrors this with 71% of its fans under the age of 442. 

Martial arts participation and engagement has grown significantly across MENA over the last few years. This announcement is just the latest in a series of partnerships that ONE has signed, including recent agreements with the Qatar Investment Authority and Media City Qatar, as it seeks to become the leader in martial arts and gaming across the region.

Subscribers can tune into beIN SPORTS PREMIUM 3 now to enjoy ONE Championship.