The Pressure's on Netflix: Will Pay 1 Licenses See a Resurgence?

22 August 2025 - Paramount’s new $7.7 billion, seven-year deal with UFC isn’t just about sports—it’s a shot across the bow of Netflix, and a signal that the SVOD playing field may finally be shifting. And let's not forget about Roku's new Howdy SVOD, and Fox entering the field with Fox1.

At a time when subscribers binge and bounce between services, Paramount+ is doubling down on content with built-in loyalty. UFC fans don't consume in bingeable bites that cause the aforementioned problem -- they want fights live and year-round. That means they're sticky, and Paramount's subscriber attrition is going to come to a halt. Further, it's not likely an accident that Paramount's current crown jewel creator, Taylor Sheridan, has a strong overlap in the Venn diagram with UFC.

Pair that with Skydance now running the show at Paramount, and you have something Netflix can’t replicate: a streaming platform with theatrical exhibition DNA, and the first signs of a creator brain drain to match. The Duffer Brothers leaving Netflix for Paramount? That’s not the end. It’s the start. What This Means for Independent Films For the first time in nearly five years, the odds are turning. Streamers—big and small—are being forced to think strategically, not just algorithmically. They’re fighting for retention, scrambling for fresh voices, and looking for content that sticks. That opens a lane for indie films again.

If Skydance revisits Showtime’s once-reliable acquisition model—and Netflix starts plugging gaps left by departing showrunners—streamers may once again become serious buyers for independent cinema.

We’ve been hoping for this. For the first time in a long time, that hope feels real.