Paramount Global has secured the exclusive U.S. rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in a groundbreaking deal worth $7.7 billion over seven years, beginning in 2026. This agreement marks a major shift in UFC’s distribution, moving away from the traditional pay-per-view model currently offered by ESPN to a new streaming-focused strategy centered on Paramount’s platform, Paramount+. All 43 annual UFC live events, including 13 major numbered events and 30 Fight Nights, will be available exclusively on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers, with select marquee events also simulcast on the CBS broadcast network.

The deal comes just days after Paramount completed its merger with Skydance Media and represents the company’s first major sports rights acquisition under its new leadership. Paramount CEO David Ellison emphasized the uniqueness of partnering exclusively with a global sports powerhouse like UFC, highlighting the move as a key part of Paramount’s strategy to enhance viewer engagement and grow its streaming subscriber base.

For UFC, the deal ends the pay-per-view model common in the sport, greatly increasing accessibility for fans and potentially expanding the sport’s U.S. audience. The contract also doubles the yearly average payment compared to the $550 million ESPN currently pays, reflecting the growing value and popularity of UFC content.

TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, sees this agreement as a milestone in their decade-long growth, with TKO’s CEO Ari Emanuel affirming trust in Paramount’s vision to leverage technology to improve storytelling and the viewing experience.

This landmark deal reflects the rapidly evolving sports media landscape, with streaming services increasingly vying for premium content to attract and retain subscribers. Paramount’s move to bring UFC to its platform exclusively is a strong statement of commitment to live sports as a vital driver of engagement in the streaming age.

Key Points:

• Paramount secured UFC U.S. media rights for $7.7 billion over 7 years, starting 2026.
• UFC events will be exclusively streamed on Paramount+, ending ESPN’s pay-per-view model.
• The deal includes 13 major numbered events and 30 Fight Nights annually.
• Some marquee events will also air on CBS broadcast TV.
• The yearly payment doubles ESPN’s previous contract.
• The deal was announced shortly after Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
• Paramount aims to use UFC to boost Paramount+ subscriber growth and engagement.
• TKO Group (UFC parent company) supports the deal and foresees enhanced tech-enabled storytelling.
• Streaming services continue to disrupt traditional sports broadcasting models.

Bonnie Blue, born Tia Billinger in May 1999, went from a quiet, conventional life in England to one of the most controversial and infamous careers in the modern adult content industry. Her path was not one of unlucky circumstance or lack of opportunity—it was a deliberate choice to pursue attention, money, and shock value in a marketplace that rewards extremity.
Yet behind the clickable headlines and viral stunts lies a cautionary tale about how internet fame can strip away dignity, distort values, and leave lasting damage—both to the person chasing fame and the society consuming it.

From Ordinary Life to Extreme Publicity

Bonnie started in a standard professional path as a recruitment consultant. Feeling bored with her routine and early marriage, she sought excitement and turned to webcam work for quick money. The financial rewards of streaming and platforms like OnlyFans revealed to her how exploiting sexual content online could generate more income than her day job.
But it also placed her into a dangerous cycle. In an oversaturated digital space, creators must constantly escalate—crossing personal boundaries, pushing legal and moral limits—to stand out. Bonnie leaned heavily into this, culminating in a widely publicized stunt claiming she slept with over 1,000 men in a day.

Why This Is Not a Lifestyle to Envy

The allure of “easy money” hides uncomfortable truths:

• Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Consequences – Adult content online doesn’t disappear. Future employers, friends, partners, spouses, and even children may forever have access to this material, which can cause lifelong stigma.
• Escalation Trap – In order to maintain income, creators feel pressure to keep upping the shock factor. This leads to riskier behavior, often against initial personal values.
• Ethical Grey Zones – Targeting the youngest legal adults, staging controversial public acts, and manipulating outrage for clicks cross moral lines for many. What is legal is not always ethical.
• Exploitation Over Empowerment – While framed as “self-made success,” the larger profits go to platforms and industries that feed on constant content, often at the creator’s expense. Many average creators earn far less than glamorous headlines suggest.

A Mirror of Our Cultural Problem

Bonnie’s success isn’t proof of empowerment so much as evidence of a culture desensitized to intimacy and obsessed with instant gratification.
Algorithms and social media reward extremes, not stability. In this environment, creators are incentivized to trade privacy and dignity for fleeting online attention. Every viral stunt—no matter how degrading—becomes an advertisement for more of the same.

The Real Outcome

Despite the headlines and occasional wealth, Bonnie has faced travel bans, community backlash, platform restrictions, and an online identity forever associated with her most extreme choices. The “fame” comes at the cost of a normal private life, authentic relationships, and the ability to truly walk away without the shadow of her past.

What We Should Learn

Rather than an inspirational rise to riches, Bonnie Blue’s story should be read as a warning:

• Internet fame that relies on self-exploitation draws you into a cycle that’s hard to escape.
• Extreme online personas are often carefully crafted illusions that mask deeper personal and emotional risks.
• Dignity, privacy, and long-term well-being are far more valuable than transient viral notoriety.

The bottom line: The internet will reward your most extreme moments, but it will never forget them. Pausing to think about the long-term costs—before crossing a personal boundary—may save you from years of regret.

Another uncomfortable truth is emerging in the age of artificial intelligence (AI): for today’s recent college graduates, technological change really may be “different this time”—and not in their favor. While AI promises massive advances and enormous valuations—Anthropic was valued near $170b just six years after founding, and xAI is in talks for $200b—its disruptive impact is felt far beyond Silicon Valley’s boardrooms.

High-Powered AI Growth — and Surging Compensation

There’s no question AI is here to stay. Top leaders in tech are reaping unprecedented rewards, like Apple’s head of AI models reportedly landing a pay package north of $200m at Meta. The world’s business titans are bracing for an “AI tidal wave,” rapidly shifting corporate priorities and talent strategies. But the surge is not lifting all boats. Entry-level talent, especially those newly minted with degrees from prestigious universities, are encountering turbulence the likes of which hasn’t been seen in decades.

Unemployment Trends: College Graduates in Uncharted Waters

Historically, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates in the United States has been lower than for the general population. Yet, for the first time in 45+ years, that relationship has reversed: recent grads now face higher unemployment than the broader workforce. As Oxford Economics’ Matthew Martin notes, “higher educational attainment” no longer guarantees better job prospects. For graduates like Tiffany Lee (Cornell, information science and psychology) and Jacob Ayoub (Boston College, economics and finance), who secured excellent grades and coveted internships, landing a full-time role remains elusive.

Why Are Entry-Level Jobs So Hard to Find?

Graduates are applying for hundreds of jobs—sometimes with little response. In fields like tech and finance, entry-level positions are particularly scarce, with job postings down 21% from pre-pandemic levels, according to Indeed data. Many roles now require 2-3 years of experience even at the supposed entry point, creating a Catch-22 for newcomers.

The reasons are multi-layered:

• The post-pandemic hiring surge has subsided, leading to an overall cooler labor market.
• AI adoption is rapidly accelerating, particularly in tech, where 25% of businesses now regularly use AI, compared to a national average of 5%.
• Sectors traditionally seen as “safe bets” for high-achieving grads—tech, finance, law—are at the forefront of automation and process reengineering.

AI’s impact is direct: Anthropic’s CEO predicts it could “wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.”

Shifting Opportunities: Who’s at Risk, Who’s Protected

The challenges aren’t distributed evenly. Data reveals men are more likely to struggle: they gravitate toward computer science and tech roles, which face shrinking opportunities. In contrast, women are more often moving into healthcare and education, fields with robust demand (over 40% of female graduates enter these sectors, compared to just 5% of males in healthcare).

What Can Today’s Graduates Do?

The advice from business leaders is clear—stay flexible and build the skills AI cannot easily replace:

• Critical thinking and judgment.
• Broad-based learning in the humanities.
• Interpersonal skills and creative problem-solving.

These “human” attributes are likely to remain in demand, even as AI reshapes the world of work. “Judgment is not going out of style,” says Centerview Partners’ Blair Effron.

Yet, for those in the thick of the search, the long-term promise of AI seems remote in the face of immediate frustration. Many are now weighing costly graduate degrees simply to compete for jobs that once required only a bachelor’s, and questioning whether the system is broken—or whether the rules themselves have changed.

Bottom Line

College graduates did everything right, yet the world shifted underneath them. The AI era is rewriting the rules—fast. Those able to adapt, broaden their skillset, and leverage their uniquely human strengths will be the ones best positioned to ride the next wave, whatever shape it takes. For now, flexibility and resilience are the keys in a workplace transformed by artificial intelligence.