Ban of UFC Broadcasts in Germany Ruled Illegitimate by Administrative Court
By FCF Staff
It looks as though MMA fans in Germany will be able to watch televised UFC events once again, as an Administrative Court in Munich has ruled that a broadcast ban of the promotion’s cards is illegitimate.
The Bavarian State Media Authority banned UFC broadcasts back in 2010, and prompted a lawsuit from the promotion’s parent company, ZUFFA, in doing so.
In a statement that was posted at UFC.com today, the company’s Chief Global Brand Officer Garry Cook was quoted saying:
“This verdict is a milestone for the UFC and for the many UFC fans in Germany. The court has confirmed that it was illegitimate to ban our broadcast programs. We always had confidence in the German market and felt a responsibility to grow the sport and satisfy demand – this is why we fought against this ban. We will continue to work intensively to bring events, content and original programming to German viewers.”
The promotion’s statement also relayed that:
“According to the court it can be assumed that UFC content is generally suitable for broadcast. A violation of general morality or undesirable influence on youth cannot be determined. Rather the court finds the assessment of Mixed Martial Arts as a plausible sport.”
In May, 2014, the UFC hosted an event in Berlin, Germany, and Gegard Mousasi tapped out fellow, middleweight contender Mark Munoz in the main event.