Exclusive: FITE to add sumo wrestling and arm-wrestling to offering in 2024

Source: FITE

Combat sport streamer, FITE is bolstering its sport offering in 2024, with increased coverage of sumo wrestling and a new arm-wrestling competition to roll out on the platform in the first quarter of next year.

Speaking to DTVE, FITE, chief operating officer, Mike Weber outlined the company’s plans to strengthens its combat sports coverage, with the two new additions to its offering. The US-based Sumo wrestling competition will be added on FITE in late January with further details of the heavyweight combat fighting event to be revealed in mid-December, followed by the new arm-wrestling competition.

Mike Weber (Source: FITE)

“They’re not new sports, we really haven’t aired many of them on our platform, but we’re now debuting with new leagues,” he said. “I think that’s one of the big directions is to have as much sport as possible and to be as global as possible”.

The sport streaming service houses a range of MMA and pro wrestling events including Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Major League Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling, Fight2Win, SlapFight Championship, Shamrock FC, Bareknuckle Boxing Championship, among more.

Weber also expressed plans to introduce more ball sports to the platform, with a current focus to widen its football coverage. FITE holds the media TV rights to football tournaments — South American cup qualifiers, Liga Portugal and the AFC Champions League.

He said, “I would like to do more of rugby. I’d like to expand a little more in there. And then eventually, I think there are opportunities for ice hockey, more basketball (already showing basketball game BIG 3 across several markets) and football in the US.”

“Right now, we’re focusing on bringing European football to the platform and expanding as much as possible to the service and to markets that do not receive it,” he added.

FITE announced last week it had acquired the broadcasting rights to Liga Portugal for markets in the UK and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia through to 2026. The sports hub will stream Liga Portugal matches live in English covering the remainder of the season, kicking off from the twelfth game and the 2025/2026 season.