Case Study: UFC + WebPurify

From humble beginnings in the 1990s to the global powerhouse it is today, UFC is arguably one of the best-known sports brands in the world and a multibillion dollar institution. The largest MMA promotion in the business, UFC showcases 11 weight divisions and hosts dozens of events annually – from Las Vegas to Dubai. Its ever-growing fanbase consistently fills stadiums and sets new pay-per-view records to share in the excitement of watching contests (and sometimes rivalries) play out between the best fighters in the game.

When fans can’t attend in person or miss a live event, UFC Reloaded – available on a number of streaming services – is an easy way to catch replays. It’s also where WebPurify’s expertise in content moderation comes into the picture, helping ensure fans are treated to an optimal viewing experience.

The Challenge

Live events are unpredictable by nature; that’s part of the draw. Most folks tuning into fight night pay-per-view or watching an octagon match in person understand foul language or the occasional rude gesture can come with the territory. On the other hand, pre-recorded shows like UFC Reloaded afford editors time to remove disagreeable audio or visuals and are often beholden to stricter content rules.

In line with its uncompromising standards and commitment to putting fans first, UFC carefully moderates each of its events before releasing them as a new Reloaded episode. Not only are obvious instances of profanity or inappropriate gestures redacted, but even subtle infractions like rude language coming from the audience or muttered under-breath from a fighter’s corner are also flagged for removal.

UFC Originals Production was doing this work themselves, but it was time-consuming, requiring upwards of three hours of detail-oriented review for every one hour of footage and no shortage of rewinding and playing with audio levels. It was important work but distracted from their team’s core responsibilities. They delegated it to a partner they could trust, retaining WebPurify.

The Solution

WebPurify has extensive experience keeping companies safe with content moderation, including when it comes to nuanced audio review. We work with some of the world’s leading brands in this capacity, across industries, from e-commerce and video games to social media and food & beverage.

When UFC reached out, we were ready to help. Within a month we had a dedicated live team up and running, enforcing specific criteria, drilling down on certain edge cases to get clarity where needed, and compiling time stamps of questionable content for the UFC Original Production team to double check and then edit.

Beyond inappropriate gestures and foul language, WebPurify proofed fighter names in the show’s graphics against their names on the fight card and listened for low quality or mismatched audio, including inconsistent levels or sound effects that didn’t sync with show graphics.

The Results

• WebPurify provides turnkey content review for each edition of UFC Reloaded, monthly, turning an episode around within about 5 business days.
• UFC Original Production team now reviews timestamps compiled by WebPurify every month to make final editing decisions on inappropriate content, cutting the time they spent on this project from hours down to minutes.
• Content violations flagged go well beyond obvious visual or audio infractions and include profanity masked by dirty audio (shouts from the crowd) or that’s low volume (said near but not into an announcer’s mic etc.). The end result is a product optimized for compliance and inoffensive to viewers.