TikTok’s plan to break into sports involves slam dunks and right hooks

As the value of sports broadcast packages continues to rise, TikTok has struck multiple deals that will bring top athletes to its platform. Upcoming broadcasts on the video app include a championship boxing match headlined by Amanda Serrano and basketball highlights courtesy of the NBA and WNBA.

Jake Paul helped Serrano become a household name.

The Puerto Rican featherweight, who is nicknamed “The Real Deal,” is an undisputed world champion. She has a lifetime record of 49-4-1, with 32 wins by knockout.

Many casual sports fans were introduced to Serrano when she took on Katie Taylor as part of the undercard for Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson. Serrano was the first fighter signed to Most Valuable Promotions

, the boxing organization co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Her battle against Taylor was so memorable that Netflix booked a rematch between the two combatants.

Now, TikTok is buying into the Serrano hype. The Real Deal will defend her title against Lucrecia Manzur on August 21 in Temecula, California. The event will be broadcast live on TikTok.

Serrano isn’t technically part of the “influencer boxing” movement, but through its alliance with Paul’s boxing promotion, TikTok is acknowledging the considerable hype that surrounds high-profile pugilists. “From day one, MVP has challenged the traditional boxing model by creating the biggest moments and opportunities for fighters while finding new ways to bring the sport to fans around the world,” Paul and Bidarian said in a joint statement. “Partnering with TikTok to deliver the first-ever championship boxing event on TikTok Live is another example of that vision to grow the audience for boxing and make world championship fights more accessible than ever.”

TikTok’s GamePlan also involves partnerships with sports leagues

Through a comprehensive product suite called TikTok GamePlan, sports leagues can activate on the titular app and partner with its creators. The MLB and FIFA have already taken advantage of that opportunity, and the NBA and WNBA are up next.

North America’s premier basketball leagues will harness GamePlan to find new viewers among the TikTok users who are searching for basketball content. In a press release, TikTok revealed that searches for “NBA” and “WNBA” are up 30% and 15%, respectively, since the start of 2026.

Through the incoming partnership, TikTok creators will get access to highlights and events like NBA All-Star Weekend. “This partnership shows how central TikTok has become to the way fans discover and engage with basketball around the world,” said TikTok Global Head of Sport Rollo Goldstaub in a statement. “As the NBA and WNBA share game highlights, creators and fans can join the conversation around the biggest moments in real time, and TikTok GamePlan carries that same discovery straight through to tune-in, giving fans a direct path from the feed to the broadcast.”

TikTok needs as much sports access as its competitors — if not more

Viewer data trends show us that the platforms with the most coveted live sports packages tend to get the most traffic. With its boxing matches and NBA coverage, TikTok Live can get a bigger piece of the streaming pie.

Those broadcasts also synergize with TikTok’s marketing strategy. The Pulse Premiere ad product is designed to bring brands closer to the major events that generate impassioned discussion on social media.

As part of its deal with the NBA and WNBA, TikTok will offer Pulse Premiere deals tied to the basketball leagues. Creators and fans won’t be the only ones getting closer to the court, because advertisers are primed for a slam dunk, too.