Are CBS and Showtime Planning on Staying in MMA?

by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2008 9:28 AM EDT in News Comment 21 comments

Yesterday, MMA Payout noticed something important in the SEC report by EliteXC CBS/Showtime had declared ProElite in violation of the terms of their $6.3million loan. This creates a possibility that CBS/Showtime will seize all the assets of the company, including the fighter contracts.

Now Josh Gross is hearing a bit more talk along those lines:

Perhaps the most interesting bit of information from this mess deals with the contracts of ProElite's fighters. One of the managers I talked to said Elite might not be able to free fighters right away as CBS might have a right to the contracts. The network had a promissory note with Elite which didn't get paid. Like a lien on property, their only assets to collect are the fight contracts. This contradicts suggestions on Tuesday that fighters under contract to ProElite before it went belly up would likely be free and clear to negotiate with other promoters.

There's no evidence that the suits at CBS can run an MMA organization but maybe they'd let someone competent from within the EliteXC ranks rise up and run the show.

HT MMA Convert

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Sir.......

There’s no evidence that the suits at CBS can run an MMA organization but maybe they’d let someone competent from within the EliteXC ranks rise up and run the show.

Do you also believe in Bigfoot?

by banter on Oct 22, 2008 11:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also.....

I have a 10,000,000 bank account in Africa I would like to talk to you about…the matter is most urgent.

by banter on Oct 22, 2008 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just consider me willfully naive

I believe in Santa Claus! I believe in Tinker Bell! Keep Clapping!

by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2008 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

as I continue talking to myself...

I’m not busting your balls btw, Kid. I’m just saying ‘no such thing exists’

by banter on Oct 22, 2008 11:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh T Jay Thompson

is hella competent. He’s been running a successful promotion for a decade now.

by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2008 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe they could get this “Dana White” guy I’ve been hearing about.

Likely scenario: CSI reruns ad nauseum.

by Ubernoober on Oct 22, 2008 11:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Gil Grissom would drop Kimbo with a straight jab and then swab him for DNA.

by nandez44 on Oct 22, 2008 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So are showtime and CBS run by the same parent company?

by drano1 on Oct 22, 2008 11:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yes

by who me on Oct 22, 2008 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so why isn’t showtime pursuing the fighter contracts seems like showtime is a better fit for mma. I mean don’t get me wrong mma on network tv is cool but why would cbs risk it when they can pull the same kind of numbers with a show like dancing with the stars or something like that.

by drano1 on Oct 22, 2008 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The parent company of Showtime is CBS corperation.

by who me on Oct 23, 2008 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see

by drano1 on Oct 23, 2008 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sounds like it’s barely a sniff of a rumor at this stage. Fingers crossed though…

by Benicio on Oct 22, 2008 11:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Was EliteXC’s only asset of value to collect the fighter contracts???? I hope they aren’t planning on getting that 6 milliuon back if that’s the only assets ProElite had for them to collect.

by who me on Oct 22, 2008 11:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

CBS is part of the deal, but as far as MMA productions go, I don’t see how Showtime couldn’t put together a competent team to run ZombieXC.

The video library of EliteXC would presumably be the other major asset Showtime/CBS is going to covet.

by smoogy on Oct 23, 2008 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also I believe they could aquire the farm promotions that EXC had under their umbrella. I called this a month ago here. Basically they can aquire all of EXC’s assets. Without all that pesky debt that sunk EXC. Add in that they have bottomless pockets. If they have to desire to make a go at MMA. They can basically take it as far as they want to.

" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "

by aaronb on Oct 23, 2008 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

CBS corperation doesn’t have bottomless pockets, heck in these economic conditions no one does. CBS has been laying off employees all year and have been cutting their budget back, just because they are a big company doesn’t mean that they have big piles of cash to throw at MMA.

by who me on Oct 23, 2008 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

NBC Universal has as well.
So MMA on Network TV doesn’t look good then huh?

ViaCom also owns SpikeTV. I wonder how that will go.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Oct 23, 2008 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

UFC is tried and true as far as cost and tv ratings are concerned, they aren’t risk for SpikeTV they are one of the cornerstones of the network. For NBC I can see them paying Strikeforce to put MMA shows on tv but I can’t see them buying in as a partner in the promotion.

CBS has money to buy a MMA program just like they buy the other programs they air, that’s completely different than starting up your own MMA organization and funding it’s growth just to get a tv show. MMA as programing and MMA as a business investment is two completely separate things, it’s the investment part that came back and bit CBS in the ass not the airing of MMA programming. I just can’t see them dumping tens of millions of dollars into starting their own MMA organization when they can just buy programming from existing brands much the way HDNet has ended up doing.

by who me on Oct 23, 2008 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How can the year old video library be a major asset?

by Zocalo on Oct 23, 2008 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That video library will be helpful to whoever ends up getting most of the fighter contracts.

Zuffa has some old tape on some of the fighters that have been in UFC/WEC in the past, but that video will be very helpful to promote people like Shields, Bigfoot, Rogers, etc.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but even a 30 second highlight shown right before a fight can give fans who don’t know who the fighter is at least a glimpse of who is about to fight, which is important.

by Phildo on Oct 24, 2008 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs