The UFC's Aging Audience

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 9:08 AM EST in News Comment 30 comments

Throughout the second half of 2008, observers of UFC television ratings have noticed a change in the composition of the audience. The audience is getting older, and the ratings breakdown of Ultimate Fight Night 16 provides yet another example. As opposed to being entertainment solely for the 18-34 crowd, UFC fights are drawing a decent amount of older viewers. As you can see in the breakdown at MMA Payout, the 18-49 rating is stronger than the 18-34 rating in a way that it simply wasn't in the past:

“UFC Fight For The Troops” earned a 1.43 household rating — a 1.72 in Men 18-49, a 1.30 in People 18-49, a 1.62 in Men 18-34, and an average audience of 2.0 million viewers.

The audience for The Ultimate Fighter is also getting older according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Ultimate Fighter on 12/3 saw the first hour do a 1.28 rating and 1.6 million viewers, and the second hour did a 1.21 rating and 1.6 million viewers. The trend of the viewers getting older continued, as the shows did a 1.43 in Males 18-34 and 1.71 in Males 35-49.

What caused the change? On MMA Nation, Dave Meltzer speculated that it was the CBS shows that brought in older viewers who stuck around. It seems like a plausible theory, but regardless of the cause, it's a serious trend that has continued over the last 6 months. What does it mean for the UFC? On one hand, bringing in more 35-49 viewers isn't going to help them with the advertisers lining up to get at the 18-34 demographic. On the other hand, these older viewers are more likely to have disposable income to spend on PPV. It's possible that this trend explains the growth in PPV buys in the second half of this year, though there are numerous causes. This has to be considered a change for the better, considering the fact that the UFC's revenue is overwhelmingly driven by PPV numbers. The 18-49 demographic is also the second most targeted demographic, so it's not as if they've started drawing women over 60 or something, it is still a good thing for advertisers.

The people at the UFC are very aware of this trend, the question is how they are going to respond to it. The 35-49 demographic is hardly the "Manswers" crowd, and I don't think they will be all that interested in the antics from this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

A drop in viewers among 18-34 year old males has been mitigated by an increase among older viewers, which has kept ratings relatively steady. Is the drop among younger viewers a reason for concern? I think the answer could be yes in the long run, but that was always a possibility with a young audience prone to quickly jumping from fad to fad. Gaining a foothold among older viewers is a very important step for long term stability.

UPDATE [ from Luke Thomas]: Here's the interview with Dave Meltzer for those who wish to hear it.

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These older viewers are probably guys who were exposed to the beginning of the UFC 15 years ago, and now it’s so prominent they can’t really avoid it. And what middle aged married man doesn’t have serial killer caliber aggression built up in them from all the years of bullshit they’ve had to endure? Watching some dudes kick the crap out of eachother is probably a huge release for them.

by Devil Beest on Dec 14, 2008 9:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Meltzer believes the sudden surge in older viewers is that folks watched some of the CBS events and were curious to watch more.

by Luke Thomas on Dec 14, 2008 10:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I watched the Golden Girls, then Murder She Wrote and happened upon this EXC thing. I would like to take credit for the aging of the UFC viewership, lol!

Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.

http://eliotmarshall.com/

by BJJDenver on Dec 15, 2008 11:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Does anybody know the demographics of other established sports brands (NFL, MLB, etc.)? The more that the UFC matches their demographics, the more I think it bodes well for the UFC’s long term health. All that said, I’m worried that they’ll need those 18-35 year olds until then, so any drop in their numbers in the near future should be a cause for concern.

by Rundownloser on Dec 14, 2008 10:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Gaining a foothold among older viewers is a very important step for long term stability.

I think building a foothold among a slightly older audience is key for the long term growth of the sport. Men 35-49 are more likely to consistently watch UFC events and buy pay-per-views than men 18-34. The 18-34 range is more likely to watch events in bars or at parties in my opinion. At the same time, I would guess men 35-49 would be more likely to stay home and purchase events by themselves or with a few friends. Older viewers are more lucrative, but it’s slightly troubling the younger audience is moving away. It’ll be interesting to see how the trends go in the next couple of years.

by Andy R on Dec 14, 2008 10:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's the sudden lack of douchy Affliction shirts

by Blackout612 on Dec 14, 2008 10:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I am going out on a limb and guessing the drop in the 18-34 demo is not a huge deal. I don’t have the numbers in front of me but i’m willing to bet the numbers dropped and then plateaued- meaning there is no trend that they are consistenyl getting lower or anything like that. This is due precisely to what was mentioned – the whole “fad” thing. But, that is only a small portion of the overall 18-34, most of which have stuck around and are regular viewers who follow the sport at least in a casual way. With the economy in a down turn, it’s better that the UFC is appealing to a group who actually spends money. Those 18-34 viewers that have been “lost” probably weren;t buying the pay-per-views or going to live events anyway – just catching free fights on Spike so they could go to work and say “holy shit bro did you see that brutal KO last night? here, hold my tanning spray and flavored vitamin water while i show you in slow motion how the punch looked.”

by dropkick101 on Dec 14, 2008 10:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I grew up with guys like Tank Abbott and Royce Gracie.

I think nowadays everythings become more “Public” than before. Older people watching is just the sign that Television just plain sucks these days. Every show is based off of Law and Order, house, CSI and I think most people are getting sick of it. Maybe it makes the older viewers feel younger and more in shape.

by vikingfiend on Dec 14, 2008 11:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think ‘an aging audience’ is a good thing. I don’t really buy into the older viewers coming from watching EliteXC on CBS though. I mean I’m sure some did, but not at a level where the percentages would increase as much as they have. I would agree with the first poster in that some of it could be attributed to people that watched the UFC back in the day…and have slowly been drawn back into the sport by MMA/UFC’s steady march into mainstream acceptance.

http://mma4real.net/

by Tha Realness on Dec 14, 2008 11:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think it’s true that a big part of this is due to the CBS exposure. Another part of it has to do with the 35-49 demo typically being the demo that is going to include parents of teenagers. Parents are going to be exposed to the sport through their kids and will get hooked and many are likely becoming full fledged fans.

On top of that, while obvious, I think it’s worth noting that the UFC’s surge in popularity has been going on for about 4 years now so those that were in their early to mid 30s four years ago are simply getting older but are still fans. That’s not counting those who were fans before TUF who are aging as well. It’s only going to be so long that we refer to boxing as the sport of our fathers or grandfathers and MMA as the sport of the younger generation before we start becoming the fathers and gradnfathers.

by dropkick101 on Dec 14, 2008 11:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Luke, that was an excellent interview with Meltzer. On its own it deserves a Rec, let alone the whole piece.

by Rundownloser on Dec 14, 2008 11:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for listening and the kind words.

by Luke Thomas on Dec 15, 2008 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If you go back as recent as UFC 89, the 18-34 was very strong.

I think the nature of this show (patriotic, in support of the troops) drew some older men.

There does not appear to be a big change regularly, but merely in the recent past. Episodes 11 and 12 of TUF saw an increase in older men, but prior to that it is still very strong.

Here are a couple of recents shows:
TUF VIII episode 7
1.03 household rating — a 1.24 in Men 18-49, a .84 in People 18-49, a 1.53 in Men 18-34, and an average audience of 1.34 million viewers.

UFC 89
2.6 million people with a 2.7 rating Men 18-34 (771,000), a 2.5 rating in Men 18-49 (1.4 million), and a 1.7 HH rating

If this is the case two months from now, it will be long enough to call it an actual trend. Right now it is ten days of data.

by Lynchman on Dec 14, 2008 11:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I used poor phrasing focusing on 18-49, the key number is 35-49. UFN 12 did a 1.2 in that demo, this past one was way up.

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 12:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The patriotic nature of that show in particular

Along with nothing else worth a crap on Wednesday night TV (except South Park) is a big part of it.

by skwirrl on Dec 15, 2008 1:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm gonna go with

MANSWERS as the reason behind this. Yeah, that sounds about right. :P

by xFenixKnightx on Dec 15, 2008 12:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

UFN 15:
1.35 overall, with a 1.6 in M18-49, a 1.6 in M18-34, and an average audience of 1.8 million viewers

UFN 14 (Silva/Irvin)
An overall 2.1 rating (3.1 million viewers) with a 2.8 in M18-49, a 3.2 in Men 18-34, and a 2.0 in P18-49.

TUF VII Finale:
Overall 1.4 rating (2 million viewers) with a 2.3 in M18-34 and a 1.9 in M18-49.

These shows go back into June of this year. So you can see the thinking in this article is incorrect.

Not meaning to slam on Rome, but the numbers don’t lie.

by Lynchman on Dec 15, 2008 12:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’ll get them this week, but total viewers in 18-49 has been significantly up as a proportion this year. It’s documented throughout observers from Meltzer throughout the year.

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 12:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I should say, the relevant stat is the 35-49, which most online breakdowns don’t have, but Meltzer does.

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 12:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately I have a 24 hour exam tomorrow, so I’ll have to cut my participation short here for now, but here is an example from the latest observer:

\Ultimate Fighter on 12/3 saw the first hour do a 1.28 rating and 1.6 million viewers, and the second hour did a 1.21 rating and 1.6 million viewers. The trend of the viewers getting older continued, as the shows did a 1.43 in Males 18-34 and 1.71 in Males 35-49.

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 12:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

and I just quickly found this from an observer:

“Ultimate Fighter on 10/22 drew a strong 1.29 rating and 1.67 million viewers for Junie Browning’s first fight, which did a 1.41 final quarter. With the exception of the Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Leben program which put the show on the map and drew record ratings that will never be broken, there hasn’t been a fighter on the show who showed up as an unknown and has himself been anywhere near this level of a ratings draw. It’s not a particularly positive statement, but it does say something about how to move TV ratings in 2008. Good promos and public intoxication. The show did a 1.45 in Males 18-34 and 1.52 in Males 35-49, with the average viewer being 36 and 65% male. What is interesting is it continues to show a shift in the UFC audience. It is losing popularity in the 18-34 age group, but gaining it with Males past 35. This is all something that has happened in the past two months. The average viewer used to be 30, but now it’s up to 36 because of that change, meaning it’s drawing the same type of viewer as Raw. What was interesting is the Browning fight did a 0.79 in teenagers, which not only blows away what the show usually does, but that age group only watched the fight as the first half hour did a 0.35.”

by Michael Rome on Dec 15, 2008 12:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I see the BE community as an example of the upper end of the demographic. Articulate and thoughtful people that we are :P

by Benicio on Dec 15, 2008 2:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Simply us youngens can’t afford cable and know what SopCast is. I don’t expect people trying to do this professionally to really be balling yet either.

by plastict on Dec 15, 2008 4:07 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

There are some shows that have seen an increase in the older demo, but not the majority.

Here are the ratings for TUF:
12 1.21, 1.61 in Men 18-49, a 1.55 in Men 18-34.
11 1.28, 1.51 in Men 18-49, a 1.31 in Men 18-34
10 1.1, 1.19 in Men 18-49, a 1.32 in Men 18-34.
9 1.1, 1.33 in Men 18-49, 1.56 in Men 18-34,
8 1.0, 1.24 in Men 18-49, a 1.28 in Men 18-34.
7 1.03, 1.24 in Men 18-49, a 1.53 in Men 18-34.
6 1.29, 1.44 in men 18-49, 1.35 in men 18-34.
UFC 89 1.7, a 2.5 rating in Men 18-49, 2.7 rating Men 18-34,

There is about two months of numbers. Again, some shows certainly have seen the shift that Dave is talking about, but not the majority. Eps 12, 11 and six show that pattern, but the rest are continue to deliver the younger audience.

If you look just at the last 4 weeks, that is likely accurate because 3 of those 4 shows are in that period of time. But over the last 2 months, it is not true.

This is something that should be revisted in 2 months. If those numbers continue, then this is a discusion that should be revisted. But it looks like Dave is basing his comments off a pretty short period of time.

If we want to go back a little further, through the first six epsidoes of TUF, the overall average is a 1.2, with a 1.48 in m 18-49, and a 1.59 in a 18-34.

Looking at the raw numbers, I just don’t see what Dave is talking about. 3 episodes of TUF and the Fight for the Troops does not make a trend.

by Lynchman on Dec 15, 2008 4:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps some of the 18-34 crowd that has been watching for the last 5 years are no FIVE YEARS OLDER and are now in the 35-49 group. Gee, what a theory!!!

by Higgz on Dec 15, 2008 11:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

haha

I wonder how much the actual aging of the audience has to do with the aging of the audience.

Bolts from the Blue // People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do.

by Richard Wade on Dec 15, 2008 1:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This is exactly how a sport grows over time. The same kids who watches the PPV a day after on the Internet will be the ones paying for it when they get older and have a job. Nothing beats a UFC PPV drunken party. Unless they’re the lonely types with no friends… =)

by cyph on Dec 15, 2008 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think this may have as much to do with our society as anything. I am 39, yet I am not married, no kids and I still do the same kind of activities I did 10 years ago. I look at my friends and see many that are the same way, even some of my female friends. It seems that the norm for “settling down” has changed, so I would expect many of the other things in life are also getting pushed back some. Just a thought.

Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.

http://eliotmarshall.com/

by BJJDenver on Dec 15, 2008 11:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That’s a pretty interesting point that never crossed my mind. You could be on to something.

by Rundownloser on Dec 15, 2008 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ratings are always going to go up and down. The measuring process is never a sure thing and so you never really know what is going on until you let a year go by. I used to sell advertising and the ratings would drive us crazy because sometimes it was so inexplicable.

by Dooda on Dec 16, 2008 12:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs