Dana White Did Not Help Affliction

by Michael Rome on Jul 17, 2008 1:16 AM EDT in News Comment 9 comments

There's a narrative going around that by booking a free show opposite Affliction's debut, Dana White did Affliction some kind of favor. The people making the argument say that the UFC opposition created more interest in the weekend than there would have been otherwise. I don't buy this at all.

If Affliction was running unopposed this weekend, their ads might actually reach and have some effect on the millions of fans who watch UFC. Instead, those fans have been saturated with ads for Anderson Silva and a free show, and I haven't spoken to one casual fan even considering buying Affliction over the UFC show. Whereas these fans may have considered buying a fight on Saturday night just because they like fights, they now have a free option, and the idea of buying Affliction and weighing cards against each other isn't even a consideration.

Second, the narrative of competition is not a good one for Affliction. If they were running unopposed, all the hype would be on seeing Fedor fight again. Instead, three days out, the narrative is about the competition, and it's a contest Affliction can't win. People have pointed to the story on ESPN weighing the Affliction and UFC cards as proof that this has been a good thing for Affliction. Realistically, it probably did nothing to hurt or help, but certainly helped less than a major ESPN article on Fedor Emelianenko would have.

Instead of talking about all the great fighters fighting in Anaheim, most media outlets are focused on the competition aspect. If there was no competition, we would have spent the week reading only interviews and press from Fedor, Barnett, Lindland, and others. Instead I see much more stuff on Brandon Vera, Anderson Silva, James Irvin, and other incoming IFL stars, though that is partially because Affliction has failed to make fighters available for interviews.

There was a possibility that Affliction could gain national attention with ads and hype in the week leading up to the show if it was the only fight show happening on Saturday night. That possibility is no longer there thanks to UFC competition, so it's hard to see how it has helped in any way.

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I agree completely....

The losses for Affliction were going to be substantial to begin with. The UFC card will only further deepen thoses losses.

by nitro on Jul 17, 2008 1:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think anyone who suggested this was a positive for Affliction could could have been serious. I think it was just wishful thinking on their part and I’m certain they know that this is a huge negative for Affliction.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Jul 17, 2008 1:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree. I don’t think this talk was serious, and if it was, well, that’s just unfortunate then.

At any rate, even without the UFC counterprogramming, I doubt they would have gotten the numbers they needed.

by pud333 on Jul 17, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

100%

In agreement.

by MrNiceGuyMMA on Jul 17, 2008 1:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You're right on the money Michael Rome.

When Elite XC had their Saturday night CBS debut all to themselves, they enjoyed a huge ratings bonanza. EXC saturated all media outlets in the weeks leading up to the event. Dana White learned from that real quick.

by steak_knife on Jul 17, 2008 1:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think it was a positive at all, however, I don’t think Affliction would have done well even without the UFC event. Lets go over the signs of a potential disaster brewing:

1) Paying way too much in fighter salary to make any sort of profit even if the show is a hit…check

2) Overcharging for tickets to the point that a fourth of the seats will have to be given away…check

3) Failing to produce any buzz outside of MMA websites and Spike TV ads…check

4) Banking on top end talent that doesn’t interest or have name recognition for the casual consumer…check

It just seems like this whole thing has all the pieces necessary to succeed but at this point Affliction’s business plan is pretty dubious. That said I’m rooting hard for them to come through as a viable UFC competitor, especially if the rumors are true and they are going with a more theatrical production ala Pride (I’m a sucker for Pride showmanship).

by Day Man on Jul 17, 2008 2:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Casual fans won't buy...

Affliction because they don’t care. So that only leaves hardcore fans who will buy Affliction. If UFC can steal just 25% of the hardcore fans, that would mean the difference between break-even and a massive loss. Lets not forget the fact that sports bar that may normally show Affliction would instead show the UFC (why pay broadcast rights ($4000) for Affliction when they can put on Spike TV for free?).

It’s a recession and $40 is a big deal.

by cyph on Jul 17, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think Affliction cares how much of a loss it is. Building a business for the long term means losing lots of money for the short term.

by mythbuster on Jul 17, 2008 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that’s all right, but just one correction: Stealing 25% of the hardcore fans would probably make the difference between a massive loss and an even more massive loss.

by Michael Rome on Jul 17, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs