DREAM.7 Pulls in "Nightmarish" Ratings

by Luke Thomas on Mar 9, 2009 1:35 PM EDT in MMA News

After barely pulling in a less than tepid 2.4% overall average and a 4.0% peak rating for Shinya Aoki vs. David Gardner, Zach Arnold doesn't mince words:

Who knew that when the MMA boom went kaput in Japan that MMA programming would draw lower ratings than New Japan on TV-Asahi? There’s a certain karmic justice in all of this if you know how the history of the Japanese fight scene has played out over the last 10-12 years, given that it was pro-wrestling’s star power that carried the major Japanese shows. Once the pro-wrestling star factory dried up and got damaged by MMA, it soon became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The mainstream fight scene is now down to one major operation in each sector - New Japan on TV-Asahi (pro-wrestling) and K-1 on TBS/Fuji TV (kickboxing). That’s it. NOAH’s done on Nippon TV.

Tweet Comment 70 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Zach didn’t mention what I heard elsewhere about NOAH-that they still are on G+ (NTV cable channel) and they’re getting timeslots on Samurai TV! and in Osaka. The attendance for DREAM was reportedly near 20,000 so hopefully that’s a positive. Plus they aired it late at night so it supposedly wasn’t live.

http://dcrage.wordpress.com

by DCRage on Mar 9, 2009 10:56 AM EDT reply actions

Definitely not live, but still not good numbers. Nor is the decision to not air it live.

by Luke Thomas on Mar 9, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions

GOODBYE JAPAN!!!!

i know a lot of guys in the BE community love Japanese mma, and i love watching the old dream fights but there is so much wrong with it in terms of fight fixing, steriods, pain killers, yakuza.. possibly the crazy 88 running around backstage. and noweven with all that if you cant put a decent product in the ring then good ridence.

i cant wait for 2015 when we have Strikeforce-INVASION

by bearcox13 on Mar 9, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

lol. Try watching the event before you do your dance, newbie.

by smoogy on Mar 9, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions

and make sure you have a japanese ratings box so that it matters

by pumaman on Mar 9, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Cable in Japan isn't the same as the US.

by RoyalB on Mar 9, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions

That's ugly.

Hopefully they can pull better ratings with DREAM.8 next month, which will be live and has all their big guns – Kid, Aoki, Mach, etc.

Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

by Chris Nelson on Mar 9, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

Why DREAM must exist forever

DREAM, or some manner of successor must exist in perpetuity to keep the Dragon Lady employed. She’s easily the best thing in the history of Japanese MMA. Easily.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Mar 9, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions

by RipeTide on Mar 9, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

UFC plans

Seriously, the UFC should hit the Phillipines, South Korea, and then hop to China. They should only go to Japan when they are good and ready. There must be a Japanese demand for a UFC show, otherwise they could wither and die like Pride and now Dream.

by Reciprocity on Mar 9, 2009 11:44 AM EDT reply actions

What happened?

What is happening in JApan did the fans stop being fans?

by Bandaka on Mar 9, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

Fad

Could easily have been a fad over there. Why does no one here give a hoot about poker anymore…

by argyle on Mar 9, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Why does no one here care about poker? I think it just went back to the underground.

by Bandaka on Mar 9, 2009 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Its a shitty spectator sport. Once people realized that, that was the end of the road.

by Michaelthebox on Mar 9, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

where is smoogy to tell us how we are misreading the situation because we dont understand japanese culture?

by #5mmafan on Mar 9, 2009 1:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

No more you're misreading it because

Even over here nobody watches Featherweight MMA. Much less FW MMA on tape delay. I probably won’t even watch HDnet’s rebroadcast since I took the time to watch it live.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea, no one watches the WEC. Okay.

by Tim Burke on Mar 9, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Um...

Less people watch the WEC than the number of people that watched this show

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

You would have to compare what the Japanese ratings figured up to compared to what the US cable ratings for the WEC figure up to, you can’t compare them directly (there are almost three times as many people in the US). It’s quite possible that when it is all worked out that the WEC on the virtually unknown VS channel has got as many viewers for some of their past shows as Dream 7 on network tv did in Japan. There just isn’t a spin you can put on these numbers that makes them anything but a complete disaster, No Dream show has ever even done as low as double the number that 7 did.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

WEC 34 averaged 1,535,705 viewers, does anyone know what a 2.4% in Japan works out to in viewers?

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

If its off population

Its about 2.75 – 3 million but it would more than likely be around half of that based on televised households.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions

It’s a sampling percentage of households with television.

by who me on Mar 10, 2009 1:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Also

34 did about double to triple the normal WEC show

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Some do better than others but then Versus network is also a almost completly unknown cable network. I think that 1.5 million is as good as they have ever done with any show ever with the possible exception of some NHL events. For any Dream show on a huge network tv channel at any timeslot to be equaled or passed by any WEC show on a ratings black hole like Versus is an absolute disaster for Dream of titanic proportions. Heck for them to not do 10 times the ratings of a WEC show is a bad showing for them in Japan.

by who me on Mar 10, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Um... I think you're underselling Vs.

When it first came out like 4 or 5 years ago it was unknown. Vs is on almost all cable and satellite companies expanded package though i’m not sure if its on in Canada or not. This DREAM show wasn’t on TBS and it wasn’t live it was tape delayed into the night. 2.4 overall and 4.0 peak is horrible no doubt about it. But there are alot of reasons for that which can easily be avoided in the future. Just one for example would be to not have the lowest weight major fight card in history. That by itself will bump ratings up a little.

Once again – as far as, “Some do better than others” you’re comparing this DREAM show to the WEC’s version of the Sapp vs Akebono event. Nothing the WEC has had before or since comes anywhere close to that event. That is not just a some do better than others.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions

For the record

WEC is VS. highest rated NON HOCKEY show. Does that tell you something? With Urijah vs Pulver I in Sacramento as the absolute outlier, (I actually flew from Ga, all the way back home to Sacto for that show), most WEC shows get respectable ratings but its nothing amazing

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh also... That WEC

Previously they went as high as 205.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions

The heaviest guys on this card

were aoki and gardner

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

But you mentioned Pulver v Faber. How many 205ers on that card?

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Munoz was on the card. As was MacKenzie. Between they are their opposition, i think 4.

by Luke Thomas on Mar 9, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Not exactly draws to the card – people weren’t watching for Munoz. Blaming these crap ratings on the size of the fighters is a little goofy.

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Japan is where 54 million people tuned in to see Bob Sapp fight Akebono (those two probably weighed more than the entire Dream 7 card) and Bob Sapp vs Kinniku Mantaro was the big ratings winner for the last NYE show. Don’t underestimate the affect of a lack of giant men and freak shows on Japanese MMA ratings.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Bob Sapp > 205 lbs

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Munoz = Phillipino

Never underestimate their desire to drop EVERYTHING to watch one of their people compete. His ovation at Arco was second only to Urijah’s.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I found em

by pumaman on Mar 9, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice.

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Smoogy is canadian

So he should be using a hockey stick

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions

A more accurate representation of the fan dynamic

will be received when we see what DREAM 8 does with the real heavy hitters out there.

And KID batting clean up.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

The whole organization may be hinging on how big an audience Kid can pull, if they do bad with him on the card then they will be in trouble.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

This assessment is on target

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Losing Yoshihiro Akiyama was a blow to them and this has shown that they can’t really depend on Aoki as a draw but Kid is still their big gun. Dream 8 looks to be a vitally important show for them and it all seems to be riding on what kind of rating Kid can pop (unless they have another Bob Sapp vs anime character fight in the wings). I’m figuring they are going to be pulling out all the stops for Dream 8.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep. The DREAM 8 card is already loaded with stars compared to 7. Since it is their first decent TV timeslot of the year, this was expected.

by smoogy on Mar 9, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

silently weeping

by Discman2 on Mar 9, 2009 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

meh i don’t like dream… i prefer senogoku or however it is spelled

by dbcb on Mar 9, 2009 1:31 PM EDT reply actions

I would like to see DREAM or Sengoku fold. Not both. One folding would give the other organization a lot of talent.

by AlwaysRelaxing on Mar 9, 2009 1:41 PM EDT reply actions

Zach Arnold is such a lovely man. I really appreciate all he contributes to MMA. I wouldn’t say he’s a dirty word at all. No sir…

What can you do? DREAM.7 wasn’t that great. Hopefully they can pull off some better cards in the future, and incite more interest. I suspect DREAM.9 will be a good card.

by AnonymousA on Mar 9, 2009 1:50 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Zach Arnold is such a lovely man. I really appreciate all he contributes to MMA. I wouldn’t say he’s a dirty word at all. No sir…

This coming from you is priceless.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Mar 9, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Zack hates everyone equally

He has no separation or segregation. Just him and his world of enemies.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I keep fightopinion.com in a pool of blood so that none of its lies can effect me.

by pumaman on Mar 9, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL

Creative and on topic

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 10, 2009 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions

i see what you did there

by pumaman on Mar 9, 2009 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Bueno.

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 2:05 PM EDT reply actions

is this you right now?

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Mar 9, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Sans gloves, make that guy 210 and give him a beard.

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

He has a beard, and the eyeglasses shine is vital for the look.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Mar 9, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

It ain’t red and I keep the glasses.

by Derek Suboticki on Mar 9, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

DREAM 1

wasn’t anything special either. The first round of tournaments is just a preamble to the real excitement of the quarters, semi’s and finals.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

People were worried when Dream 1 only scored a 10 rating, a 2.4 is an absolute disaster.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

DREAM 1

Also had Minowaman, Sakurai, Hansen vs Boku, silver medalist Katsuhiko Nagata, Mirko, and JZ vs Aoki 1.

That is a SIGNIFICANTLY bigger draw for the Japanese Audience.

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

You just said that Dream 1 wasn’t anything special. Yes this isn’t the end and yes it’s the next show that will be important for them but there just isn’t any way to put a spin on these numbers Dream 7’s ratings were a complete and total disaster.

by who me on Mar 9, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I posted this in the DREAM.7 live results thread, but it may have some merit w/r/t ratings:

Useless Stat of the Day: Smallest DREAM Evah!
The highest weight on tonight’s card is 74kg/163 lbs.
DREAM.1: 10 fights – 2 HW, 1 WW, 7 LW
DREAM.2: 8 fights – 7MW, 1 LW
DREAM.3: 8 fights – 2 MW, 1 WW, 4 LW, 1 FW
DREAM.4: 8 fights – 2 HW, 4 MW, 1 LW, 1 FW
DREAM.5: 10 fights – 1 HW, 1 MW, 1 WW, 5 LW, 2 FW
DREAM.6: 12 fights – 2 HW, 6 MW, 1 WW, 2 LW, 1 FW
DREAM.7: 9 fights – 1 WW (74kg), 2 LW, 6 FW

Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

by Chris Nelson on Mar 9, 2009 2:12 PM EDT reply actions

as I pointed out above

This was the new WEC of DREAM cards

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

BTW

I call 139 Bantherweight

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Banthaweight?

Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

by Chris Nelson on Mar 9, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Banthaweight

Would be like SHW

Bantem + Feather = Banther

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 9, 2009 2:40 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah.

“Banthaweight” would replace “Megaton.”

Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

by Chris Nelson on Mar 9, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Meh. Who was the casual fan supposed to watch? There were no cartoon characters, pro wrestlers, black guys who spoke Japanese or made funny faces, sumo wrestlers, freaks of nature or actors fighting. The only Olympians/world champions participating weren’t Japanese. Nothing to attract the casual fan.

by ilostmydog on Mar 9, 2009 7:17 PM EDT reply actions