Strikeforce Ratings Are in, and They're Solid
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:23 PM EDT
in MMA News
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PrintAccording to Fight Ticker, Strikeforce drew 364,000 viewers for their first Showtime show on Saturday night:
Avg. viewers: 364,000 Avg. rating: 0.64
Males 18-34 viewers: 100,000 Males 18-34 rating: 1.53
Males 18-49 viewers: 168,000 Males 18-49 rating: 1.28
These are pretty good numbers. There are a number of meaningful comparisons to make here. Below I list past Showtime MMA programs and thier viewership numbers, courtesy of Dave Meltzer at Figure Four Online and MMA Payout:
Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott: 511,000 viewers
Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni: 365,000 viewers
EliteXC Return of the King: 350,000 viewers
Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le: less than 300,000.
Overall the recent show appears to have done the third highest MMA rating in Showtime history. The number isn't some kind of stunning success, but it is very good. They didn't have a pre-fight special, but still drew a nice audience.
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I wish it wasn't on Showtime
They should move it to TNT.
With Barkley, Ernie, and Webber commentating.
by I Can't Feel My Face on Apr 15, 2009 2:26 PM EDT reply actions
Not bad at all. It’s not 350,000+ spending $44.95 on a PPV, but still, not bad.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 2:39 PM EDT reply actions
Meh
I don’t think it’s very good, personally. They marketed this card more heavily than the previous Showtime Elite XC fights and MMA popularity and the notoriety of many of the fighters on the card are up considerably from those broadcasts. I’m not prepared to judge their fate based on this card, but they better hope to see a steady climb over the next two or three broadcasts. I’m curious if/how they’re going to be allowed to push the Showtime cards on their CBS broadcasts.
I poop rainbows.
Honestly, I don’t understand your point of comparison. It blew away Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le. It had a much less appealing main event than that show. 2 million UFC fans watched UFC 94, and then boxing had like 1.5 million over on HBO. Usually the crossover is not big, but for Showtime there is a boxing/MMA crossover. The show probably would have challenged the Kimbo/Tank record without competition.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
What's not to understand?
Pretty deliberate in my assertions. I didn’t say the rating is low, but it isn’t impressive. I doubt Coker pumped his fist in the air when he saw 364k watched his broadcast. As far as your suggestion that they didn’t do much to market this card, they did more than previous Showtime cards, without a doubt. There was mainstream attention and fighters were making appearances on programs that target 18-34 males (Frank Shamrock on Attack of the Show). I don’t buy the boxing crossover argument. They likely lost some viewers to the UFC 94 broadcast, but numbers are tangible, and they had 364,000 viewers. It’s just okay.
I poop rainbows.
Not impressive in a cosmic sense? Compared to what? Like, I mean, compared to my turkey sandwich I just had it’s not impressive, but based on Showtime data and other competition they still did a perfectly fine number.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's optimism, not pessimism
I want more people to watch their programming. I thought they’d do better. Don’t shit a chicken.
I poop rainbows.
Between chicken shitting and rainbow pooping, I want to party with you guys.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Their next card will get much better numbers.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I certainly hope so
It’s like, WEC does good ratings for Versus. So what? I wish they were on NBC so they’d draw over a million every month.
I poop rainbows.
Turkey sandwich...
…what’d you have on it? I like mine with provolone cheese, mayo & a dash of pepper. If it’s leftover turkey from a turkey dinner, then some stuffing is good too. But I’m assuming you mean sliced deli meat.
Keep Swillin',
Bruz
I’m not sure why you think Le v. Shamrock was a better main event for television. No one outside of San Jose knows Le, whereas Diaz and his family have been all over UFC TV. I think the pops for Le in the buildign are deceiving, because they obsure just how much of an unknown he is everywhere else on the planet.
Good point
I wanted to touch on that. Le was almost a total mainstream unknown before he won that fight.
I poop rainbows.
Not totally true.
He was being promoted heavily by Strikeforce before the Shamrock fight.
Tons of articles were written about him before that fight.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
If you think that Le was even close to being as well known in MMA as Diaz, or given as much of a chance to win, before his fight with Shamrock, you’re dreaming. Even in victory, Le was given no credibility. It was a popular belief that Shamrock only lost because he didn’t try and that he wanted to entertain in lieu of taking him down. Le is still not a well known commodity, but he’s a talent. Too bad he’ll probably fight once annually for the rest of his career, or he could be a pretty major draw for the promotion.
I poop rainbows.
I didn’t say it was close, but he was not a a complete unknown, as you put it.
Also, the only “casual” MMA fan only really knew of Kimbo, which is why that card got such great numbers. Everyone else is pretty much an unknown on Showtime.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s every fighter outside of Tito, Kimbo, Lesnar, Chuck, and Gina.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I will even through Couture in there and GSP for the 100% support from Canada.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
MMA
Mainstream MMA fans only know seven total fighters. More applesauce pop-pop?
I poop rainbows.
by Blackout612 on Apr 15, 2009 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
i fail to see how it was a good rating. at the salaries they are paying, for these ratings, how exactly are they making money? the gate BARELY covered the salaries, let alone site costs, advertising, and Strikeforce overhead. at this rate, strikeforce will be wfa’d in no time.
It did the third highest on Showtime in history. They get paid about 500k per show in a rights fee from Showtime, plus other sources like merch and dvd’s. Didn’t have anything that marketable and went up against heavy competition elsewhere on TV in terms of fighting, and still did quite well.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Too early
One of the cardinal rules of business is you’ve gotta spend money to make money. Give them a few cards before we start to pick apart the profitability of their business model.
I poop rainbows.
that’s bullshit that can only be spoken by someone who’s never actually owned a business. that type of thinking is what usually causes businesses to implode. you DONT have to spend money to make money. that’s a myth. the cardinal rule for a business is cashflow. not profitability. cash flow. strieforce doesn’t have it. you mention dvd and merchandice sales. know anyone who has a strikeforce tshirt? i don’t. they will be wfa’d in a few years. just watch
by lordschroder on Apr 15, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
That's fun
I own a creative services company, an apparel line and am a partner in a media company. Keep it in your pants junior…
I poop rainbows.
by Blackout612 on Apr 15, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I laughed out loud at that.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 15, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions
its a good rating for MMA on Showtime
based on the only metric that makes any sense — other comparable events on Showtime.
The gate figures don’t include sponsorships, the fees that Showtime pays Strikeforce, the fact that the same group that owns Strikeforce owns the arena in San Jose, or the fact that Showtime covers the production costs. I think Strikeforce will be with us for a while.
The June event in St Louis will be a bigger test. We’ll have a strange venue, two unproven headliners (Shields and Lawler), and a new market for MMA — Missouri.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
They did quite well on the show. Showtime pays strikeforce, showtime covers production costs, and as you mentioned sponsors.
Strikeforce has never made money hand over first. It’s all about breaking even or making a slight profit while you build the brand. This is nothing like an Affliction scenario, they are here to stay.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Strikeforce April 11 Numbers
Total Payroll: $633,445
Gate: Approx. $750,000
+ 500K pay from Showtime.
+ PPV revenue from the Online Streaming.
+ Sponsors, (Full Tilt Poker), etc.
+ Low Arena fees since they own it.
= At worst break even (most likely made money).
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
That's why it was a good night for them
Quite simply – and Affliction has proven this – top-tier fighters today demand the kind of pay that only an established, longtime, deep pocketed MMA promotion can afford more than once or twice (and we all know there’s only one org that can do that). Strikeforce is about making money and creating a niche, not trying to poach Zuffa talent and take the UFC’s place as the #1 MMA org on Earth – that’s why they’ll continue to be successful.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have the 500k confirmed, just know it’s significantly higher than the old fee (which was 200) and someone at Strikeforce told me “in that area.” Do you have the actual number?
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
It was a calculated Average number that Strikeforce would get about 500K per show.
They got a better deal than the 200K that EliteXC was getting. This was reported in an old interview with Coker or someone from Strikeforce, I believe.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Does the payroll include any amount that Shamrock received from the gate, or was his originally announced pay including that figure?
I poop rainbows.
That originally announced pay can’t possibly just be his base – it was nearly half the payroll by itself. That has to be base+gate.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Rockstar and Full Tilt Poker seemed to be 2 of their biggest sponsors, and probably made some good money from them. Affliction was also promoted throughout the event.
I am surprised that BloodyElbow hasn’d done a piece on Full Tilt Poker now working with Strikeforce after they got the boot from the UFC.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's the story
‘Full Tilt, after being replaced by the UFC with a more lucrative deal with UltimateBet.net, is now sponsoring other MMA events.’
Done.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Getting on Showtime and possibly on CBS is more than just “sponsoring other MMA events”.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
But not really since they’d be sponsoring the UFC exclusively if they could – but they got replaced by a better offer. You’ve gone from trying to paint the UFC nefarious for working with Full Tilt Poker (saying Spike had a problem with FTP, but if they did, why would they allow UltimateBet?) to painting FTP beautiful for working with other organizations.
You make me dizzy sometimes.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I am not happy about the affiliation of MMA with betting, which is illegal, but in terms of Full Tilt Poker, their landing from the UFC train had a nice cushion in Strikeforce and their TV deals as a landing pad.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
What about in terms of Strikeforce? Wouldn’t you rather they just ban online gambling sites from sponsoring fighters, instead of dragging MMA through the mud like that dick Dana White?
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Their servers crashed during the online streaming, people were saying Strikeforce refunded their money. I wouldn’t count that in as a significant income stream for this show (although it could become one in the future).
LOL! Didn’t hear about that one.
Didn’t they offer it as a PPV in Canada though? I believe they did, and I was counting all that as one.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Some Explanations:
Now, remember that Spike TV, a basic cable channel, is available in far more households (about 98 million) than is Showtime, which is a premium cable channel (about 16 million subscriptions) so the raw numbers are a bit misleading.
The ratings, however, take into account the disparity in subscribers and are thus the best measure of performance when comparing apples to oranges (which we are in this instance.) The only category above that Showtime won was the male 18-34 household rating.
Also, remember that Showtime did an online PPV for its Strikeforce show in addition to the television broadcast. While I doubt very many people tuned into the online stream, I imagine a few did, which will boost the Showtime numbers a bit.
UFC 94 Replay on Spike TV (9 PM – 12 AM)
Avg viewers: 1.9 million
Avg. rating: 1.4
Males 18-34 viewers: 387,000
Males 18-34 rating: 1.3
Males 18-49 viewers: 878,000
Males 18-49 rating: 1.6
Strikeforce on Showtime (10 PM – 12 AM)
Avg. viewers: 364,000
Avg. rating: 0.64
Males 18-34 viewers: 100,000
Males 18-34 rating: 1.53
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Directly comparing those kind of numbers is meaningless, they are based on different metrics.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, but taking that into account and looking at these numbers, they are pretty good numbers.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, the UFC 94 reairing ended right as Diaz/Shamrock was about to start. Those times aren’t right.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe I’m underthinking everything, but 364,000 viewers is 360,000 viewers no matter how you look at it.
Showtime just doesn’t get enough eyeballs to an event like SpikeTV does.
Anyone else notice their average ticket price is $50?
Not the lowest available, the average – 15,000 x $50 = $750,000 gate
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:03 PM EDT reply actions
They scaled down prices for this given the economic situation, which is especially bad in Northern California.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s one hell of a scale down – what, did they have thousands of $10 or $20 seats?
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
How many comps? If ringside seats are $200 (which they had to be, at least), you need three free seats (or four sold for $12.50) to get to an average of $50 per seat. I’d love to see how many tickets they actually sold and the average price per ticket.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
The tickets for the one in St. Louis go as low as $30, some of which are in club seating. I’m seriously considering it.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 15, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Shit, I’d go – if it were a better card I’d hop on a Greyhound and do it.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Strikeforce tried to play it off like they were helping fans with less money. Really, if they could sell the tickets for more, they would have.
UFC 100 was the highest price for UFC Tickets to date, and they sold out quickly. Things in demand still sell in a bad economy.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Apr 15, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
UFC 97, which is taking place in Canada, also sold out very quickly. And Canada has been hit harder then America during this recession.
If it’s a good product, it will sell.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Apr 15, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Canada always sells out. If Affliction went to Canada and had Hominick, the crow, and fedor fighting in a card, it would sell out as well.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Coker said the prices will go up when Strikeforce gets a bit more stable and the economy improves a bit.
I am pretty sure the ticket prices will go up, and this was done by design to have a nice gate and attendance, which they did, and also grow their audience, which I am sure they did as well.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I think this is a fairly decent success.
They fit right in with the EXC numbers.
The card wasn’t star studded by any stretch.
The fighters weren’t guys that are big draws for the casual fan.
The production was decent and a good starting point.
I think as the promotion grows (in the public eye), gets higher profile fighters like Gina, Kimbo, Fedor and Dream crossovers like CC, Overeem, etc.. the numbers will grow.
I feel far more optimistic about this than I ever did EXC.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Our expectation for smaller MMA orgs was made so small by EXC. As long as Strikeforce doesn’t kick any puppies, they’re better than EXC.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, EXC was operated by manatees, so you should feel more optimism.
I poop rainbows.
by Blackout612 on Apr 15, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
‘They won’t work without the Pay Seth To Stand ball!’
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
THIS IS BEAUTIFUL
If Fedor/Zulu weigh in pictures exist…
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Strikeforce is not going anywhere… if you think about it Strikeforce is a perfect match for showtime.
Showtime doesnt care about viewership for viewership sake… only viewership for the getting and keeping of subscribers sake.
If showtime gets or keeps 300k subscribers based on its mma content then it’s more than worth it… and eventually this metric will be achieved.
IF you deduct production costs Strikeforce is only getting a slightly better deal than pro-elite was… its not near 500k.
Here’s where viewership matters:
Sponsorships – you get shit on for 300k viewers.
PPV – you cant sell shit ppv’s with showtime… showtime cant even sell boxing ppv’s and that’s a staple product for them (showtimes business model has moved away from ppv).
one advantage Strikeforce has is as long as they stay in business all they have to do is leverage Zuffas hand me downs and slowly they will grow and grow. (showtime was a zuffa hand me down, full tilt, etc…)
by mmalogic on Apr 15, 2009 4:08 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Add in that Zuffa doesn’t want to kill them and you’ve got a recipe for success.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Zuffa doesnt want to kill them but they will be put in Check…
I dont think with the position strikeforce is in that they can even be “check mated” just “checked”… unless they overreach they are in a very healthy situation.
If you watch the movie “a beautiful mind” the formula he created will be at play here…
There are fighters who are worth more to strikeforce than to Zuffa and vice versa – so long term very little friction will occur. In some sense both entities feed each other.
Strikeforce can feed Zuffa worthy contenders and Zuffa can feed strikeforce fighters who cant hang with the best but those that still have name recognition and TV draw.
Some will argue this but all will see how this will turn out.
by mmalogic on Apr 15, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I loved A Beautiful Mind
Crowe got robbed.
The tipping point will be when Shields is a free agent, or if Lawler/Feijao goes on a rampage and Zuffa wants to promote him. If Coker’s smart, he’ll send them over with candy and a hooker.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Thats what you would like to think, far from what will actually happen.
:)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope I'm right - I think that situation would be good for MMA
If I’m wrong, then I’ll start working on Strikeforce’s tombstone.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
well let’s do some common sense exercises:
The top guy in Strikeforce makes about 500k per fight and strikeforce barely makes any money….
The top guy in Zuffa makes more than 3m per fight and zuffa makes a shit load of money….
so where do you think the best most marketable fighters will be? Knowing your 2nd grade aptitude you may say “well strikeforce will do ppv… because they said so and that should even the odds”
No my little grasshopper – it’s not that simple.
FIrst, showtime is a horrible platform for ppv… they cant even sell boxing ppv’s.
Second pro-elite was on showtime for over a year and had 3 shows on CBS…. how close were they to a potentially successful ppv?
Let’s say Strikeforce can overcome all of these barriers and actually gets to a point where a ppv might make sense.
First they will get a less than stellar ppv date (yes certain ppv dates actually do better than others… think hollywood movies and when the big budget movies open) And yes Zuffa has all of these locked up.
Second This One pivotal PPV date which strikeforce worked over a year for will get counter programmed via a live UFC show.
Like I said: you’re “checked” motherfucker.
At the end strikeforce is alot smarter than you and your stupid affliction, proelite pipe dreams.
Zuffa will be bidding on the few marketable strikeforce contenders that are produced while diluting the labor pool with fighters that couldnt cut it in the UFC.
Strikeforce is smart enough to decide where to spend capital… and if they are not smart enough the IQ points will be beaten into them.
by mmalogic on Apr 15, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
What are you talking about?
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 15, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
He was clearly responding to you.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 16, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
and Frank Shamrock, Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith
etc etc
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Hand Me Downs?
Is what they are getting away from.
Feijao, Cyborg, Gina, Overeem, Galvao, Misaki, Ishida, Rogers, Alvarez, Masdival, Reis, Melendez, etc.
They are growing their promotions with future stars.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Forgot about Male Cyborg, Shields, and Cung Le, of course!
=)
Plenty of NON-UFC talent here.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions
You named one fighter out of more than 10 I mentioned.
Whatever you think of him, you won’t find a more exciting fighter than Cyborg or Smith.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Huh?
I wasn’t discrediting the argument. I thought putting him with the bunch was stupid.
I poop rainbows.
Hes exciting and a good fighter.
Those are hard to find, so he is definitely an asset for them.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Sure, he's exciting and an asset to Strikeforce
But the idea is that those fighters aren’t hand-me-down’s and are considered desirable to the UFC/WEC. There are a number of guys that’ll do well in Strikeforce that the UFC would not consider bringing on board. Everyone else you mentioned would likely draw interest from Zuffa. Also, you’re counting your chickens on a few guys. Be patient.
I poop rainbows.
This is all basically why I think they’ll be around a long time. They’re not going to blow up or anything, but they’re also set up to avoid huge losses. They don’t have ridiculous offices on Wilshire, millions spent on websites, etc. Overall they’ll break even or make a little money.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah and really the ratings comparison to a Zuffa product is not the key…
Strikeforce ratings needs to be compared with showtimes boxing product to properly gauge how well Strikeforce is doing.
It’s hard to get Showtime ratings info, but I know they’re happy with this number. They were perfectly happy with Elite’s numbers too. The highest Showtime rating ever was 1.5 million for the season 3 finale of Dexter. They were jumping for joy when the Californication finale did over 600,000. The scale is a lot lower, as you know.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
you cant really compare a sporting event to a weekly drama to gauge it.
The comparison has to be to showtime’s boxing product.
shoMMA should be compared to shobox
and the bigger strikeforce events (like shamrock v diaz) should be compared to showtime boxing.
Pretty sure they are already doing better than most Showtime boxing. Unfortunately these numbers are a pain in the ass to find.
by Michael Rome on Apr 15, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
MMA does better than boxing (on the average) on Showtime already. That is one of the main reasons they wanted to stick with MMA after the EliteXC collapse. They were predicting to get the numbers they are getting now 2-3 years from now.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions
That's ridiculous
Considering Shamrock v Baroni did, oh I don’t know, the exact same numbers that this one got.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 15, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Huh? What does that have to do with how MMA is doing against boxing on Showtime?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
He wasn't talking about boxing...
He was responding to this:
They were predicting to get the numbers they are getting now 2-3 years from now.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 15, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Sigh...
Showtime was expecting to get the numbers they are getting now 2-3 years from when they started showing MMA, meaning that they are getting much better numbers than was expected right from the infancy stage of showing MMA.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Okay, that makes more sense.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 15, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions
That was a good episode of Dexter.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Apr 15, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I ordered Showtime just for Strikeforce. I will cancel it the same day (if) Showtime drops Strikeforce. I found the card very enjoyable. I think the better the cards get (production value) the more subscribers Showtime will receive.
UFC vs Strikeforce is apples to oranges. They two companies have completely different business models. They might offer the same product but they generate revenue and profit differently.
What does that rating mean to a fighter though?
To me the interesting angle to this is how that amount of viewers effects the sponsorship opportunities for the fighters on those cards.
How big of a sponsorship can a fighter get only being seen by 364,000 viewers?
I realize Strikeforce and Showtime might see that as a good number but how do the fighters trying to get some good sponsorship money feel about that number?
Because Showtime is a pretty well recognized channel and it could lead to CBS shows and PPV in the near future as well. From what I saw, FullTilt Poker, Rockstar, and the movie Fighting were all sponsors of the event.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Of the event?
My question has to do with the amount of money a fighter can get from a sponsor being on a show with 364,000 viewers. I always hear a lot of the fighters make more from sponsorships than from actual fight purses. So I was just wondering how that number effects the sponsorship money for fighters.
But I guess I would be curious also what amount a sponsor like FullTilt would pay to sponsor an event seen by 364,000 people as well.
All I know is that when Shields and other fighters fough on CBS, they got PAID very very well.
So if you are a fighter, you are trying to get on a CBS card because you will get paid.
You can get more sponsors if they know you will be appearing on national tv in the near future.
As a fighter, being on TV gets you more sponsorship money, and Showtime provides that for the fighters. If you are in a UFC PPV, but in the dark matches, no one sees you, so you get considerably less.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 15, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions
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