One Step Closer: Could Bellator Finally Air on ESPN/ESPN2?

by Tonley on Apr 26, 2009 5:59 PM EDT

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Cannon Jacques.

Season two of Bellator will commence this fall, and with its success this season on ESPN Deportes, the rookie fight promotion could find itself with a bigger ESPN audience for the second go-around.
. . .
"Our [April 17] show (in Oklahoma) ran last week, and a replay 48 hours after the original broadcast did a 1.2 (household rating)," Rebney said. "That's a great number especially for a replay. Anything over a 1.0 is pretty strong."
. . .
"It would be really cool and interesting to see if we're doing 1.2s on replays right now on a Spanish-language network, what would be doing if we were on ESPN2 right now?" Rebney said. "I've got to assume the numbers would be out of this world."

There's no doubt that the amount of advances in the coverage and display of MMA in the past few years have been great. A few years ago, if you said that eventually there would be a network that's dedicated to showing regional events all over the country (HDNet), that ESPN would actually put their support towards a webshow dedicated to the sport, and one day live MMA would air on network television (CBS), you would have been considered...well...an optimist with really high (read: unrealistic) hopes. But yet here we are.

Now after all of that progress could this be the watershed moment we have all been waiting for? There's always talk about MMA eventually breaking through becoming "mainstream". Is this where it starts?

Consider this: ESPN Deportes is available in approximately four million households. ESPN and ESPN2 are available in nearly 100 million each.

Color me excited.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Comments

One thing to consider: Pulling the same number in a much bigger channel is not always that easy.

by Lynchman on Apr 26, 2009 8:05 PM EDT reply actions

They could get a better rating or they could get about the same, the size of the channel is no guarantee but even if they stayed at the same level that is doing pretty good for a MMA show.

by who me on Apr 26, 2009 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the the breakthrough will be when Carano/Santos is on network TV. Those viewing numbers will be scary

by EazyEismydad on Apr 26, 2009 8:06 PM EDT reply actions

When is Carano vs Santos going to be on network tv?

by who me on Apr 26, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Interesting stuff about the ratings. Here I was assuming that it couldn’t have been faring all that well on ESPN Deportes, given the precipitous drop-off in hardcore fan / MMA media interest since the first show aired.

Then again, that’s probably got as much to do with the number of “stars” they’ve had on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th shows as anything. I’m sure folks will be talking about Bellator again next week when Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal fight their semifinal bouts.

by Chris Nelson on Apr 26, 2009 8:08 PM EDT reply actions

In all seriousness its too bad War Machine got booted. He would have added some viewers from the TUF fans

by EazyEismydad on Apr 26, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not surprised at the numbers.

Bottom line, Latinos love fights. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t boxing.

Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."

by xFenixKnightx on Apr 26, 2009 8:28 PM EDT reply actions

I went to the first show live and it was great. It was a very professional set up and there were good fighters. Now in the upcoming weeks the fights are getting even better.

They should put fights on either Friday or Sunday nights live on the deuce and it would blow up. They would be the second ranked promotion behind UFC.

by ezubik on Apr 26, 2009 9:00 PM EDT reply actions

I hope they do get it to ESPN or ESPN2. I would follow it for sure.

by Wookalarman on Apr 26, 2009 9:32 PM EDT reply actions

So would I

also it would help if they did it in English as well. I tried keeping up with the commentary, my comprehension of the Spanish language is as good as I thought.

by Gunslinger20 on Apr 27, 2009 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions

isn't as good as I thought*

by Gunslinger20 on Apr 27, 2009 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions

CBS is network television, not basic cable.

by xlynwoodx on Apr 26, 2009 11:52 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks. Brain fart I guess.

Updated.

by Tonley on Apr 27, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I'd be stoked...

cause then i’d be able to watch it at home. Let’s hope this goes through, Live MMA on ESPN is nothing but good for the sport. Especially when it’s targeting (and succesfully bringing in) one of the most sought after demographics in the industry: Latinos.

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Apr 27, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions