Local Bars Choosing Not to Show UFC PPV Events Due to Increased PPV Pricing? [Update]

I run a group through Meetup.com that gathers and watches UFC PPV events at local bars and pubs in the Washington, DC area. Recently, I found out that several bars in my area have opted to stop showing the UFC events because Joe Hand Promotions, the exclusive commerical distributor of UFC PPV events in the U.S., has (according to my contact at a local bar) "nearly doubled the price" of ordering UFC PPV's.

Here is an explanation of how it works from David Nelmark on MixedMartialArtsBlog.com:

While a residential viewing of a UFC PPV typically costs $44.95 ($54.95 in HD) it costs much more for a bar to order the event.  Commercial establishments are charged based on their seating capacity.  For example, a restaurant that holds 150 people will pay around $1000 to show the broadcast.   Some places try to get around that fee by using an illegal "black box" to steal the signal or just by hooking up a dish and trying to get the event at the residential rate.  That's where Joe Hand comes in.

When we had our first event as a group I convinced a friend of mine who was the Events Coordinator for a small bar in NE DC called The Cardinals Nest to show UFC 90. She agreed to give it a try on the condition that I did all the leg work in terms of ordering the PPV. I called Joe Hand Promotions and was quoted a price around $1200. Not a bad price considering the boxing PPVs were almost twice that amount at the time.

Shortly after that we found a well-known and popular sports bar in Washington, DC that was accommodating to our group and showed every UFC PPV. We as a group have been regulars there nearly every month (occasionally changing to a bar in Northern Virginia for variety) for the past year and have subsequently developed quite a relationship with them.

We were saddened to hear from the bar this past week that they are considering no longer showing the UFC PPVs because Joe Hand Promotions has nearly doubled the price of ordering UFC PPVs through them. I tried calling other bars in DC to find out if they were showing the PPVs and found several places with the same story. They USED to show them but because of the increase in price they can no longer afford to do so.

Unfortunately, due to the size of our group places like Hooters can not possibly accommodate us. We can have anywhere from 15-30+ members show up for a given event depending, of course, on the event itself.

My question is, how many of you have experienced this in your area? Bars or restaurants that showed the UFC PPVs that have either suddenly started a cover, increased the cover charge to get in during these events or worse, stopped showing them all together. I have every intention of sending an inquiry to Joe Hand Promotions to find out more about this. There may be fees they are incurring on their end that I may not be aware of that are causing these price increases.

I appreciate any feedback you guys can offer!

Update:

I spoke with someone at Joe Hand Promotions and they let me know that the PPV prices have NOT been raised. The places I inquired about had been reporting a smaller capacity to get the lower price for the PPVs and were found out. So their prices went up based on their true capacity. Bah. When will people ever learn that cheaters only prospers SOMETIMES.