UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones draws 1.24 million viewers:
"The card did score a very strong rating in the male 18-34 demographic, with a 1.66 rating."
"While the total number of viewers surpasses most WEC broadcasts on the Versus network, UFC "Fight Night" events on Spike routinely draw around 2 million viewers. Spike, however is available in more homes than Versus. Spike is in nearly 99 million homes while Versus is available in around 75 million homes after recently reaching a deal to return the channel to the DirecTV lineup."
"The ratings also fall short of Versus' highest-rated MMA event, 2008's WEC 34, which drew 1,540,000 for a card that featured then-champion Urijah Faber defending his featherweight title against Jens Pulver."
about 2 years ago
Nick Thomas
77 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
For a card containing two rising prospects that casuals know nothing about, this is very, very good.
by ChiCubs23 on Mar 23, 2010 1:34 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
I can’t rec you because of your username, but I agree.
by Mocha Shaka Khan on Mar 23, 2010 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Not his fault
Alex Gonzalez should send Bartman a large sum of money for being the biggest scapegoat in the world. Alex Gonzalez booted an inning ending double play ball. The Cubs would have been an entire 3 outs away from the WS. Gonzalez is so unbelievably lucky that he didn’t have to put up with what Bartman had to.
I’m guessing we should stop talking about baseball at an MMA blog.
As a White Sox fan...
…I’ll allow it to continue. As long as it focuses on the failures of the Cubs.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Mar 23, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I mean seriously...going on 102 years? SERIOUSLY? RIDICULOUS!
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Mar 23, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
"For some reason Dana White doesn't like me, and I don't care enough to find out why. So he can go pound sand up his ass as far as I'm concerned."
Don Frye
by keyboardwarrior on Mar 23, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
ChiCubs23 has the right idea. I think this is a big success, considering how there wasn’t a huge push by the UFC for viewers.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Mar 23, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd call it a huge success.
The biggest “name” fighting on the card was either Brandon Vera or Gabriel Gonzaga. Both of whom have been seen losing in recent fights. Also, there was not a TON of hype for the show.
It was the first effort for the promotion on Versus. I liveblogged it from a local bar because I wanted to get a feel for what people’s reactions were to the fights and on the whole it seemed like most people were shocked that a live event was on Versus.
It’s a big win for the UFC in my eyes.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Mar 23, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Historically this is an all-time low. Hard to argue it is a success when it was their own poor decision making that ended up with the show being on such a weak network.
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I just don’t see the point of any of this. Why spread themselves around so much? PPV, Spike, now VS. Do they think they’re capturing a different batch of new eyes being on VS.? Putting this card there doesn’t seem to benefit the UFC much. I’m happy to have free cards like that, but it seems like putting it on VS. just throws some viewership away. Hard to see what they gain.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
You wont see what’s being gained until next year. There’s a method to this madness and what myopic vision would see this as “poor decision making”, those who understand the big picture realize what’s coming.
You obviously are new to the site.
Bascially, with Comcast’s purchase of NBC (which owns Verses), there is the possibility/probability that Comcast is going to spin Verses into a competitor for ESPN…and Zuffa (the UFC and WEC’s parent company) has a contract with.
Putting it all together, if Comcast does turn Verses into a viable ESPN competitor, the UFC will be positioned to put cards on such a network.
I knew Verses was owned by Comcast, but its going to take well over a year for them to try and spin Versus as a competitor of ESPN. ESPN is just too big and Versus is still showing bullriding.
Gotta start somewhere...
Back when ESPN first started, I became a fan of Aussie rules football — because that’s what was one. Hopefully VS can continue to pick up steam…
Network Deal is a piece but only a piece of it.
End of the year the spike deal is being re-negotiated. Comcast bought NBC and will be morphing versus into a top tier sports channel probably called NBC sports which will be going up against espn hard.
ESPN UK needs the UFC but ESPN USA doesnt need the UFC… It has a healthy programming schedule in the US with Marquee products making espn USA not an ideal choice for Zuffa because it would be just another product. However espn will not allow Comcast to get the UFC on the cheap… they’re gonna make sure Zuffa gets top dollar and optimal terms..
Zuffa has a good enough relationship with ESPN where even if they dont win they wont look into competing with MMA… The prez already said he wouldnt do it unless it was the UFC.
The UFC will have added the top 145lbers and top 135lbeers in the world, 2 distirbution partners on basic cable (most likely spike and NBC sports ) and 3 shows a year on network TV (most likely NBC) and Zuffa will get this on ideal terms and with the IDEAL partners.
This is how you do business baby…. lol at “poor decision making”.
by mmalogic on Mar 23, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
i don’t always agree with logic, but if you don’t see the merit and potential long-term benefits in UFC+Versus, you need to step back and think it over again.
www.tapology.com | twitter @tapology
What programming will be “going up against ESPN” hard?
What has magically changed in negotiations with a television network that will make it worth the UFC’s while to put a major show on free TV? Last I heard from the most insider of sources they were millions of dollars apart on what it would take to put a major fight show on NBC or another network.
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
“Insider.” That’s funny.
I will say this: last talk I had saw Zuffa people much less against the idea of incorporating the smaller weight classes into the UFC. So, you may have ultimately been right on that. Everything is riding on the WEC PPV.
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not buying it, sorry
I dont see how “NBC Sports” is gonna challenge ESPN hard. FSN tried and failed. I think they would need NFL games and all the games are tied up with other networks.
Your also predicting a network tv deal most likely on NBC as well? Dick Ebersol the head of NBC sports is against mma. He didnt even make the deals with Strikeforce and Bellator. Not saying it cant happen but Dick Ebersol is not exactly pressing to get the UFC on NBC.
by bigdmmafan on Mar 23, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You mean...
Football like this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_Sunday_Night_Football
ESPN actually doesn’t show that much sports anymore, just sporting news.
Honestly, I think there is a huge opening for a rival to ESPN considering ESPN already cannibalizes itself with ESPN2. All you’d really need is sports program that is better Sports Center and well, that wouldn’t be that tough if you’ve seen Sportscenter lately.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Thanks for not bothering to enlighten me;)
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, thanks for the explanation smartass.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Just don't act put out over getting no response when you haven't even waited an hour.
And I agree, Dune is the shit.
Alright, but I did get a response. That my myopic vision couldn’t see the future, but that all would be revealed. Just asking for some detail. I’m here to learn:)
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
kwisatz haderach shouldn’t need enlightenment… i though he could already see past present and future. dune is the shit.
www.tapology.com | twitter @tapology
Sometimes the threads get entangled…and I don’t spend a ton of time consider far reaching business strategies that don’t involve me. And yes, Dune is the shit.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the Versus move is great.
It presents MMA to viewers in a FAR more legitimate context. It’s a sports channel, not a men’s channel. No pro wrestling ads every other second, far less video game and Saw VI ads. Instead, when you’ve got Bud Light ads, Harley ads, NHL ads, IndyCar ads, it sends a message that the UFC is part of the mainstream sports world.
It’s subtle but it’s critical. If I tell a 40 year old buddy of mine to check out UFC on Spike TV, it gets hammered into them that they are not part of the target audience if every 5 minutes they are being told about some new Xbox game. When I tell that same person to check out UFC on Versus, it’s presented in a context that speaks to them. And it is this mainstream sports audience that the UFC needs to break into in order to continue its growth here in the U.S.
Combine this with the potential growth of Versus as a smaller competitor to ESPN due to the Comcast/NBC activity, and you’ve got the UFC well positioned with a potentially strong strategic partner.
And the ratings were just fine. Not incredible but good. This is huge for the UFC.
www.tapology.com | twitter @tapology
by GregS123 on Mar 23, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
nah you were right on. though i do have some skepticism about how far Versus will go, and whether or not this Comcast/NBC stuff shakes out in a way that really benefits UFC. i think it’s worth a shot though.
and what mmalogic is suggesting is that even if Versus isn’t the right long-term platform, that TV & sports industry insiders will recognize the strength and meaning behind these UFC ratings when it comes time to negotiate any future deals with other stations. not an unreasonable way to look at it i don’t think.
www.tapology.com | twitter @tapology
What is there to recognize? That the ratings are just as mediocre as the ones on Spike? It is what it always was: a program that can reach young male viewers. This wasn’t a revelation of some sort. It was the same song on a weaker signal.
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The single biggest thing to recognize is...
The VS signal has tons of room to grow, where as Spike has basically already maxed theirs out.
If you’re doing comparable numbers on a network that still has room to grow you’re much better off than those same numbers on a network that has stagnated.
It’s like a jewelry store, you can either have it off by itself catering specifically to just the people looking for jewelry, or you can have it in the mall where your casual shoppers can come in and look around and maybe walk out with something.
There is just a lot to be said for increasing your possible visibility.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
This sounds like a lot of dreaming rather than anything grounded in reality. What evidence is there that Versus hasn’t peaked? I see no evidence of actual growth there. Zero.
by VirtualBalboa on Mar 23, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Nothing says mainstream like a channel that isn’t a part of many people’s regular package and that no one watches!
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Too bad that situation is permanent and could never change.
Dana is such a dumbass, he should research these things before making big deals.
How did competing with ESPN work out for Fox Sports Net? How is the UFC a flagship for a sports network when it draws a small and limited audience anyway?
by Jonathan Snowden on Mar 23, 2010 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for your insight. I was actually curious what people who know more about this thought.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Mar 23, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
i think the UFC on versus will also put eyes on WEC on versus, which otherwise would not be there.
HI YAH!
by Thats It For you! on Mar 23, 2010 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m still up in the air what to call it. Fight Night: 19 and 20, whose lineups were not better than this (I would actually say worse in terms of drawing power) did 2.5 mil and 1.7 mil on Spike. But of course Spike is in a 1/3 more houses, so comparably 19 out drew it by 500,000 + and 20 tied it in ratings. Was this card a failure for not doing better than Fight Night numbers with the lineup they had? Was it a success because it did OK numbers on a new channel? I would really like to see what Versus and the UFC was expecting to get.
Kind of what I was thinking...
It’s first effort on a new network was more or less even (when adjusted for homes with the channel) with UFN 20.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Mar 23, 2010 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Plus Spike is in a part of the guide that is littered with common channels.
The likelyhood of stumbling accross a show in the package channels is probably a little lower.
This show was a test to see how the UFC brand would do without any stars on pretty much a dead channel Comcast is looking to make a major play in sports programming and UFC will be one of its flagship products.
a 1.66 in the target demo on versus is a success and the “test” was passed. The bidding wars will begin at the end of the year.
by mmalogic on Mar 23, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
If it beats Faber everything is going according to plan and let the bidding wars begin.
But they didn’t beat Faber’s 1.5 mil viewers so does that make this a failure?
It did beat Faber :)
If Direct TV wasnt offline for so long it would have been better than that number… The Direct TV has a disproportionate amount of the demo that versus and UFC caters to and alot of them didnt even know versus was back.
It’s going to take some time for them to get re-acclimated.
If Direct TV was still offline the rating would have been right in line with fabers or slightly better.
I would say that Ultimate commercial night on Versus could use some tweaking from a production standpoint. But 1.24 mill viewers seems pretty appropriate all things considered.
Yeah all the commercials didn’t help. I know I changed channels for long stretches only to return to them still playing a commercial or going back to commercials again. Don’t remember it being so bad on Spike. Having the type of finish that they did with the Irvin fight probably got them scrambling to fill the time properly and all the fouls in the Kongo fight kept that round going longer then the usual 5 mins.
I just kept pausing and going to do other things
that way, when I would come back into the room, I could be stoked that there were no commercials! It took discipline but it was worth it.
by Brandon Starr on Mar 23, 2010 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
All the commercials made me wish I didn't watch it live.
Watching it later and avoiding the commercials would have saved me so much time.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
you can learn a lot from the commericals. commercials tell you who the advertisers think are watching the show, and what they think those viewers are worth.
if you want this sport to get big, seeing bigger household name advertising should make you happy, even if it’s a little annoying to break the event up so much.
that said, there were quite a lot of “house” advertisements running during the program to promote other Versus and UFC/WEC shows. more house ads = fewer spots were sold to paying advertisers.
www.tapology.com | twitter @tapology
For a first time event I would call it successful. I think it shows a good base that they can build on increasing viewership on the network going forward. I think the UFC has been a big factor in getting viewers to their channel as well. Before them there wasn’t much for content beyond classic “guy” flicks and show like ninja challenge, cops, 1000 ways to die, etc.
I think these UFC on Versus events
will show Zuffa where WEC is at in terms of numbers….
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Some people didn't know VS was back on Direct Tv or what VS was.
They posted as much on UFC’s sites.
by snakecharmer1340 on Mar 23, 2010 2:46 PM EDT reply actions
Yep. My friends who I would consider casual fans are going to watch UFC 111 at my place and didn’t know a) that this was on VS, or b) what VS was. Only one knew what it was, and he’s not into MMA. Granted, we’re in Canada, so VS may as well be OZ.
I don't want to lick any butt. - GSP
It was on a basic cable channel in Canada though.
Frustratingly on a two hour delay for most of the country though.
You are right though. I was talking a a lot of people the day before and they had no idea there was an event on or where to find it.
- UFC on Versus challenges. -
1. Some didn’t know VS was back on Direct Tv.
2. Basketball was on.
3. No huge stars. Up and coming talent facing mid level known talent.
4. Overlap marketing with UFC 111.
The numbers were solid.
by snakecharmer1340 on Mar 23, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
