Spike Counter-Programming UFC, Bellator With Friday TUF Marathons
by Josh Nason on Dec 20, 2011 2:04 PM EST
in UFC News
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The UFC/Spike relationship continued its jilted lover getting revenge feel as the network announced Tuesday they will air marathons of The Ultimate Fighter on Friday nights starting on Friday, March 2nd.
The three-hour weekly block -- called "The Ultimate Fighter Fridays" -- will feature some of the best episodes from the 14 seasons TUF ran on the male-focused cable network. Spike also said in a press release they will air special-themed editions of TUF based on social media feedback.
When the UFC announced they had signed a deal with Fox, part of the seven year contract was moving the popular reality show to FX on Friday nights with live fights as opposed to taped. The next season of TUF begins on Friday, March 9th with UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber as coaches of teams of welterweights and lightweights.
However, Spike will also be counter-programming their future asset Bellator Fighting Championships, which comes to Spike in 2013. Bellator recently announced a move to Fridays on MTV2, making for a busy night of MMA to start the weekend. They also begin their new night on Friday, March 2nd with Spike.com airing the prelim fights.
2012 marks the final year of Spike's deal with the UFC, enabling them access to archive footage they have been using to counter-program UFC events on Fox and Versus.
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Can Spike show anything from the UFC library? Or are they limited to programming produced specifically for Spike, like Ultimate Fighter and Fight Nights?
I always wondered this
But if they’re gonna counter-program, why show the good stuff? That actually helps the UFC brand. Why not show like Anderson vs Maia or Leites?
Probably because that’s a lose-lose. I don’t think Spike is vindictive necessarily, I think they just might be trying to get the most out of an asset while they still have it.
by DodgerFan86 on Dec 20, 2011 2:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
its one thing to try to maximize an asset
Anilother thing completely to try to create consumer confusion, which is exactly what Spike is trying to do, no matter his hard they try to spin it to look otherwise.
by Randomguy81 on Dec 20, 2011 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
They're not trying to hurt the UFC brand
they’re trying to get some cheap ratings.
If the UFC fights....
…Spike will air suck, I think that defeats the purpose of “counter programing”. I’m assuming at least. The assumption is show the good stuff to have fans watch Spike instead of TUF on Fuel or FX or whatever channel its gonna be on. Its like you ask a fad fan if they watch MMA and they’re like what? Once you say UFC they’re like yea Silva. They wont know which Silva, they’ll just say Silva. So if fad fans watch TUF on Spike and don’t even know TUF/Unleashed will be moving, chances are they’ll keep watching Spike and end up watching Bellator and not even realize they’re not watching UFC. Well at least thats the plan in my head.
As petulant and sophomoric as Dana is...
The execs as Spike are trumping him. This is totally ludicrous and will backfire on them completely.
what better way to say "Thanks for making us relevant"
than by giving them the big FU every chance possible? Spike did a lot to help the UFC as well but now they are acting like the douchey guy who breaks up with a girl and then posts nude pics of her for the school to see just to be a d-bag.
personally
I’m all for posting nude pics
Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker
by Our Bovine Public on Dec 20, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
This is both unshocking and shocking
Dose anyone know if they will call it like the best of TUF or will they just call it the Ultimate Fighter on the guides?
Twitter @MaZZM
http://www.mazzznet.com/
Waste time at Bloody Elbow, its good for you.
by Mr. Beefy on Dec 20, 2011 2:22 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
That white kid
is about to be FUBAR!
Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Alves = Muay Thai wrecking machines!
by SentientAndroid on Dec 20, 2011 3:45 PM EST up reply actions
WHO CARES???? It's not like someone is going to not watch a live event because of that.
Wake up! Nowadays people just download something if they want to watch it. Episode marathons is so 1999.
When they counter-programmed UFC on Versus with a Nate Marquardt marathon, Spike beat Versus. They’re obviously not gonna beat anything they do on Fox and probably not even FX, but I bet they do alright.
It’s just an attempt to cause confusion in the marketplace. Of they pull one viewer, they’ll consider it a moral victory. Plus, with the social media angle, they’ll try to put an original spin on old content.
Plus it’s cheap programming, this is three hours a week they don’t have to develop original programming or pay higher syndication costs for like movies and network shows. Plus, while it won’t outdraw FX, it’ll pull better numbers than six straight reruns of Manwers.
by Steve W on Dec 20, 2011 4:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
This
Most UFC viewers are casual fans. They aren’t necessarily aware of the move to FX, and most of them can’t name more than about 25 guys. Newer fans in particular may get confused by this.
Right now I think this is at least partially a gambit to try and get the UFC to buy back their library, at any price, simply so Spike can start airing Bellator.
Anyway if TUF 15 turns out to be just plain bad, then people might switch over to Spike to watch a better season. LWs and WWs have been done to death so I think that talent pool is pretty drained right now. Meanwhile Spike could do things like offer new footage that had never been used. Or they could get commentary from guys who were on TUF but are no longer with the UFC (and aren’t likely to ever be again). They could have people like Junie Browning, War Machine, Shonie Carter, and Luke Cummo do commentary like one would do on a DVD, or give retrospective segments on some of the things that happened. Or they could do an episode commercial free at some point (which of course would lose the advertising revenue but if its to try and dig into the TUF 15’s ratings, might be worth trying once).
Or they could simply have a clip segment with “The Ultimate Fighter’s Most Outrageous Moments” with some of those same notable people talking about what happened.
There are things Spike could do to be a thorn in the UFC’s side here, even if the hardcore fans will ignore it, and I think that’s what Spike wants.
they will be aware of the switch. Viacom won’t/can’t use cbs and zuffa can and will use fix and football to make sure the whole planet knows where ufc is.
by Phildo on Dec 20, 2011 7:15 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
you can’t get that mad because th
by Phildo on Dec 20, 2011 2:52 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Droid fail. I will try again later
by Phildo on Dec 20, 2011 2:53 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Yeah th doesn't piss me off as much as teh.
Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Alves = Muay Thai wrecking machines!
by SentientAndroid on Dec 20, 2011 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
ok
if theyvthink they can hurt the ufc and fox/fx they are crazy because fix is bigger and live stuff is like a bigger gun.
if they are just trying to air something that will outdraw the regular shut they air on Friday night they just need to hope they don’t annoy them enough to cause zuffa to bring out the big guns when bellator tries to make the next step.
by Phildo on Dec 20, 2011 7:10 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Well I think it could be awesome for the fans
If Zuffa brings out the Big Guns that is…
UFC vs Strikeforce Superfights with Jon Jones vs Silva, Rampage vs King Mo, Melendez vs Henderson, heck maybe even Minowaman vs Lesnar. On free TV, every week, for months on end.
I enjoy MMA, but I am no Michael Bisping
by Andy Anderson on Dec 20, 2011 11:13 PM EST up reply actions
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