Is It All Over for the UFC-Spike TV Partnership?

Bellator would have the potential to reach 20 mil homes more, but a higher percentage of people follow the UFC. While I certainly don’t think it would “hurt” them to be on Spike, I doubt they will ever reach the UFC’s heights.

As for the UFC, they kind of have…outgrown, Spike. Not that G4 is the pinnacle of quality TV, but of they actually take over G4, they could continue with the gamer programming, add and expand fight programming and throw in a few other programs focusing on their core demographic.

With Spike, the UFC is surrounded by garbage TV and has little power to change it. To me, this is the next logical step for the UFC and I honestly could NOT care less what happens to Spike, though I would like to see Bellator in HD.

I’ll say this. I know not a single other person at work who watches Bellator even now that it is on MTV2 and that is with my pointing it out to them as a MMA alternative. None of them are more than casual fans, but many of them watch whatever is free and they aren’t watching Bellator. That viewing advantage doesn’t mean much when they aren’t putting on a program that most casual fans are wanting to see, which currently they aren’t…

Bellator is not a threat and won’t be a threat as it is now. It could end up being one (minor as it would be), but I think that talk is more than a bit early even if they were to sign with Spike.

I fail to see Bellator on Thursday nights on Spike as serious competition to the UFC. It will probably be good for Spike because it will be WAY cheaper than the UFC, but I bet they won’t pay any more than MTV2 for their services. We fans win because it will now be in HD and not the shit SD feed we have been getting. Bellator needs an Ultimate Fighter type show to get people interested in their fighters and give non-hardcores a reason to watch.

No…they’re not serious at all man. They could be on at 8pm on Thursday nights on NBC and they’d not be a serious competitor with their roster.

That seems like a massive issue in fact checking if not.

Though, the UFC asking for $65 million a year seems just as unlikely. Unless they see there has been that much growth and expanding content on the network.

but they have a LOT of catching up to do. is this one of those situations where bellator only has 15 employees, like strikeforce used to do?

not to mention that uncle dana will counterprogram the shit out of them.

the spike tv platform will be big, but so is the brand value of the UFC at this point. most people i know, mma fans even, have never head of bellator.

also – don’t forget the “Canada” factor. most people in Canada watch UFC on sportsnet, a very commonly available channel. they don’t watch it on spike, which is not in as many homes. bellator, in canada, is on “the score”. not bad – but nowhere good as “sportsnet”.

as we’ve seen from PPV numbers, canada is super important to MMA. i honestly think one of Strikeforces’s biggest problems was that it was stuck on the “Superchannel” in canada instead of having the exposure of being on a more commonly available network.

They may be on PPV, but they probably won’t be successful.

they might be on PPV in a heartbeat…but who in the hell would buy it? Also, with the new insurance for fighters in the UFC…if the UFC wants a prospect now..they will get him…so that’s over with for Bellator…unless they just waaaay overpay a prospect which wouldn’t be smart either.

And they’d be out of business in a second heart beat.

…Nate, you crazy

Bellator can be a hot property. The trouble with Bellator is while they can build a star before our eyes over the course of a tournament, the tournament champion often goes inactive and forgotten for a long period of time. Bellator can’t allow a break through fighter that smashes his way through a tournament to go cold while they focus on another weight class. It’s imperative they keep reminding the audience of their champions and keep them busy.

is that TNA’s business model is based on hiring established names (who are frequently well past their prime) by throwing piles of money at them. Bellator knows they aren’t going to take the 400 lb. gorilla head-on, so they’re focused on signing prospects to long-term contracts and letting them develop. One approach is good for long-term growth, the other, not so much.

I enjoy some of the fights, some of them suck, but running tournaments is not some revolutionary idea that will get them to greatness. They end up with some fighters fighting in multiple tournaments like Hornbuckle and Good that aren’t and never will be big stars. There are a few really good fighters, a couple that can be really great and a bunch of guys that would never sniff a belt in the UFC. If they have tournaments like the SF HW grand prix, then people will care, but when your champs fight guys that can’t hack it in the UFC and neither can most of your tournament fighters, casual fans don’t care and honestly neither do I.

smh

Bellator is like the equivalent of TNA, and UFC is like the equivalent of WWE, as a very loose comparison. TNA became WWE’s competition by default, and similarly Bellator is competition to UFC by default.

But yes, I can see how what I wrote came across as muddled.

That would be awesome. He would have Adidas sponsoring him for when he has to put his foot in his mouth every episode due to all of the misconstrued "facts.

the only way this works, IMO, is if you broaden it to be a fight channel, kinda like the Speed network (which I never watch). If they make it broad enough — MMA, boxing, world championships in amateur fight sports, fighting-related movies and TV series, I think it could be a really interesting play. Of course, Dana would have to let someone else put it all together.

But maybe I’m the only one remembering Dana White trying to get a Boston crime drama greenlit a few years ago. There’s a possible danger White and Co. forget what brought them to the table and go off gallivanting with ideas above their station.

on the other hand, if there’s something like “wednesday night UFC” then the problem is not as acute. people tune in to see some dudes beat each other up and if rumble johnson isn’t on the card, meh, rick story is fine.

on the other hand, if you’re supposed to PAY good money, then you’re pretty damn pissed when instead of rashad evans you get matt hammil.

really, they might want to save PPV for title fights and title eliminators. with 7 belts there should be one on every card.

no G4 over here :( oddly enough though, I do get one HD channel.

No, they would be a channel with a built in audience that loves the UFC and who considers MMA the same thing as the UFC.

He was out voted by the stakeholders.

Yeah, there’s a lot of weird shit going on lately where Strikeforce’s investors wanting to sell while there was value meant that the promotion was crumbling and losing money like crazy.

eg “The ultimate in MMA action …” would get Zuffa’s lawyers twitching.

“They have no guaranteed million buy fighter anymore.”

this is what no one wants to talk about right now. with lesnar’s illness and GSP’s decline in popularity, the UFC is looking at more and more 300k events.

really, canada is keeping the UFC afloat right now. it’s ridiculous when their last event does 300k buys and they’re bragging about how well they’re doing in halifax, winnipeg, and ottawa. by the sounds of it, if it wasn’t for canada, they’d be stagnating or even declining. one wonders if buying a whole television network in the united states is really the answer to that.