UFC Broadcast Partner Versus Re-Branding To NBC Sports
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 1, 2011 5:46 PM EDT
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As the UFC continues to search for a solid long-term TV deal while dealing with an increasingly antagonistic relationship with Spike, it is Versus, the UFC's other home, that is undergoing a big change. The sports network, owned by NBC, is going to officially re-brand into NBC Sports. From AOL Sporting News:
Versus officially will turn into the NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2.
The name change, which has been rumored for much of the last year, is timed to coincide with NBC's broadcast of the NHL Winter Classic and the run-up to NBC's February telecast of Super Bowl XLVI.
"Our goal is for anyone who sees the name or logo of one of our assets to immediately connect with NBC Sports," said NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus. He will officially announce the name change today at the Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The ratings for UFC events on Versus have not been spectacular, especially compared to Spike. Arguably the lowest moment in the Versus experiment came when the UFC on Versus 4 card lost in the ratings to a replay of an old Fight Night event on Spike.
Re-brands do occasionally come with a renewed push and it may be a benefit to the UFC, should the relationship still exist, if NBC is regularly pushing the station around the Super Bowl.
This is all a situation that Dana White spoke about right after the Comcast acquisition of NBC universal. Via Yahoo! Sports:
An interesting element to the addition of UFC on Versus is Comcast's recent purchase of NBC Universal, which still awaits governmental approval. The New York Times says that Comcast will likely rebrand Versus as something akin to NBC Sports Cable in direct competition to ESPN.
It's too soon for any definitive statements in that regard, but it is an attractive option for the UFC if it comes to fruition.
"You never know," White responded when asked by MMAWeekly.com about the impact Comcast's NBC purchase could have on his company.
"It's obviously very, very interesting and Comcast and Versus have been great partners for us. They've got some interesting things going on."
This doesn't really make it any more likely that the UFC ends up on NBC at any point in the future. But it shows that things are changing at the one certain home of UFC broadcasts.
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No offense to BV, he’s awesome…but he didn’t bring us this story.
"You are a miserable human being." - Mike Fagan
My twitter: @TB_Money
“by BVandDietPepsi about 5 hours ago”
and whoever “brought” the story has no comment in the article either. So I guess Brent found this story more than 5 hours ago but he just didn’t decide to post it.
It's just a world, it's just a life.
dude
I read this story at 7am ET and assigned it to the staff not much later. I wanted someone senior on it, Brent couldn’t get to it until later in the day. It’s not a big traffic driver so there was no rush.
Props to BV for FanPosting it but honestly I don’t get to even read all the Fanposts anymore.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
AOL Sporting News is even 4 hours from this unless that is twitter feed i cant tell on this browser
It's just a world, it's just a life.
I’m not really sure what your point was. This story was on Sports Business Journal and the AOL SN site I linked to (since it’s easier to read than SBJ) at like 9am. I knew of it but I’m not going to take up a prime traffic spot on the site with a post about a network rebrand so we sat on it until the evening.
If you think I sit around raiding fanposts for “news” or that I should credit a fanpost (which doesn’t have to adhere to our scheduling requirements) because it was “up first” I don’t know what to tell you.
Managing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 1, 2011 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Well there is time zones so I dont know if you mean 9AM est or 9AM PST or what. I know most of the articles come from other sources so it is hard to say whether or not it is a journalistic liberty to just adopt their articles from other sources or to just adopt it from the original source itself, either way it does not matter very much. It would just be cool for you guys to give a shout out to some people that got to the original article before you(not necessarily the primary source, but just a member on the site trying to help out), it might create an atmosphere where people will try to get to the articles before you and then the news gets posted faster, that way you can just credit them and the original source and everyone is happy.
It's just a world, it's just a life.
It happens sometimes, likely when it is genuinely when they hear about it. Often it appears in an update too (HT: xxxxx).
Had it happen once on a story KN used…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 1, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the kind words and the recognition, ML. I wasn’t trying to undercut anyone, I just saw a story that wasn’t posted and wanted to do a quick little write-up with my opinion. Would I have liked a shout, sure, but I wasn’t expecting it. I’m just a commenter.
Brent, little harsh with the dismissive tone towards fanposts. Don’t big-league the little guys.
Follow me on Twitter or Jon Jones won't sign your replica belt! @BVandDietPepsi
by BVandDietPepsi on Aug 1, 2011 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
He wasn’t taking a shot at you or fanposters in general. It’s great that you guys contribute what you do. It’s just that we can’t post everything on the blog the minute we see it for a variety of reasons. Brent’s just trying to say (as I was) that DirtyML’s crusade for fanpost recognition is a little silly. We definitely appreciate you and everyone else posting stuff, but there are also a ton of reasons why you don’t see an HT on stuff that might have already been fanshotted/fanposted. It’s nothing personal.
Hope that explains things a little better.
"You are a miserable human being." - Mike Fagan
My twitter: @TB_Money
Oh I know how that all goes. My main source of income from 03-07 was as a College Football/Draft writer on two national sites, so I know the rigamarole.
Like I said, I just wanted to put my opinion on something that, at the time, wasn’t up yet. So I just wrote about it. No hard feelings at all. ML is way more fired up than I am, and hell, God bless him for it, people that appreciate your contributions are the motherfucking bee’s knees :)
Follow me on Twitter or Jon Jones won't sign your replica belt! @BVandDietPepsi
by BVandDietPepsi on Aug 1, 2011 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Lol this bit of conversation made me stop reading.
Is it really that serious?
by SkeezinSteevin on Aug 1, 2011 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions
?
didn’t they JUST become the Versus station a couple of years ago? They were called something else just 2-3 years ago, maybe 4.
Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Alves = Muay Thai wrecking machines!
Outdoor Life Network.
I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.
I can't wait for the very first NBC Sports card
Main Event: Dan Hardy (on a 4 fight losing streak) vs. Amir Sadollah!
I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.
by SSreporters on Aug 1, 2011 5:46 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Or we could luck out
And get Cruz vs Renan Barao or something…that’d be awesome.
PACIFIC RIM
in theaters
July 12th, 2013
Hah! That's the featured fight on Facebook.
Hardy’s British and Sadollah is like a 170 Forrest Griffin.
Co-main is CB Dollaway vs. Dan Miller.
I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.
Adn we wouldn't have a right to complain
‘For the first time ever, the UFC is giving the fans a title fight FREE on Facebook’
PACIFIC RIM
in theaters
July 12th, 2013
I agree that
This doesn’t really make it any more likely that the UFC ends up on NBC at any point in the future
Where the UFC will end up will be the biggest decision Zuffa owners needed to make since the purchase of the UFC.
Its looking like NBCUNiversal although talks have been “up and down”
http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com
by MattParker117 on Aug 1, 2011 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
makes more sense, NBC Sports Network just sounds more credible
www.twitter.com/SportsXRadio
by BoulderDodger on Aug 1, 2011 5:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
exactly!
I think a big reason for that is NBC has branded most of its sports programming like the NFL, etc as coming from NBC Sports for years.
A positive change for Versus
having the letters NBC on it give it instant credibility as a sports network. Now if they can get it further down the dial that would help.
aka BuckeyedBear34
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
~ Napoleon Bonaparte
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself
~ Chinese Proverb
The UFC on NBC Sports has a nice ring to it.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Editor, HeadKickLegend.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
Agreed
Good move imo, with no downside.
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 1, 2011 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, sounds way better. "What channel's it on?"
Sheepishly… “Spike tv…” or “Versus…”
by Body Triangle on Aug 1, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions
That's because both end in C. ;P
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
@xFenixKnightx on the Twitter
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 2, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
A name like NBC Sports will automatically have more drawing power then Versus
I was watching a WEC replay on Versus a few days ago…and every now and then they were showing little promos saying something to the effect of ‘On Versus, now part of the NBC Sports group’.
So they are advertising the change.
Also, I believe the 2nd Versus card this year saw an increase in ratings over the first Versus card…despite being plagued with injuries and dropouts.
The 3rd Versus card slated for this year is a superior card to the first two, and should see another boost in ratings. And with UFC on Versus 6 featuring a title fight…the ratings should only see another boost.
So by the end of the year, UFC will have built up quite a following on Versus, then it’ll make the switch to the more legitimate and credible name of NBC Sports…and it’ll just be better for the UFC all together.
PACIFIC RIM
in theaters
July 12th, 2013
boo to you tb money!
Didn’t he link to aol in the opening? What more do you want him to do? Tattoo his forehead??
Warrantless criticism.
Now as to the story Mr B, I see no possible scenario that this could happen. NBC is the big leagues. Operating on a level the UFC can only dream of. Plus contrary to most MMA fans, I really don’t feel that the networks are that crazy about having the UFC in their lineup.
You have a bombastic President, lots of fighters locked up, possible steroid implications and no bonding home factor.
So for it to make economical sense for NBC to pick up the UFC, changes would have to be made so that fights would appeal to the widest amount of viewers, which in turn means ceding control, which means thinking of the UFC in a whole new light, which really means acceding power, and as all MMA fans know, Dana White is mad with power.
So it is a tantalizing possibility. But not symbiotically possible.
Anderson Silva is not just a fighter. He is also an artist of the highest order. He creates moves in the ring that have never before been seen. An numatched combination of savagery, skill and originality. He is my favorite fighter.
Fighters locked up?
Care to cite ANY UFC fighters that fit that?
Let the fighters fight, let the referees ref, but dear God, don't let the judges judge.
by halitosis on Aug 1, 2011 10:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There is no real downside to this
Even if NBC does nothing to promote the branding change, Versus was not a channel with casual recognition anyway. Now that they have a legit line-up with the NHL and such, I think this is an excellent move. It makes it sound very legit. If they aired just two NFL games a year I bet people would go out of their way to hunt this channel down, too. The logo is a bit conservative but whatever, the UFC actually has a good reason to stay on Versus now, which previously seemed like a questionable choice even as their secondary outlet. It would still be a gamble to use them as their primary outlet though.
Tina Fey and Asiz Ansari cageside for the celebrity wave shot
MAKE IT HAPPEN!
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on Aug 1, 2011 9:23 PM EDT reply actions
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