why Spike and Bellator need each other ASAP

by Sofian El Keurti on Aug 21, 2011 2:22 PM EDT

So I watched Bellator 48 last night and was pleasantly surprised like the majority of the fans it seems....the issue is that this "majority" was probably south of 200,000 viewers and at most 250,000. Being in Canada I watched on "The Score", it'd be interesting to know how many canadians tuned in as The Score is a much more visible and high profile network in Canada than MTV 2 in the US. Anyways after seeing that Spike execs were again spotted at the event and the fact that both networks are Viacom owned, it simply makes sense that Spike would NEED to replace the void that will be left by the UFC, if Spike feels their programming will keep this demographic they're crazy...does anyone recall what their programming was like pre-tuf? No? Exactly my point. MMA, or should I say UFC put Spike on the map, their viewers expect an MMA fix....are MMA viewers so fickle that if they tuned into Spike and saw bellator rather than the UFC they'd switch away? I would think that of the average 1-1.5 million viewers that watch most fight night cards, is it crazy to think that Bellator could at least hold 500K of those? Their product is sound, they simply greatly lack exposure and network stability.

Unfortunately Bellator regardless of what Rebney says publicly is apparently in financial trouble...and how could they not be? You cannot run events this frequently, have prizes of 100,000$ and having audiences in some cases south of 1,000 and sustain long term.

And now to indulge the UFC/Zuffa mark in me....great scenario is that Zuffa eventually scoops up Bellator (somehow...this is total hypothetical scenario) and with their "prospects" send them to Strikeforce which in turn gets turned into a feeder league. Then maintain the tournaments in the new Strikeforce and the tournament winners automatically get "Called up" to the UFC.

I'm just a new poster and am just hoping to start up....i want any honest feedback please

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Very good fanpost

Especially as your first.

It would certainly be nice to see Bellator in HD, and as dumb as this may sound, that’s all I think this move would do for bellator, aside from potentially raising its stock if Zuffa ever wants to buy it.

Let the fighters fight, let the referees ref, but dear God, don't let the judges judge.

by halitosis on Aug 21, 2011 3:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

The main reason Zuffa would not buy Bellator is that the Bellator roster isn’t deep enough and Bellator isn’t likely to dilute UFC’s broader appeal. Zuffa bought up competitors to narrow the group of major players as they increased the sense among viewers that they were pre-eminent. I’m a major fan of Bellator but even I don’t see them threatening the de facto monopoly of UFC. The best they can probably hope for is to become profitable in a moderate way.

Bellator might need Spike in the short term, but in the longer term they need a better network with a larger potential viewership. With an increased audience would come potential greater sponsor tie-ins.

They also need to think about focusing on medium-sized arenas rather than Indian reservations with small venues that can seat only a few hundred people. They’ve drawn solid crowds in the few decent places they’ve put on shows, but those are too few and too far between.

I’d think they’d want better penetration in Canada, where UFC only goes several times a year but the fans are rabid and might support more live shows. It wouldn’t hurt to add Canadians to their roster.

Realistically, the odds are against them succeeding, but while they last I’ll enjoy what they offer.

.....
Get on board the Jake Train® . Next stop: Fight Night 25® Winner's Circle!

by Scabby Knuckle on Aug 21, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

what i mostly meant as far as the scenario where Zuffa would buy them, is that Zuffa wouldn’t do it due to any reason of “threat” but moreso to get fighter contracts since Bellator’s are so restrictive (i.e. Lombard, Alvarez, etc). Those guys are wasting their prime years with nothing fights…..who really bought Buentello as a threat to Konrad last night?

I coudn’t agree more with the comment about them focusing more on the medium sized arenas rather than indian reservations, it would give them a much better feel and look on tv at the very least. Canada woulda be a great idea as the crowd was RABID for their debut at Casino Rama a few events back.

And I like yourself am also enjoying them while they last as frankly they can’t possibly succeed this way regardless of what Rebney says publicly

by Sofian El Keurti on Aug 21, 2011 6:41 PM EDT reply actions