UFC 142 Prelims Special Averages 880,000 Viewers On FX
by Tim Burke on Jan 18, 2012 6:22 PM EST
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It was expected that numbers might drop a bit when UFC programming switched from Spike to FX. The first prelims special that aired on the network, for UFC 142, played that out to a degree. But the sky isn't exactly falling. MMA Weekly has the numbers:
The UFC 142 Rio Prelims, which aired four bouts live on FX, drew just 880,000 viewers, which is the least watched UFC Prelims broadcast since the series began on Spike TV with UFC 103 in 2009.
That's kind of a half-truth though. Yes, the UFC 142 prelims did draw less viewers than any of the Spike episodes. But their article fails to mention the three prelims specials that aired on Ion. UFC 125, UFC 127 and UFC 140 all aired on that network, and all did worse ratings than this show (829k, 808k, and 714k respectively).
So what does this mean? Absolutely nothing, really. It just shows that a lot of people are still interested in watching the prelims, and that's not a bad first number at all in my eyes.
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Patriots vs Tebow drew over 30 million
You bet your ass the playoffs hurt these prelims.
"I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don't have to."- Albert Einstein
Follow me on Twitter if you like MMA, baseball, and moderately funny people: @TimBernier
INEPT coming for the season 2 BECW title.
It also started at the end of the Giants-49ers game
by HaterSlayer on Jan 19, 2012 10:34 AM EST up reply actions
Saints/49ers
"I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don't have to."- Albert Einstein
Follow me on Twitter if you like MMA, baseball, and moderately funny people: @TimBernier
INEPT coming for the season 2 BECW title.
by Tim Bernier on Jan 19, 2012 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
That’s also 880k viewers before the real marketing push of UFC on FX has kicked in. Once some time goes by and the UFC and Fox are able to push it into the minds of the audience that Fox, FX, and Fuel are the new homes for UFC programming, the numbers will easily surpass those that were seen on Spike.
Yeah, this was the first bit of UFC programming on FX
And it’s not like these prelims had very interesting and big names fighters…prelims typically don’t
Also, 2 hours hurts the average…it’s better because you get better fights….but there are some that will only tune in for the guys they knew, like Gonzaga and Stout in the 2nd hour…so the lower ratings for the first half hurt the overall average…I’d imagine.
Once we start getting FX cards, Ultimate Fighter, and Primetime shows on FX…the numbers will be be.
"You got Floyd Mayweather making 25 million dollars...he can't stop the double leg." - Nick Diaz
will be big*
"You got Floyd Mayweather making 25 million dollars...he can't stop the double leg." - Nick Diaz
by Chris Groves on Jan 18, 2012 6:39 PM EST up reply actions
Also it went against the NFL playoffs and I'm not even sure people are used to UFC not being on Spike
They got to get the word out more so advertising on the NFL, FSN, and FOX in general is a great idea.
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
Yes. Also 142 as a whole was never going to be a huge card, there were a lot people saying they’d skip it because it was weak on paper. Maybe they skipped the prelims too? Not sure if there is such a correlation but it certainly can’t help.
See and learn the secret death touch!
by Horselover Fat on Jan 18, 2012 7:37 PM EST up reply actions
They are still having to remind people that they are no longer on SpikeTV
Give it awhile and things should improve. Now if the Miller Guillard card pulls this not so good man not so good.
Twitter @MaZZM
http://www.mazzznet.com/
Guillard vs. Miller is going to do terrible ratings
Even if it was on Spike I have no doubt the ratings would suck.
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
You might be the most perpetually optimistic poster on here.
"You got Floyd Mayweather making 25 million dollars...he can't stop the double leg." - Nick Diaz
by Chris Groves on Jan 18, 2012 6:52 PM EST up reply actions
Might not do great
But I like the fact that they’re treating this as a long-term proposition and aren’t immediately trying to pull out all the stops. Viewership will rise over time given the saturation of advertising on Fox networks.
Proud member of The Voices in Paul Harris' Head, BECW Season 2.
"By doubting we come to inquiry and by inquiry we perceive the truth." -- Abelard
by Patrick Wyman on Jan 18, 2012 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
Oh absolutely
That’s why it will be a slow process for the FX shows.
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
I think that if it was on Spike it would get at least 2 million viewers
Fox is hardly promoting this card(I don’t generally watch FX, but I watch Fox a lot) so this is gonna get about half the ratings a Fight Night card usually gets.
by HaterSlayer on Jan 19, 2012 10:36 AM EST up reply actions
educate me
with the new deal, can you say that
FX= Spike?
Fuel= Versus?
in terms of availability, viewers etc.
Now I've switched signature to this one.
by the guy with the big nose on Jan 18, 2012 7:00 PM EST reply actions
It's a much different situation
Since Spike and Versus weren’t under the same umbrella, like FX and Fuel are, but the comparison isn’t a bad one. FX is a big step up from Spike, both in terms of viewership and cachet, while Fuel is a step down. The programming on Fuel is much different than what they offered on Versus, though.
Proud member of The Voices in Paul Harris' Head, BECW Season 2.
"By doubting we come to inquiry and by inquiry we perceive the truth." -- Abelard
by Patrick Wyman on Jan 18, 2012 7:03 PM EST up reply actions
I know I sound like Dana’s shill but the UFC programing on Fuel is way better than Spike had. They have the weigh-ins, post fight shows, best of Pride, Unleashed, and the airing of old UFC ppvs are all awesome. Add in the international TUFs and the cards that will be free on Fuel, I’m glad I’m one of the 9 people who get the channel.
by Pillowhands on Jan 18, 2012 7:13 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
It’s been pretty awesome so far, I’m building a recorded collection of PPVs. The production values are so much better as well.
Proud member of The Voices in Paul Harris' Head, BECW Season 2.
"By doubting we come to inquiry and by inquiry we perceive the truth." -- Abelard
by Patrick Wyman on Jan 18, 2012 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
But the cross-promotion will be so much better
FX and Fuel play nice, so you’ll see each other’s shows promo’d intensely, since they’re all part of the same corporate structure. It won’t take long for the average UFC viewer to fall into new habits about which channels have UFC programming.
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Proud member of Trainyard Sleepers, BECW: S2
We're gonna win, you know. Stats lie.
Fuel has about 1/3 of the availability of Spike right now, and is a very, very obscure channel to most. They’ve added 10 million subscribers since the UFC/Fox deal, so that’s a good sign. FX is close to on par with Spike in terms of availiability (I think it’s 98 million for Spike, 90 million for FX). FX has carved a niche with quality programming, which is more than Spike has done. In the long run, I think the UFC will do better on FX. The Fuel stuff will take a while though.
"I don't know where this term "training camp" in MMA came from. There's no campground. There's no tents." - Nick Diaz
My twitter: @TB_Money
When I looked around
I think I remember consistently seeing that FX was a bit above Spike in viewership.
For Spike I kept hearing ‘Around 90-100 million’ and the number that kept coming up for FX was ‘Over 100 million’
But they are definitely close.
Versus was in around 75 million, from what I could gather.
"You got Floyd Mayweather making 25 million dollars...he can't stop the double leg." - Nick Diaz
by Chris Groves on Jan 18, 2012 7:37 PM EST up reply actions
I recall Spike having the slight edge
but the more significant edge was on viewer familiarity and demographics, which Spike has in spades. Spike was like a perfect storm for the UFC and it will take a while for the multiple platform concept to meet and surpass it.
Cecil People's Champs
Still the head conductor of the Charles Oliveira hype train.
Playoffs, new channel, little casual fan interest in the PPV
Lower numbers are to be expected.
But that's the thing
They’re not that much lower.
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Proud member of Trainyard Sleepers, BECW: S2
We're gonna win, you know. Stats lie.
They're about half as high as they usually are.
The Prelims usually get ~1.7-2 million viewers.
by HaterSlayer on Jan 19, 2012 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
I feel like they skew lower on average
2 million was the highest one…
"You got Floyd Mayweather making 25 million dollars...he can't stop the double leg." - Nick Diaz
by Chris Groves on Jan 19, 2012 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
I think availability is a key problem, notably for non-US contries (who don't have DirectTV, example: Canada)
In Canada, Fuel is not available (thanks to the CRTC), so I guess they’re shooting themselves in the foot trying to cram that channel with UFC content.
FX, is also less available than Spike in Canada.
While RogerSportsnet-ONE shows prelims and some events (nowhere near the content on Fuel + FX), it is still not available to subscribers for many major Canadian cable company (Videotron).
For now, their changes in networks have a negative impact on the number of potential viewers (and as a Canadian fan, it pisses me off).
Is the situation similar for other non-US countries ?
by aTn on Jan 18, 2012 7:13 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Of course FUEL is not available in Canada
Your mode of transportation is the sled…..
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
There was a list posted somewhere the other day
about where people from different countries can watch all the fights (channels that is)
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
Korea
The TV channels didnt change. One Channel shows old fights/highlight packages and one shows the live fights. All of my friends have it with basic cable. I do not know the house hold availability.
They don't broadcast UFC at all in the Netherlands..
Luckily they compensate with PPV, which costs only $6.99
by Chris P. Bacon on Jan 19, 2012 6:10 AM EST up reply actions
Just ber happy you have it on TV
In the UK, we have to use UFC.tv and the quality for 142 was nothing short of awful.
A lot of people didnt know what channel. my dad called me the next day asking why they werent on, he looked for it on spike
"I will beat you into a living death" – Ken Shamrock
by mpk46 on Jan 18, 2012 7:20 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I was in a massive bar/restaurant that probably had 300 people in it, many of whom were looking to watch the UFC in addition tot the Pats-Broncos game. I had to tell the management that the prelims were on FX as they were looking for it on Spike.
Yeah I managed to get my bar to put it on FX after constant nagging (missed the Pyle KO)
but the idiots forgot to put the fucking PPV on when 7pm came around and I couldn’t find the manager to tell him. I ended up going home to watch on my Xbox.
Be Interesting to see what happens when the UFC's UK deal runs out
With La Liga and the PGA Tour to consider (among other things) I don’t think we’ll get live prelims if the UFC goes to Sky. ALthough it will be nice to have everything (PPV, FOX, TUF, FX, Fuel) under one umbrella.
Don't follow in my footsteps I walk into walls
Anytime. Keep up the good work on your guest posts.
"I don't know where this term "training camp" in MMA came from. There's no campground. There's no tents." - Nick Diaz
My twitter: @TB_Money
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the real comparison to make is how similar FX programming performs on the same night. For example, the ratings for this prelim broadcast are right in the same range as recent college football games on Saturday night on FX.
There is no “similar programming”. You can’t just compare other sports offhand because they’re not covering the same demographic.
"I don't know where this term "training camp" in MMA came from. There's no campground. There's no tents." - Nick Diaz
My twitter: @TB_Money
I think you can compare time slots with and without UFC
For instance, if the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter gets better ratings than whatever FX usually airs on Friday nights (and I have no idea what that is), that’s a positive sign.
More important, though, these prelims provide a baseline number: Live UFC fights drew 880,000 viewers the first time they were on FX. Given that both the UFC and the Fox executives are promising to work hard at promoting the UFC on FX, and given that the UFC on FX is likely to never again have competition as stiff as Broncos-Patriots, future UFC on FX ratings should climb significantly. If they do climb significantly, that’s a good sign. If they don’t, that’s a bad sign.
by MichaelDavidSmith on Jan 18, 2012 8:52 PM EST up reply actions
I did a quick google search and came up with this (from September 21, 2011):
Syracuse/USC Up 50% From Previous Week: FX drew 690,000 viewers for the Syracuse/USC college football game Saturday night, up 50% from an afternoon game the previous week (NEV/ORE: 460K). USC’s win did not finish too far behind ESPN2′s Utah/BYU telecast, which aired in a slightly later timeslot (879K). (The Voice of TV)
The crucification of Tebus Christ.
Ahoy-hoy.
Last round pick of the Filipino Reccing Machines
"Why fear death? I don’t need anything, I don’t have anything, I don’t want anything. I think it’s silly for somebody to be scared of dying. One should be afraid of being born. I have already told my children when I die I want a party, with no alcohol, no hell raising [general laughter]. But I want a party with music, food… I don’t know if you guys believe in reincarnation, but we all go and come back until the day we no longer have to return. My brother [Carlos Gracie, already deceased] used to say the fellow only stops returning to Earth when he mingles with the Whole. Even when you’re thinking just a little bit wrongly, you come back to continue evolving. Hell, my friends, is right here on Earth." - Helio Gracie
by Sugel Mendoza on Jan 19, 2012 12:01 AM EST up reply actions
Too many things going on that night
NFL playoffs. First Lakers vs. Clippers game of the year.
and let’s not forget to blame Kid Nate…
'Would you kindly head to Ryan's office and kill the son of a bitch?'
-Atlas
by Victor Rodriguez on Jan 18, 2012 8:09 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
nope
always blame Kid Nate…
thats the rule
In real life everything I utter is original and poignant.
by Andy Anderson on Jan 18, 2012 11:01 PM EST up reply actions
Fuck.
Drop that number down to 150K. I think it would be best to get Aldo to defend his belt on the next UFC on Fox card. Get some more casual fan recognition before having him hold a card on his shoulders.
I'd agree but i think they are gonna hold off with title shots on Fox
and rather keep fox for #1 contender bouts
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
I think it should be but i doubt it
But maybe they’ll give it a go on FX or definitely Fuel lol to piss you guys off. Luckily i’m on a military base and get all the fights for free :)
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
Dana'd have to be drunk off his fucking ass to put a title fight on Fuel.
I don’t know how well the UFC on Fuel will do. I’m estimating 200 K viewers at the most.
I cant be bothered to pay 6 dollars more a month for just one channel Fuel. I can almost get HBO or showtime for that much
by terzergoss on Jan 18, 2012 8:45 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
These numbers are great considering the playoff games that were going on at the same time.
-AboveThisFire
The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world. My world is like the ocean, I’m like a shark and most people don't even know how to swim - Draculino
If I live in a castle and you want to kill me, storming the gates is probably not the best idea. You'd do a lot better hitting me in the head with a brick when I come out for the mail. -Ryan Hall
I then rip off my shirt and do like a hulk scream and pose and then say to the kid " don’t you no I would fucking destroy you are you fucking retarded? -Areyouforreal
by Patrick Tenney on Jan 18, 2012 10:14 PM EST reply actions
My friends who are fairly big fans
All missed the PPV for Tebowmania. Thats what happens sometimes
Cecil People's Champs
Still the head conductor of the Charles Oliveira hype train.
This sucks
I was hoping it would get monster ratings so we’d get 2 hour long prelims on FX. I don’t have Fuel so this bombing on the network sucks for me :(
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