Adam Swift appeared on Inside MMA to discuss the PPV race in 2008 between the UFC, WWE, and HBO Boxing. Here is the video:
You can also see the full chart he discussed over at MMA Payout.
In short, the UFC has averaged 420,000 PPV buys per show this year, as compared with an average of 440,000 last year. However, these numbers do not tell the whole story. They have done more shows this year, and the June number that brings things so far down is a result of a last minute injury leaving the show with no drawing main event. The extra UK show may bring down the average this year, but it also made a profit this year as opposed to the losses they took doing the shows for free on Spike last year.
There is a lot more to say about UFC PPV business this year. For one, they held their numbers steady all year without relying on Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Tito Ortiz. Last year's numbers outside of Chuck and Randy were not good. I am very interested to see how Anderson Silva does against Patrick Cote in October, because last year at this time I would have predicted 200,000 buys, but Anderson Silva may be on a different level as a draw after the July push. Next year's proposed fight with Liddell could be the one that pushes him over the top.
The real story of 2008 on PPV is the UFC's continued dominance even without their historical draws carrying the majority of the load.
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