The UFC will use its Facebook page to show two prelim fights for this Saturday’s UFC Fight for the Troops.
Via UFC press release:
By liking Facebook.com/UFC, fans will gain access to a live stream of the lightweight battle between Cody McKenzie (12-0) of The Ultimate Fighter® and veteran Yves Edwards (39-16-1), as well as a pivotal welterweight clash pitting TUF alum DaMarques Johnson (16-8) against Mike “The Joker” Guymon (13-4-1). Fans that do not have a Facebook account are encouraged to sign up at www.facebook.com.
Payout Perspective:
It will be interesting to see the response to the live stream. Its an effective way to infuse its Facebook page with more unique visitors. With the need to “Like” the page to view the fights, it is an easy way for the UFC to measure the amount of viewers to determine whether it was a success. Also, it is another way to promote the other fights later that night on Spike TV as well as the upcoming PPVs.
Will the UFC leverage live stream prelims as a means to sell advertising/sponsorships on Facebook? It can turn into an enticing selling point for brands seeking to advertise over multiple platforms. This is another good example of how the UFC embraces social media and is willing to use it to its advantage.
I like this move. The UFC continue to be on the cutting edge of content distribution and have shown themselves to be willing to experiment. It also makes me look at their Ion TV escapade in a new light.
Unfortunately I just got rid of my Facebook account, so now I have to make a new one.
I wish the UFC would find a partner and just settle on a solution that works for the viewers.
Partnering with Facebook is just fine, especially because of the sheer number of users on the site, but I don’t like that we have to log in and “like” the UFC official page. Can’t we just watch the prelims on UFC.com as well?
I didn’t even know what Ion TV was … and consequently didn’t watch the prelims because of it.
Facebook is a global marketing database. Of course you have to “Like” the UFC in the data base. They hope you put your sex, D.O.B., profession, employer etc…. so they can target market and sell you stuff till the cows come home. That is why Google is trying to catch Facebook. Social Networking is kicking search engine’s butt.
The UFC is a global internet product. Web casting is what Zuffa has thrown big $$ towards. Social networking is a fantastic platform. There are MBA students studying the untapped potential as we speak.
Are there any UFC PHDs or Thesis projects in the public domain PayOut crew?