MMA Junkie reports that Fox’s first showing of UFC programming, UFC Primetime: Velassquez vs. dos Santos, received an average of 2 million viewers for a 1.3 household rating.
Via MMA Junkie:
The one-hour special, which was the first significant UFC programming on the FOX network, scored a 0.98 rating among men 18-49 and a 0.99 among men 18-34.
That means many of the viewers came from demographics that traditionally do poorly with UFC programming.
However, the “Primetime” special either preceded or followed NFL games in most FOX markets, though the times and lead-ins fluctuated wildly. But as a comparison, the primary NFL game at 1 p.m. ET on FOX averaged 17 million viewers.
The rating ties UFC Fight Night 24 in Seattle this past March as the highest rated of the year.
Payout Perspective:
Exceptional ratings considering Primetime started opposite Patriots vs. Steelers on CBS as well as other football games on Sunday. In my area on the west coast it actually started at 1:40pm as The OT (NFL highlight show) went over 10 minutes from the scheduled 1:30pm start. The show received good reviews and gave a great backstory for both fighters. Even if you were to compare the NFL average viewers (17 million for the 1pm ET game) versus the UFC audience (2 million), it still has to be considered a positive since it ran up against other NFL games.
Lol I was starting to get nervous during those last 10 minutes of The OT. I feel like the special wasn’t advertised very well, but this whole thing is a work in progress. How far in advance was the airing of Primetime planned?
MV,
There was a press release on August 31st. Fox promoted it but it was vague as to what time it would play. I really didn’t know what time it was on until I checked that morning. Perhaps the 10 minute overrun helped keep viewers on Fox.
I was surprised to see Joe Buck introduce the show. Interesting choice but I can see Fox wanting to have a familiar face introduce the UFC.
For reference, here’s a quick breakdown of past/present UFC TV partners total household coverage:
FOX – 120.6M (96.18%)
SPIKE TV – 99.9M (86.24%)
FX – 99.3M (85.74%)
VERSUS – 76M (65.71%)
FUEL – 32M (27.74%)
This is the same number American Dad re-runs get in the same timeslot.
American Dad – 2 million
Simpsons – 3 million
Family Guy 3 million