MMA Weekly reports that the prelims for UFC 145 on FX scored an average of 1.6 million viewers. The ratings are a network high for the UFC Prelims on FX.
The ratings reflect the fact that the UFC on FX is increasing its ratings average each time its on the network. Despite the downturn in viewers to TUF Live on FX Fridays, it seems that fans are finding the UFC Prelims on FX just fine. UFC 145 Prelims tied for third all-time in terms of ratings for televised prelims on Spike TV and FX.
Payout Perspective:
Positive news for the UFC and FX. For the UFC, the high viewership helps with the probability that those fans were likely buying the PPV. For FX, it shows that the UFC viewership on the network is steadily increasing each time its on the network.
Bad news is it could reflect that people are just tired of TUF format and need to maybe sxcrap it and come out with a whole new show.
BrainSmasher, TUF is just god awful this season. The cast is nothing special as a whole in terms of talent and the coaches are boring. I only record it out of habit.
Looking at all the ratings across the board for MMA, there is a decent amount of hardcore fans in the U.S.
The boom is just unsustainable and unrealistic.
Only way to grow the sport is to have consistently exciting fights seen by the masses like Griffin-Bonnar every month at least as a main event.
I had temporarily forgotten that the previous prelim events on SPIKE were only 1 hour. This is actually even more impressive for FX given that it’s more significant to average 1.6 million viewers for a two hour event than for a one hour event. Lots more ad space to bring in revenue. Anyway, these prelim ratings will fluctuate as the year goes on but this particular event did great.
Weezy,
It makes sense… this PPV got a ton of buys and twice the amount of PPV buys then most other shows. Well, see how the other shows do but I expect the ratings for FX prelims and FX shows to stay around 1.4M -1.6M. I don’t think 2 hours on Spike is the same as 2 hours on FOX. These are hardcore fans watching, so whether 1 or 2, the numbers should be about the same.
If you consider shows like TUF or Primetime primarily as platforms to promote the product, as long as they’re getting a good number of viewers to show up for the prelims immediately before the PPV, doesn’t that kind of undercut the concerns about number of eyeballs on Friday nights? Whether people are catching that programming on DVR or online or skipping it altogether, they’re in front of the TV when it counts most for the UFC, and on the FX side they’re getting strong enough demo numbers for the Friday slot.
Jose,
I think he means its better when you can maintain ratings for 2 hours rather than an hour which is true. Whether its better for the netowrk depends on what would have been in instead during that extra hour and what those ratings would have been. I think its safe to say that in that extra hour FX would not hvae had anything bring in 1.6 million viewers. Thats why doing to for 2 hours rather than 1 is better. I agree with what you are saying too. Its the same group of people watching on both netowrks and the time doesnt change that. But for the netowrk it is always a bigger succes to do it for longer unless you take up time of something that would be doing better ratings.
I think this shows that Fridays are the problem for UFC product on FX, not the swtich to a new network or a general decline of interest in UFC product. Fridays are bad for any show, but terrible for shows that appeal to a younger demographic. Saturdays are just as bad, but people are generall geared up to watch MMA on PPV Saturdays.