MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 67 ratings scored an average of 165,000 viewers. The ratings reflect a 51 percent increase from Bellator 66’s dismal 109,000 viewer average.
Bellator 66: 109,000 viewers
Bellator 65: 163,000 viewers
Bellator 64: 175,00 viewers
Bellator 63: 140,000 viewers
Bellator 62: 175,000 viewers
Bellator 61: 108,000 viewers
Bellator 60: 169,000 viewers
Payout Perspective:
The Season 6 ratings average is at about 150,000 viewers which is down from this past summer’s ratings on MTV2 which averaged 186,000 viewers. Like TUF Live, Bellator is experiencing growing pains with its move to Friday nights. It appears as though Bellator is grooming its product for a big 2013 on Spike TV. One thing that it must work with is the swings in its viewership. TUF Live has remained steady (albeit disappointing) in its viewers. Yet, Bellator’s ratings are unpredictable which can be a concern as it continues on.
TUF swings have been greater in terms of # of viewers. Bellator swings are tiny (30k-40k) but because the overall number is so small they seem drastic. As long as Bellator viewership remains in the low 6 figures, these tiny shifts will continue to seem drastic. Bellator needs to get at least into the mid-6 figures before we can really start looking at week to week trends. Current trends are just rounding errors.
2013 will be an interesting year in the MMA industry
2013 will be the year of no excuses. UFC on Fox and PPV, Bellator on Spike, Strikeforce on Showtime and efforts at international expansion. 2013 will allow us to project the future growth of the sport. It seems to be flat or in slight decline, but there is so much concurrent change that it’s hard to forecast from one event to the next. Next year things should be settled down and we will finally be able to answer the question: Will MMA become the biggest sport in the world?
@Diego
MMA never had a chance at becoming the “biggest sport in the world”. That’s just Dana White’s Barnum & Bailey hype routine. It’s literally not even close.
The best way to compare sports is by revenue and the UFC (which generates the vast majority of MMA revenue) is dwarfed by the big pro sports – NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL all generate many billions in revenue per year. The top soccer leagues in England, Spain, Germany, and Italy are all also much bigger than UFC.
An individual sport can never be the biggest and will always have wilder swing than team sports. Team sports generate more consistent fan interest year in and year out. Individual sports boom and busts with the individual personalities. The Tiger Woods golf boom in the late 90s and 2000s, the McEnroe-Borg tennis boom of the 70s and 80s. The Dale Earnhardt NASCAR boom of the 90s and early 2000s.
UFC has the potential to offer more consistency than boxing, but will always be personality driven to a vastly greater degree than team sports.
Even if all the top stars of the Yankees get hurt or injured this year, people will still pay to watch Yankees next year. Same with the Cowboys or the Lakers. The teams are bigger than the individual players.
UFC has entered a flat period. It’s hard to manufacture compelling personalities. The novelty of UFC has worn off. For young men entering their 20s now, UFC has always been around. It’s not some crazy, new thing that’s radically new and different.
UFC and MMA have carved out a nice niche. But not even Dana White thought UFC was gonna become the biggest sport in the world. Dana is an excellent hype-man. That’s his job. Dana White has a different style than a Don King, but they are in the same basic business. And crazy hype will always be a part of the fight business.
Agree with you about the team sports vs individual sport. One thing that has always set me apart from the rest of MMA fans(not all there are many like me out there) is i view the UFC as my favorite team. Before MMA in the early 90’s i was a big football and basketball buff. I replaced both those with MMA. I dont care about the fighters personality so much because i know they come and go. It always adds to the fights and events if someone big is on them. But i am just a fight fan not a fan of just a fighter(Though i used to be). Once my fighter semi-retired or left the UFC i just followed the sport and rooted for the success of the UFC. The nature of the sport will never give you very many highs if you are just a fan of 1 fighter. Most guys lose ever 3 fights at best. On the rare occassion you will have a GSP or Silva run. But thats just 2 guys. Every other fight will at best have a good 2 year period. What do you do as a fan after that? I dont put my entertainment on the shoulders of a fighter. I put them into the UFC and just enjoys many different fighters. Then you are garenteed many many years of great fights and enjoyment. I anticipate all UFC cards not just one here and there.
I think the nature of MMA and people to follow a curtain fighter drives many people from the sport. I remember the first few years i followed the sport. I was a Huge Tank Abbott fan. When he lost it was like a huge punch to the gut. The only other fights i have been emotionally invest in but to a lessor extedn was Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel. I went to watch them fight live and they both got smashed. It was a huge let down that put a damper on the entire trip. I forgot to mention the reason i left football and basketball was my favorite players retired. I was a big Cowboys fan and every from the good old days was gone and no one else peaked my interest. I was a big Barkely fan and when he retired i didnt have any one else who i followed. So i lost interest all together. Fighters and players will always leave you hanging. Follow the sport and you will not be let down. This si why Fantasy football has made the NFL so much bigger. It broadened people interest past a single favorite player to following the stats of every player in the league.
Most normal people need to become fans of the fighter first prior to being a fan of the sport.
Either that or having Fight of the Year every weekend.
Its obvious you don’t know annhityg beyond UFC, you must be a UFC fanboy not an MMA fan. Maybe you should check your facts and look up UWF in Japan oh and check out the last Dream card.VA:F [1.9.10_1130]please wait…VA:F [1.9.10_1130](from 0 votes)