MMA Junkie reports that this past Saturday’s Showtime event featuring Ronda Rousey defending her title averaged 529,000 viewers. The main event saw a bump to 676,000 viewers to watch Rousey armbar Sarah Kaufman in less than a minute.
Via MMA Junkie:
The viewership numbers include the both the live broadcast, which is distributed to Showtime’s East-coast viewers, as well as the same-day replay, which represents the tape-delayed broadcast to Strikeforce’s West-coast subscribers.
Showtime officials said that when a Sunday-morning replay of the event is considered, a total of nearly 900,000 viewers watched the event.
Payout Perspective:
Will women’s MMA carry Strikeforce on Showtime – or just Ronda Rousey? The ratings are a sign that the Rousey hype help propel the card to the best ratings in 2012 for the network. The numbers are better than the 2011 Strikeforce “Arena Series” on Showtime too. With Cyborg entering the picture a la pro-wrestling style, we could see bigger ratings when that fight is booked.
Solid numbers for Rousey, but the issue with women’s MMA is the lack of depth. Tate and Kaufman were known commodities and helped draw interst, but after one title defense and 6 pro fights there are already calls for Rousey to jump up in weight to fight Cybort. That’s an extremely thin division.
Cyborg, not Cybort.
True. Gino got good numbers too. A sport is more than 1 popular person. Womens MMA isnt survive if 1 fighter can draw 500K people and everyone other woman draws 25 people. It also doesnt help she blows through the best in less than a minute. People are not stupid. Atleast not everyone. They know that no one is that much better than everyone else. There are to many sports to compare. For her to smoke everyone it not onlt shows she is talented bt it shows she is the only talent. Sub defense is the first thing guys learn for MMA. Subs are the hardest thing to land in the UFC. Yet these girls are clueless. Tate putting on a good show was good for them. More important than Ronda. It shows there is someone else out there who is tough. But they needs a dozen or a couple dozen people who at least put up a fight vs Ronda. Getting submited in 54 seconds is hard to call a fight. MMA has had people on runs before. Chuck, Jones, Silva, GSP, Hughes. None of them blew through people like this. Because even though they were better their compeition was at least physically and technically competent.
Good news is it s the press that Rhonda and Gina get that inspires ladies to get into MMA and what will eventually create their sport if it can survive the next 10 years.
The numbers are great for SHOWTIME,but what do they mean for Strikeforce.The event didn’t sellout,and the fight payout was mor than the total gate.The only way to see Rousey value is to have her fight on PPV.If she is a draw like everyone thinks.Than have her fight for PPV buy rates.