Salaverry offers MMA instruction via phone app
August 3, 2011
MMA Weekly reports that former UFC middleweight Ivan Salaverry has produced a dedicated phone app showing MMA instruction. The app is available on Itunes and is free to download with additional content going for an introductory price point of $2.99.
The app includes Salaverry instruction on the basics of MMA fighting to his signature move, “The Salaverry.” The instruction was shot in HD and three cameras were used to capture all angles of the instruction.
Salaverry spoke to MMA Weekly about the app:
“For me it was really nice to see people to have the ability to download any kind of MMA technique and the possibilities of that. You don’t need to go to your computer; you can just get your smartphone and download it right then and there.”
“You get to see me show techniques like the crucifix that you might not normally get from other people. You also get a lot of different angles with the camera; top side, bottom side, and the detail work of a lot of other stuff we put in there.”
Payout Perspective:
This is a unique approach to the “how to” market in MMA. We’ve seen RUSHFIT workout videos from GSP, the Gracie Academy training programs and even the UFC training partner offered on the PS3, XBox and Wii. It goes to show you that there are multiple platforms for instructional videos and the marketplace is growing. The phone app is a unique idea and from the initial video screen grabs, it looks detailed and comprehensive. More importantly, produced in HD, the picture quality appears good which is necessary if you only have a small screen to look at the video. For a free download and a relatively inexpensive price for additional content, it could catch on.
Friday Night Fights to air on ESPN 3D
June 23, 2011
The Sports Business Daily reports that ESPN 3D is adding boxing as live content for its 3D channel. “Friday Night Fights” will have 5 editions on ESPN 3D this summer.
The article points out that not only will a successful run of Friday Night Fights this summer help the 3D network, it will help with the revitalization of boxing.
ESPN had a test run of boxing in 3D in February and decided to go forth with more this summer. The telecasts are produced as a single telecast in 2D and 3D with one set of announcers. The article points out that the sport of boxing allows for this production since there are less frequent switching of camera angles.
If the summer run is successful, ESPN could look into more boxing in 3D. The 3D Friday Night Fights will begin June 24th and end August 12th.
Payout Perspective:
This is good for the sport of boxing as it seems to have experienced a resurgence in good fights this year. I think the one drawback with 3D is the need to purchase a special television (with 3D capabilities) and glasses for all viewers. This is not cheap. While I am not yet on board with the 3D concept, I have not seen boxing in 3D. It may be the wave of the future and could be good for boxing in drawing more positive attention to the sport. It will be interesting to see the viewership of Friday Night Fights in 3D and see if it picks up over the summer.
You may recall that the UFC aired its last Versus show in 3D. I am not sure whether the UFC will bring it back in the near future, but if it does it will likely happen after it signs a new television deal.
UFC 131 Prelims on Facebook and YouTube
June 8, 2011
MMA Weekly reports that the prelims for UFC 131 will not only be streamed via the UFC’s Facebook page as is the norm now, but it will also be streamed via YouTube. The channel run by the UFC will not go live until Saturday.
MMA Weekly states that YouTube has increased its coverage of live events including the Coachella music concert last month.
Payout Perspective:
With the UFC already streaming on Facebook, the decision to stream on YouTube seems duplicative and almost cannibalizing its own streaming product. Then again, maybe its a way to get the anti-Facebookers to check out the fights online. More likely, its an expansion of its online presence and a way of determining the best strategy to proceed with its online streaming. The UFC has always been ahead of the game when it comes to new media and this is another example. It will be interesting to see how it does with a less than stellar card this weekend.
White announces PPVs via XBox Live
June 7, 2011
MMA Mania reports Dana White made an appearance at the annual video game convention, E3 Expo 2011, to announce a partnership with Microsoft in which the UFC PPVs will be available via XBox Live.
Although no date for the start of the service was announced, the price will be about the same as purchasing the PPV on TV: $60. The feature will be available only to those that subscribe to the XBox Live feature on the video game console. PS3 users are out of luck.
There are plans for additional features for those purchasing PPVs via XBox Live including weigh-ins and fights on demand.
Payout Perspective:
The partnership with Microsoft is another good sign of mainstream sponsor support for the UFC. Aligning itself with XBox also is another step for the UFC to have its PPVs on a separate platform other than cable. While the service is limited to XBox Live subscribers, its a step into what could be the future of UFC PPV.
Mosley-Pacquiao Payout Perspective
May 10, 2011
Welcome to a special edition of Payout Perspective as we take a look at Saturday’s fight between Sugar Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada.
Pacquiao dominates Mosley
A simple equation can explain Saturday night’s performance:
Pacquiao >Mosley = Joshua Clottey
Although Mosley told everyone that he was going to take the fight to Pacquiao, he looked more like Joshua Clottey throughout the fight: backing up and unable to use combinations.
While each fighter scored knockdowns, Mosley’s was more of a push than a punch. This only angered Pacquiao who attempted to end the fight in the last two rounds although he was ahead by a huge margin. Whatever you think of the strategy, Pacquiao does not lie when he says he wants the fans to see a good show.
The crowd booed Mosley’s effort and the sportsmanship each fighter possessed as it seemed that the fighters touched gloves at each pause in the action.
It looks like Pacquiao has a November 2011 date set with…Juan Manuel Marquez. This may be the most competitive bout for Pacquiao in a couple years…or we may get another older fighter finding away to escape a barrage of Pacquiao combinations.
Unlike other boxing PPVs, this card had two exciting undercards. First, we had the return of Kelly Pavlik in an entertaining fight against Alfonso Lopez. Next, Jorge Arce defeated Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. when Vasquez’s corner threw in the towel. According to the scorecards, Vasquez may have had the narrow lead. I was under the impression that the corner cannot stop the fight be throwing in the towel (see Yuri Foreman vs. Miguel Cotto). Regardless, it was an entertaining fight.
Attendance and Gate
As with every Pacquiao fight, it was a sellout. This time 16,412 fans went to the MGM Grand. Dan Rafael of ESPN tweeted that the final gate was $8,882,600. In comparison, Rafael pointed out Pac-Mosley was the 14th biggest gate in Nevada history but $3.85 million more than the #1 UFC gate in Nevada history.
The weigh-ins garnered 4,000 people and turned away another 2,000. Who says boxing is dead? Well, maybe its just the Pacquiao effect?
Twitter
Pacquiao, Jinkee, Mosley, Jim Gray and (undercard fighter Jorge) Arce all trended worldwide throughout the night. Also, Mosley’s girlfriend, Bella Gonzalez trended on twitter.
Showtime and estimated buys
This was the first boxing PPV put on by Showtime since Bob Arum left longtime partner HBO. Similar to HBO’s 24/7 series, it aired Fight Camp 360, a four-part series featuring the camps of Mosley and Pacquiao. While the episodes ran on CBS and Showtime, ratings-wise, it did not fare well. Despite low ratings for Fight Camp 360, it served its purpose in promoting the match.
The CBS exposure was one of the reasons Arum chose Showtime over HBO. Fight Camp 360 aired the day of the Final Four and in prime time a week before the fight. It also aired commercials throughout CBS programming.
Bob Arum told the NY Times that he expects the buys for Saturday’s fight to be roughly around 1.2 million. This would be the same as Pacquiao’s fight with Antonio Margarito. While this may not be as many buys as Arum would have wanted, the opportunity to get his product in front of more eyes on network television and for it to one day be back on CBS would be an ideal goal.
Sponsors
The main sponsors for Saturday night were O’Reilly Auto Parts, Mortal Kombat (also at UFC 129), AT&T and Smart – the leading wireless service provider in the Philippines. Nike also was prominent sponsor. As always, Tecate was big on fight night and leading up to the fight. It was able to do more this Pacquiao fight than others since the fight was announced sooner than past Pacquiao fights.
With the announcement (or soon to be) of Marquez-Pacquiao III, expect Tecate to make a huge promotional push for November 2011.
With the restructured Pacquiao management team, Hewlett Packard signed a deal with Pacquiao to endorse its new line of tablet computers. The NY Times had an interesting piece on the woman behind it all. Hopefully this works out for Team Pacquiao. Did anyone else notice that after Manny’s post-fight interview he ended with the talking point of checking out his web site, mpboxing.com?
Top Rank offers fight online
Top Rank signed a deal with NeuLion, Inc. to offer the fight online. NeuLion is the same company that worked with the UFC to upgrade UFC.tv. In addition, the Top Rank web site offered other streaming in lead-up to the fight. Its a step in the right direction for boxing to reach out to a younger demographic.
Odds and Ends
Before I forget, did any other DirecTV subscribers notice that if you ordered UFC 129 online, you could not watch on other televisions in your home as you normally could. For Mosley-Pacquiao, I was able to watch on multiple televisions when ordering online.
The Showtime broadcast crew was decent, although the HBO crew of Lampley, Kellerman, Steward, et al is better. Gus Johnson is still a better basketball announcer than anything. He did reference MMA when describing one of Pacquiao’s punches as a “Superman Punch.”
Jim Gray or Larry Merchant?
Best dialogue during the Fight Camp 360 series was when Manny Pacquiao told former champ Manny Tapia that he liked the “purse” better than the “belt”. Referring to the payout rather than his championship belt.
UPDATE – 5/11/11
Forgot to include EA Sports’ participation which included this odd interaction between Teddy Atlas and video game likenesses of Pacquiao and Mosley. EA was promoting its game Fight Night Champion.
Top Rank offers Pacquiao-Mosley online
May 7, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that Top Rank Boxing is partnering with NeuLion, Inc. to offer fight fans an enhanced online PPV stream. NeuLion, a company specializing in live and on demand video via the internet, is the same company that has worked with the UFC.
This past February, the UFC entered into a working relationship with NeuLion to upgrade its UFC.tv web site. Todd duBoef, Top Rank’s president, stated that boxing is adapting to new media and believes that boxing and MMA have room to grow online.
duBoef told MMA Junkie:
“Because they [MMA] weren’t getting traditional media coverage early on, I think MMA was at the forefront for their sport at understanding the new-media perspective of where the fans are, who’s engaged there, who’s dialed in there, who’s interacting there. I think we’ve all learned a lot from seeing how that fanbase works.”
Boxing enthusiasts will have access to these things and more with the Pacquaio vs. Mosley stream, which is being offered at Top Rank Boxing’s official website, as well as Yahoo! Sports’ boxing page, for $54.99.
In lead-up to tonight’s fight, Top Rank has streamed online a Manny Pacquiao workout, press conference, the weigh-ins among other events. In the past, Top Rank, in collaboration with Yahoo! began airing undercard fights online. But this will be the first time that the main event will be shown online.
Payout Perspective:
Top Rank’s move online validates what MMA fans already knew: the UFC is ahead of the game when it comes to new media. The move by Top Rank makes sense considering the perception that boxing is losing ground to MMA in the world of combat sports. While it is believed that boxing’s demographic is older than the MMA target audience, a claim duBoef refutes in the article, it will be interesting to see how many fight fans pay for the online version of the fight tonight.
TapouT introduces new phone
April 18, 2011
TapouT is partnering with MetroPCS in rolling out a new “Tapout”-edition Huawei Ascend cell phone. The phone includes preloaded virtual training ceneter videos and wallpaper.
To promote its release, TapouT is traveling cross-country and blogging about its journey. Here is its visit to ATT.
The TapouT crew visits American Top Team Gym in Coconut Creek Florida from Sanctioned by TapouT on Vimeo.
Via CNet.com:
The Huawei Ascend’s Tapout edition will be available within the next few weeks, MetroPCS said in a statement. The Tapout Ascend will cost $199 with $50 instant rebate, and that’s without a contract. In addition, two mixed-martial-arts fighters, will visit select MetroPCS stores to promote the handset and the Tapout brand. MetroPCS is offering an additional 20 percent off of Tapout merchandise and a free trip for those who buy the phone.
Payout Perspective:
This past weekend we featured an MMA phone app and today is an MMA-themed phone. Its another sign of the burgeoning popularity of MMA as it moves into different markets. The promotional tour is an interesting idea as the TapouT guys travel around to promote the phone and visit MMA gyms. The tour is reminiscent of Tapout’s show on Versus in 2007-2008.
Company offers “Cage Name” via phone app
April 16, 2011
A pair of Toronto MMA enthusiasts have developed an iPhone app generating possible MMA names for its users. Similar to the Jersey Shore nickname generator developed a couple years ago, the app is aims to be an entertaining app for MMA fans.
Via press release:
Toronto, ON (April 14, 2011) – Fans and wannabe fighters can get a taste of the MMA spotlight with the Cage Name app, from Me Thinks Studios. The entertaining and easy-to-use app generates fighter personas by pairing unique nicknames with standout images for every type of MMA fan – from the glass-jawed rookie to the cauliflower-eared veteran. The MMA-focused name generator is one of the first of its kind.
With a tap, a swipe, and a shake, the app lets users choose names from an array of categories and then matches their name with a comic book-style character depicting one of the major fighting styles.
The app has a price point of $0.99. Cage Name is available in iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Payout Perspective:
An interesting way to enter the MMA marketplace: the iPhone app. At a price point of $0.99 the app should garner the interests of MMA fans willing to try something out for a buck. The company does a good job in trying to capitalize on the social media angle by encouraging its users to integrate the app with other social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps it will not be the next “Angry Birds” (or maybe it will) but its a novel idea to attract MMA fans.
UFC will be 3D Thursday
February 28, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that UFC on Versus 3 will be in 3D for the first time in its history. Only those with 3D-capable TV sets through dedicated 3D channels will have the opportunity to see the event in 3D.
Via MMA Junkie:
“We’re really excited to start broadcasting UFC events in 3D,” UFC President Dana White stated. “UFC is ahead of the curve when it comes to introducing new technology, and we think UFC fans will really enjoy seeing fights in 3D.”
The 3D broadcast features a separate production crew and equipment.
Todd Harris and Kenny Florian will announce the 3D broadcast in addition to the regular crew of Goldberg and Rogan.
Payout Perspective:
As we wrote in our UFC 126 Payout Perspective, we had a hunch the UFC would head to 3D soon. It will be interesting to see how the broadcast would look in 3D. If you have a 3D TV and plan on watching the event, we’d like to hear from you after the event. From what I’ve seen of the new 3D TV technology, it is very nice, but if you need to wear special glasses to view the matches, I don’t foresee this growing in widespread popularity.
White predicts UFC.tv is future of PPV
February 11, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that UFC head Dana White predicts that the new UFC.tv technology launched with UFC 126 is the future of UFC events.
Dana White told MMA Junkie:
”I’ve been saying it for 10 years. Everything is going Internet. I believe that everybody is going to be watching TV and be on the Internet.” While the UFC has long offered its pay-per-view broadcasts via online streams, the partnership with NeuLion includes options for fans to choose multiple camera angles from which to view the fight, as well as the option to listen to a variety of audio feeds, including direct feeds from each fighter’s corners.
Payout Perspective:
While White believes the future of PPV may be the internet, many people that purchased the new, online technology were dissatisfied with their experience. Several people in the forum section of MMA Underground complained of technical issues and poor picture quality with UFC.tv. (h/t MMA Supremacy). As with new technology, there will be bugs and hopefully the UFC will do something to address the complaints. But these problems may make other leery of purchasing online.
Its hard to foresee UFC events going online exclusively. This would foreclose a portion of the fan base that are not online savvy, not willing to purchase an event via the internet and not willing to sit in front of a computer for 3 hours to watch a UFC event. I think the success of UFC.tv will depend on the ease of use and the picture quality. Two things that were an issue with the UFC 126 broadcast.
