Bellator 61: 108,000 viewers
March 20, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 61 ratings for this past Friday almost hit a record low with an average of just 108,000 viewers. The ratings reflect the impact of March Madness added to the jammed MMA lineup on Fridays.
The 108,000 viewership average is the second lowest for Bellator on MTV2. Bellator 53 in October 2011 received just 103,000 viewers.
Bellator 60: 169,000 viewers
Bellator 61: 108,000
Payout Perspective:
Obviously the first weekend of the NCAA tournament did damage to the ratings of all MMA programming Friday night as this past week/weekend is one of the most watched sporting events of the year. One would have to hope that Bellator should bounce back after the tournament ends.
One positive Bellator can takeaway from Friday night’s show was the highlight flying knee from Brian Rogers. The YouTube clip of it has garnered 312,302 views as of this writing which engulfs the number of actual viewers of the card. This bodes well for Rogers and for Bellator to promote him in his next fight.
Via MMA Weekly
TUF Live Ep 1: 1.28 million viewers
March 13, 2012
The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX drew 1.28 million viewers according to a press release provided by the UFC. The ratings won the new Friday night MMA wars at it did better than SpikeTV’s UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Fridays and MTV2’s Bellator 60 live event.
Via UFC press release:
The series debut of The Ultimate Fighter® Live on FX got off to a strong start Friday night (3/9/12, 9:00-11:38 PM) delivering 1.28 Million Total Viewers, 953,000 Adults 18-49 and 538,000 Adults 18-34, and ranking among the top five cable programs on Friday in Men 18-34 (#2), Adults 18-34 (#3), Men 18-49 (#4), and Adults 18-49 (#5)
The Ultimate Fighter® Live (9-11:38 PM ET) was up +58% in Adults 18-49, +96% in Men 18-49 and +124% in Men 18-34 vs. year ago time period.
Compared to other MMA telecasts on Friday evening, The Ultimate Fighter® Live Season 1 debut significantly outperformed Spike’s repeat counter-programming of The Ultimate Fighter® Season 10 by +189% in delivery of Adults 18-34, +162% among Adults 18-49, +208% with Men 18-34, and +167% in Men 18-49, and it also battered live MMA bouts on MTV2 by +703% in delivery of Adults 18-34, +947% among Adults 18-49, +568% with Men 18-34, and +842% in Men 18-49.
Payout Perspective:
Bear in mind that its the UFC press release, but the numbers show that TUF Live won the night of MMA. This can be attributed to the UFC and Fox marketing machines which hyped the show almost everywhere. Bellator 60 garnered just 169,000 viewers as the season premiere ratings are down from last season. Promising news for Bellator was that online streaming of its preliminary bouts on Spike.com were up 58 percent from season 5’s average. No numbers were given but we shall assume that its a sizable increase. It will be interesting to see how competitive (or lopsided) the MMA Friday night ratings will be over the next couple months.
Bellator video game coming Summer 2012
March 9, 2012
Bellator will launch its own video game this summer entitled, “Bellator: MMA Onslaught.” The video game developed by Kung Fu Factory and published by 345 Games in conjunction with Spike TV will be available for download on the XBox and Playstation platforms.
Via press release:
In “Bellator: MMA Onslaught” gamers can customize their own fighter’s look and fighting style to battle the way they want, whether it be Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing or other styles. The game also shares tips directly from Bellator fighters through exclusive video content as players continue to level-up and gain experience points, allowing them to learn MMA skills in a fun and engaging way. For bragging rights, players who gain the most wins and XP will top the “Onslaught Leader Boards” online and can have the opportunity to be recognized in upcoming Bellator fights live on-air during broadcast episodes.
345 Games collaborated with Bellator Championships to create “Bellator: MMA Onslaught,” ensuring the arcade style gaming experience mirrors the organization’s format, styles, graphics, and music. As the single-elimination MMA championships league continues to grow, 345 Games will support and update the game with new moves and styles, weight classes, fighter selections and additional content.
Payout Perspective:
The video game is more of a PR/marketing tool to get the Bellator name and brand out there. The downloaded video game presents minimal risk versus a full-blown video game which would have to include much more expense. The anticipated price for the game will be $10-$15 and a demo will likely be available for free. I think its a good move to see the market and interest for the game as well as expose more of an audience to Bellator.
Cox Cable’s new economy tier leaves out Spike, FX
February 15, 2012
Dave Metzler’s Wrestling Observer reports that Cox Communications is offering a lower-tier channel alternative for its subscribers. If this model is followed by other cable providers, it could mean less viewers for fans of MMA and pro wrestling.
According to the Wrestling Observer (subscription requried), the lower tier service Cox is offering includes the major networks (NBC, CBS, Fox), local affiliates and major networks which include WGN, TBS, CNN, Galavision and USA. The package is offered at $35 a month.
ESPN, Spike TV, SyFy, FX, MTV and likely Fuel would not be carried on this tier. Instead, these channels would be available for $60 a month package. Metzler points out that the lower-tier option could curtail the amount of fans that MMA fans could garner through television. The question will be how many subscribers will move to the lower tier and how many cable providers will follow the model outlined by Cox.
Payout Perspective:
The Cox economy cable model seems like it would hurt Bellator more than it would impact the UFC. With the UFC-Fox relationship, viewers subscribing to the new Cox tier would still have the Fox network fights. If Spike is shut out of the lower tier, it would mean that Bellator would only be available online to those without access to the network. Also, much of the UFC’s content will be on FX and Fuel so those subscribers would be missing out on most UFC programming. This is a sign of the impact the economy is having on consumers as some will seek to curtail their cable bill by moving to a lower tier. With some consumers cord-cutting a lower priced cable tier seems like a reasonable way some cable providers will look at in trying to retain subscribers.
11 for 11: No 6 Viacom purchases Bellator
December 25, 2011
Viacom purchased a majority stake in Bellator this fall and announced that it would move its newest purchase to Spike TV in 2013.
With the UFC looking for a new network dance partner most of 2011, many believed that Bellator would make the move to Spike. The purchase of Bellator confirmed the speculation.
Spike TV has the rights to the UFC library through 2012 and it was thought that Zuffa would purchase the library from Spike but that notion has died down. Spike.com began airing the preliminary fights of Bellator events this year as well.
Ironically, Dana White embraced the Viacom move as the UFC believed that the purchase would ease an FTC investigation and any notion of Zuffa monopolizing the MMA industry. Instead, White described the UFC as a “mom and pop” in comparison to Viacom.
With the Viacom acquisition, it will be interesting to see how much of an investment it puts into Bellator on Spike. Talent acquisitions, production for Bellator programming and marketing should be at the top of the list for improvement for the organization.
“Ultimate Fridays” to run opposite TUF-Bellator
December 20, 2011
Spike TV announced that it would air episodes from the past 14 episodes of The Ultimate Fighter on Fridays. The programming move runs opposite FX’s “The Ultimate Fighter” and Bellator on MTV2.
Via Spike TV press release:
Spike TV, the recognized home of mixed martial arts on television, has announced a new three-hour programming block debuting on Friday, March 2 (9:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT) featuring the greatest episodes from the 14 seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter.” From Rashad Evans to Matt Serra, from Forrest Griffin to Kimbo Slice, “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays” on Spike TV will showcase all the incredible knockouts, unbelievable submissions, and tense drama from the seven years of the hit Spike series. The network will air special-themed editions of “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays” with input from fans via Facebook and Twitter. Details will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
I originally thought that Bellator moving to Friday night was a smart move because it could own Friday night. I was wrong as TUF will be on FX on Friday night and now Spike TV will air reruns of past TUFs. An interesting question posed by some is whether airing TUF on Friday would impact Bellator ratings.
John Morgan of MMA Junkie tweeted that a Spike TV executive stated the network chose Friday night because, “Spike has to monetize the library the UFC prefers we keep and run.” An obvious jab at the UFC.
Payout Perspective:
Spike TV’s programming decision will definitely impact both Bellator and TUF. Although reruns, many people will want to see the early seasons which include Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin and Randy Couture.The move appears to be a direct counter to TUF on FX rather than Bellator on MTV2 in the continued bad breakup between the two.This spring will be full of MMA Fridays and it will be interesting to see who will win the ratings war.
Bellator moving to Friday nights for Season 6
December 5, 2011
Bellator will be moving to Friday nights for its sixth season scheduled for March 2, 2012 on MTV2 and Epix according to a Bellator press release.
Via Bellator Press Release:
The premiere will mark the first time Bellator has aired on Friday nights. “Our focus was to find the right night, where the largest number of MMA fans could enjoy the show,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We’ve been discussing this move with our partners at Viacom for months. When we looked at the alternatives, we agreed that Fridays provided a great night for us to reach MMA fans with our live, real sport, tournament events every week.”
Bellator’s Season 6 will feature five tournaments, each loaded with world-class talent from across the globe as well the potential for six World Title fights.”
Payout Perspective:
A very smart move by Bellator to move off of Saturday night’s so it would not go up against the UFC. We will see if the possibility of a Strikeforce/Showtime deal will mean Strikeforce as opposition for Bellator on Friday nights. Still, at this point, the move allows Bellator to own Friday night and have more viewers tune in rather than having them make a choice.
Bellator 59: 265,000 viewers
November 29, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 59’s ratings this past Saturday received an average of 265,000 viewers. A replay of the event Saturday night received an average of 136,000 viewers.
Bellator also ran an encore showing of the much talked about Alvarez-Chandler fight from Bellator 58. The replay received an average viewership of 237,000 viewers.
Payout Perspective:
Although Bellator 59 was slightly lower than 58 (269,000 viewers), the numbers are steady. The slight decline this past weekend is likely due to the long weekend and holiday shopping. But still the numbers for the replay of the Alvarez-Chandler fight shows an increase in fan viewership.
Bellator 58: 269,000 viewers
November 22, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 58 held this past Saturday scored an average of 269,000 viewers. Bellator 58 tied for highest ratings this season and is an impressive number considering it went up against UFC 139.
Despite the competition from the UFC, Bellator ratings doubled from last week.
Via MMA Junkie:
An additional 160,000 viewers watched an immediate replay of Bellator 58, meaning a total of 429,000 viewers watched the event on fight night.
The company does not release viewership numbers for the preliminary streams, but a source close to the promotion said the figure was up 97 percent from the previous week’s total.
Payout Perspective:
Very good numbers for Bellator which were aided by Hector Lombard and the Chandler-Alvarez fight. The replay earned solid numbers likely from the social media buzz of the Chandler-Alvarez fight. The ratings could be a sign that Bellator can compete with the UFC. But, more likely, its a sign that the UFC promoted its Fox debut so much that 139 was an afterthought that did not get a lot of promotion. Based on the UFC on Fox’s numbers, the Bellator ratings increase for its stream and show are impressive but must be tempered considering how big the Fox debut was for UFC (and for Fox).
Bellator 57: 129,000 viewers
November 16, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that Saturday night’s Bellator 57 on MTV2 received a low 129,000. Bellator 57 ran opposite the UFC on Fox, the Pacquiao-Marquez fight and college football Saturday night.
Despite changing its time slot to avoid conflicts, the 129,000 viewers average shows that MMA fans were watching the UFC online, the JDS-Cain marathon on Spike TV, free fight prelims on the Audience Network or college football.
Payout Perspective:
Hopefully in 2012 Bellator can plan ahead during weekends it will run up against UFC PPVs and UFC on Fox. The 129,000 viewers is a low turnout but expected considering the huge event in the UFC. We will see if Bellator can gain some traction with the hype of MMA from the UFC on Fox. It will be interesting to see if it can rebound next week despite competing with a mediocre UFC 139.
