UFC 146 Primetime Ep 2: 544,000 viewers
May 22, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that the second episode of UFC 146 Primetime scored an average of 544,000 viewers on Friday night on FX. Last week’s debut featuring JDS and Frank Mir had an average of 542,000 viewers.
First episode – 542,000 viewers
Second episode – 544,000 viewers
The previous UFC Primetime, Jones vs. Evans, grabbed an average of 560,000 viewers. The first UFC Primetime on FX: Diaz vs. Condit, averaged 540,000 viewers. A strong showing next week could eclipse this.
Payout Perspective:
Its hard to say whether the UFC and Fox are pleased with the ratings but at least it is in the relative same ballpark as the previous two Primetimes on FX. The numbers definitely reflect an adjustment to Friday nights. With such a low number pulled by lead-in TUF Live this week, one would have to think that this week’s Primetime rating was encouraging. If it can pull off a decent number this week, it may do better than the Diaz/Condit series.
TUF Live Ep. 11: 821,000 viewers
May 21, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that last Friday’s TUF Live on FX scored an all-time low of 821,000 viewer average. Its the second time this season that the series has set its all-time ratings low.
TUF Live Episode 1: 1.28 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 2: 1.1 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 3: 1.2 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 4: 1.1 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 5: 947,000 viewers
TUF Live Episode 6: 1 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 7: 1 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 8: 929,000 viewers
TUF Live Episode 9: 954,000 viewers
TUF Live Episode 10: 948,000 viewers
Payout Perspective:
This is disappointing considering there were two fights on the card and we got to know the fighter that would replace Dominick Cruz. We’ll see what the numbers are for the Countdown show which followed TUF Live. If it did better, we might deduce that TUF Live just isn’t doing it for UFC fans this time around.
Zombie and Cowboy top list of UFC on Fuel TV 3 money earners
May 18, 2012
MMA Junkie reports the salaries from UFC on Fuel TV 3. The Korean Zombie, Donald Cerrone and TUF alum Amir Sadollah received the highest pay from Tuesday night.
Via MMA Junkie:
Chan Sung Jung: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Poirier: $14,000
Amir Sadollah: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Lopez: $6,000
Donald Cerrone: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
def. Jeremy Stephens: $24,000
Yves Jabouin: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Jeff Hougland: $8,000
Igor Pokrajac: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Fabio Maldonado: $11,000
Tom Lawlor: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Jason MacDonald: $19,000
Brad Tavares: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Dongi Yang: $12,000
Cody McKenzie: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Marcus LeVesseur: $6,000
T.J. Grant: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Carlo Prater: $10,000
Rafael dos Anjos: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Kamal Shalorus: $11,000
Johnny Eduardo: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Jeff Curran: $8,000
Francisco Rivera: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Alex Soto: $6,000
Payout Perspective:
Korean Zombie only made $34,000 but cashed in with 2 bonuses with a reported total of $114,000 for the night. Cerrone avenged his loss to Nate Diaz and that loss doesn’t look too bad now considering Diaz’s victory last week. Also, Amir Sadollah received a slight bump in pay as he’s getting $24K + $24K win whereas his past couple fights he was at $20K/$20K.
Attendance, gate and bonuses from UFC on Fuel 3
May 16, 2012
MMA Weekly reports gate, attendance and bonuses for Tuesday’s UFC on Fuel 3. The event took place at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. event took place at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
The 10,000-seat arena at the Patriot Center was half full with the official attendance at 4,592 with a gate of $343,175.
Bonuses for the night were $40,000 each:
Fight of the Night: Korean Zombie/Dustin Poirer
Submission of the Night: Korean Zombie
Knockout of the Night: Tom Lawlor
Obviously, it was the Korean Zombie’s night. Both KZ and Poirer put on a great fight for the fans. Apparently, it was fortunate that Tom Lawlor received the bonus and fight earnings. According to Cagewriter, Lawlor has borrowed money from friends and family the past year and a half to get by while waiting for a fight.
Payout Perspective:
It’s hard to compare UFC on Fuel 3 with the prior 2 when it comes to gate and attendance. The first UFC on Fuel scored 7,120 fans for a gate of $406,000. But that card was headlined by Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger. For Ellenberger, he was fighting in his hometown so there was more a draw from the local fans. The second Fuel card was held in Sweden and received big numbers (15,428/$2.23 million) since it was the first time the UFC came to the country. Also, it featured local product Alex Gustafsson in the main event.
Despite the attendance on Tuesday, I think the smaller setting and college campus atmosphere is a good idea for the UFC. It attracts its targeted demo and the young fans will sure to be excited about the fights. It could potentially attract sponsors to do on campus promotions in hyping the events.
UFC on Fuel TV 3: 173,000 viewers
May 16, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that Tuesday’s UFC on Fuel 3 event scored an average of 173,000 viewers. The ratings show a steady decline in ratings from the past 2 live Fuel events.
Via MMA Junkie:
February’s UFC on FUEL TV 1 event holds the all-time UFC-FUEL TV ratings record with 217,000 viewers, and April’s UFC on FUEL TV 2 show ranks second with 197,000. However, UFC on FUEL TV 3 topped all four of the cable channel’s previous preliminary-card broadcasts for UFC on FOX and UFC on FX events from earlier this year.
Payout Perspective:
An impressive main event, but unimpressive ratings. This may be due in part to the Tuesday night viewing audience and the fact it went up against the NBA and NHL playoffs. Another problem may be that the event started early on the west coast. With prelims on Facebook starting in the late afternoon Pacific time, it forecloses on an audience. Conversely, having the fight on too late may hurt east coast viewers and the actual attendance at the fight since it was in Fairvax, VA.
Despite the ratings, it was a good test to see the type of audience it could receive on a Tuesday night. This may come into play with future programming choices. I still see Tuesday night as a viable option for live programming during the week as more often than not it would not compete with other events.
Bellator 68: 169,000 viewers
May 15, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 68 ratings were up to an average of 169,000 viewers. The ratings show an uptick in the ratings for the season on MTV2.
The ratings up the season 6 average to 152,500 from 150,500.
Bellator 67: 165,000 viewers
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:
A nice two show streak of ratings for Bellator as 68 was the third highest for the season. It will be interesting to see if the ratings sustain for the final two weeks of the season as it features the semifinal and final rounds of its tournaments. A stream of 160K plus viewers to end the season should be seen as a sign of improvement although the overall season average may not be better than prior seasons.
King Mo Signs Unprecented Deal With Spike TV’s Bellator & TNA Wrestling
May 10, 2012
Former Strikeforce Light Heavy Weight Champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal announced today that he has signed a first-of-its-kind deal to simultaneously compete for Spike TV properties Bellator Fighting Championship (MMA) & TNA (Professioinal Wrestling).
In an unprecedented move, one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, “King Mo” Lawal, has signed a deal to compete in Spike TV’s two major sports properties, Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling. “King Mo” will join the stars of TNA this summer and resume his mixed martial arts career next year when Bellator Fighting Championships moves to Spike TV from its current television home, MTV2. The deal was jointly announced today by Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV along with Bjorn Rebney, Chairman & CEO, Bellator Fighting Championships and Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment.
“‘King Mo’ is an incredible athlete and a great addition to the Bellator family. He immediately adds prominence and star-power to our light heavyweight division,” said Rebney.
“‘King Mo’ is the perfect athlete for this type of alliance. He is the real deal in MMA, and his bold personality and world class wrestling accomplishments are unparalleled. I’m confident he will have a major impact in both sports,” stated Carter.
Lawal (10-1-1) launched his mixed martial arts career in 2008, and after four straight wins, he faced off against his toughest challenge, renowned fighter Mark Kerr. “King Mo” knocked out Kerr in the first round, and eight months later he defeated Gegard Mousasi in a Light Heavyweight world title fight. Lawal also holds an impressive KO victory against multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championship winner Roger Gracie in September 2011.
“This deal is a dream come true for me,” Lawal said. “Bjorn and Dixie have given me the opportunity to engage in my two great loves, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling, at the same time. And, to have it all on Spike TV is really buttercream icing on a big ol’ cake – not that whipped cream stuff either!”
Lawal rose to grappling acclaim as a NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University in 2003 and a three-time U.S. National Champion (2005, 2006, and 2008) in the 84 kilogram division. In 2007, as a member of the US National team, he brought home a gold medal at the Pan American Games and a silver medal at the World Cup.
A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Lawal lives in San Jose, Calif. and trains with the prominent American Kickboxing Academy.
Payout Perspective:
There aren’t too many options for MMA fighters nowadays since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce last year. King Mo was one of those fighters that benefited from Strikeforce’s existence back when he was fighting for Sengoku in Japan and as a free agent, signed a flexible and favorable contract with the San Jose based promotion despite being courted by multiple promotions.
This time around, King Mo – who has had previous interest and has actually tried out for Professional Wrestling years ago – signs a simultaneous deal to compete for both Bellator and TNA. This is Spike TV’s pocket Aces, giving professional fighters another option to make a living within MMA in the sports and entertainment industry. Some who are purist MMA fans may cringe at the idea of MMA fighters also dabbling in Pro Wrestling, but this has been a constant in MMA for quite some time. From Dan Severn, to many Japanese fighters, to Josh Barnett, Pro Wrestling and MMA have gone hand-in-hand for quite some time. Plus, let’s not forget the UFC’s biggest PPV draw Brock Lesnar – who is now back with WWE – and Ken Shamrock who spiked up everyone’s interest in MMA when he signed with the UFC after competing in WWE.
The history has always been there and it has been a black eye to many that have wanted the sport to be legitimized by mainstream, but we are seeing something new here. Something innovative, if you want to call it. Spike TV is using both of their properties to not only cross-promote, but to embellish the partnership as an alliance and expand their audience. To not only grow Bellator and TNA as individual entities as a union, but to anchor the M18-34 flag on the Spike TV network. It’s innovative, it’s controversial, and its getting people’s attention. Its exactly what Spike TV want’s to do as it continues it’s preparations for the transfer of Bellator from MTV to Spike TV in 2013.
Jason Cruz:
This is a great move for all parties. Despite what MMA purists think about the move, TNA receives higher ratings (1.4 million viewer average) on Spike TV than TUF Live. This will help Lawal financially and as a brand. He’ll be unique and definitely receive some good storylines for the show. For TNA, it elevates its appeal as it tries to move on from the Hulk Hogans and Ric Flairs to a new generation of wrestlers. The pro wrestling company has been asked to retool its product by Spike TV and this is a step in that direction. It also helps that it is moving up in time slots on Thursday nights to avoid competition. As has been rumored, this could lead to Bellator moving to Thursday nights with TNA as a lead-in.
For Bellator, the addition of Lawal should bolster the brand when it makes its long awaited debut on Spike TV. The twittershpere is now speculating whether Rampage Jackson could jump to Bellator as well to create a Lawal-Rampage shootfight. It will be interesting to see whether we will see if Spike TV/Bellator/TNA adopts this strategy of signing fighters to do both (e.g. Josh Barnett).
UFC on Fox 3 Prelims on Fuel TV: 86,000 viewers
May 9, 2012
MMA Weekly reports that UFC on Fox 3 prelims airing on Fuel TV received an average of 86,000 viewers. Its by far the lowest ratings of the three UFC on Fox prelims.
In comparison, UFC on Fox 2 Prelims scored a 144,000 viewer average in January. Its the first time that the average viewership has dipped below 100,000 for a live prelim event airing on Fuel.
Payout Perspective:
The numbers are low but almost expected considering the 3 hour broadcast went up against the Kentucky Derby and the NBA and NHL playoffs. It also had to deal with the Mayweather fight hype. The ratings coupled with the lower UFC on Fox 3 ratings make one wonder whether it was the card or the date of the card that was the issue. The first weekend of May is traditionally a huge weekend for sports so the competition had to be anticipated. But, the lack of a big name, big fight or title defense also contributed to the lack of appeal. Knowing that it was going up against some stiff competition, the card lacked the appeal for a casual viewer. The ratings for the Fuel broadcast are forgivable but the broadcast on Fox must be addressed for the UFC’s next appearance this summer.
UFC boasts increase in viewers on Fuel
May 7, 2012
It appears that the UFC is increasing its viewership on Fuel. Fuel TV has recorded the largest year-to-year percentage increases of total viewers in both prime time and total day in April and this year among all rated, ad-supported cable networks.
Fuel TV reported this growth via press release although it cites figures released by Nielsen Media Research. Fuel TV has ramped up its UFC programming from 213 hours in March to 340 in April. The increase was amplified by a marathon of UFC content during a Fuel TV preview.
Via Fuel TV press release:
April 2012 was up +260% in Total Viewers and +450% in M18-49 vs. April 2011
Prime time viewership grew +275% on Total Viewers and +250% among M18-49 compared to April 2011
Late night finished up +767% on Total Viewers and +1000% among M18-49 from April 2011
UFC on FUEL TV Fight Night on April 14 delivered the most-watched day in network history (on both Total Viewers and M18-49) with an average of 71,000 Total Viewers and 44,000 M18-49, +1320% and +2100%, respectively, vs. April 2011;
UFC on FUEL TV Fight Night on April 14 was the second most-watched program in network history, with 197,000 Total Viewers and the most-watched telecast in network history among the target demo of M18-49 with 142,000;
The program peaked at 298,000 Total Viewers from 5:30pm ET – 5:45pm ET.
April 2012 was the network’s second most-watched month ever, behind February 2012.
For the first four months of 2012, prime time viewership is averaging an increase of +209% over 2011, and total day is up +125% compared to 2011.
Payout Perspective:
If you were looking for a UFC network, you need only look to Fuel TV as it is increasingly becoming the spot to turn to for your UFC fix. It would be interesting to see the numbers as to the converts to Fuel from its last free preview in April. Certainly, it would help to get a wider distribution for Fuel. While it appears that Fuel is gaining acceptance as the spot for UFC, and its gaining steam on FX (based on the Prelims increasing viewership numbers). But, there’s still concern with the TUF Live franchise on FX and Saturday’s numbers on Fox.
UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs Miller Overnight Ratings: 2.25 Million Viewers
May 6, 2012
TV By The Numbers reports on the overnight ratings for UFC on FOX 3, as it wins the time slot for adults 18-49 with a 1.0 rating and a 4 share with an estimated 2.25 million total viewer average (the numbers may be adjusted upwards due to the nature of live programming).
The report states the following:
FOX won a slow Cinco de Mayo in adults 18-49 with its broadcast of a UFC fight, while CBS was number one in total viewers.
.
The latest UFC on FOX bout scored a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49.
.
On CBS, 48 Hours Mystery was the night’s top rated show among adults 18-49, earning a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating, up from last week’s 0.9.
Payout Perspective:
The numbers are down from the first two FOX events. In November of 2011, UFC on FOX debut drew a 3.1 rating with 5.7 million viewers with a peak of 8.8 million viewers. Earlier this year, UFC on FOX 2 drew a 2.6 rating with 4.66 million viewers with a peak at 6.08M. The West Coast tape delay and overrun may help with the final tally for the ratings a little bit, but I don’t see it topping 3 million viewers this time around, which has to be considered a bad number for the UFC and FOX.
The UFC focused on putting on exciting match-ups this time around, but what they made up for in exciting fights, it severely lacked in star power as was the case for the first two shows. UFC on FOX 4 appears to be following a similar blueprint, as Brian Stann vs Hector Lombard has already been booked for the main event, but will have a much better co-main event with Lyoto Machida taking on Ryan Bader.
