UFC on FX 8: 1.3 million viewer average
May 22, 2013
MMA Fighting reports ratings for UFC on FX 8 were down from last event’s high as Saturday’s event from Brazil scored 1.3 million viewers. The 1.3M figure is on average with ratings for UFC on FX shows.
Saturday’s main event on FX saw Vitor Belfort KO Luke Rockhold with a highlight reel reverse head kick.
In addition, the Prelims on Fuel TV received 156,000 viewers for a 0.35 rating. It was down from January’s UFC on FX 7 Prelims on Fuel TV. But, it was up from the 132,000 viewer average.
Payout Perspective:
Average numbers for a card that did not have too many popular fighters known to many in the United States. The event is the last of its kind on FX as the bulk of UFC programming moves to the new Fox Sports 1 network in August.
UFC 159 Prelims: 1.38 million
May 1, 2013
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer and MMA Fighting reports that the ratings for the UFC 159 Prelims on FX scored a 1.38 million viewer average. Although Saturday’s showing was down from UFC 158, it was above the 1.2 million viewer average on FX.
The UFC 159 Prelims improved on ratings from the UFC on Fox 7 Prelims the previous week as that show did 1,057,000.
More numbers from MMA Fighting:
For Fuel, the post-fight show did a 0.34 rating and 159,000 viewers. That broke the record for post-fight coverage after a pay-per-view show. The old record was 125,000 viewers set after UFC 158.
The weigh-ins on Friday did 109,000 viewers. While barely half of the Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz weigh-in audience that holds the record at 215,000 viewers, it was the fourth most-watched weigh-in ever on Fuel.
Payout Perspective:
The ratings for the programming supporting the PPV might be a good sign for the actual numbers for the event. The actual FX show on Saturday was lackluster as two fights were stopped due to injury, it showed the Sara McMann fight twice and production had to show extended promos to fill time.
UFC 159: Payout Perspective
April 30, 2013
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at UFC 159 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey where Jon Jones defended his Light Heavyweight title against Chael Sonnen.
Jones takes care of Sonnen, now must heal toe
It was the outcome that most had expected. Despite Sonnen’s promos, Jones did what was needed to stop Sonnen with a few seconds left in Round 1. It was a good thing, because if he didn’t, it would have been interesting what may have happened for Round 2. Jones could not have gone out there with his toe pointed in an opposite direction.
Now, the question is how long will Jones be out and who will be next for him. Anderson Silva? Lyoto Machida? Alexander Gustafsson? We will see.
For the “Gangster,” I hope to see him in a suit as an analyst.
Nelson KOs Kongo
Jones does what he does and Nelson does what he does – knock people out. While Nelson asked for a title shot, it’s likely he gets at least one more fight before there’s serious consideration.
Bisping beats Belcher after eye poke
Michael Bisping showed once again why he should receive a title shot. The TUF alum beat up Alan Belcher but the fight was stopped after a nasty eye poke which was the second gruesome thing on the PPV next to Jones’ toe.
Bisping must now wait in line once again for a shot.
Attendance and Gate
As reported earlier, attendance at UFC 159 placed second in terms of UFC events at the venue with Hardy vs. GSP being first. UFC 159 reported attendance of 15,227 fans for a $2.7 million gate.
Bonuses
This event’s bonuses were $65,000 each as opposed to the UFC standard of $50,000. As reported earlier the bonuses were as follows:
Fight of the Night: Healy vs. Miller
KO of the Night: Nelson
Submission of the Night: Healy
Sponsorships
-The Octagon included the usual sponsors: TapouT, MetroPCS, Toyo Tires, Xyience, UFC Gym, Harley Davidson, Dodge, MusclePharm, Alienware, UltimatePoker.net and Bud Light. It also included local sponsor Modell’s Sporting Goods.
-UFC Gym sponsored the prep point. UFC Fit was also prevalent last week at UFC on Fox 7. The move into fitness is a reason that Reebok may be a potential sponsor. Could this be one of the reasons why Dana White met with Reebok officials? Also interesting that a potential Reebok deal may happen and just a few months ago Rampage Jackson could not wear Reebok logos in the Octagon for his last fight.
-Representatives from Doritos were also present as it may have a potential interest in sponsorship.
-Ronda Rousey was featured in a MetroPCS commercial shown during the Prelims. It was also revealed that she signed a one year deal with Xyience
-Jones was sponsored by Nike and had his signature shoes released the week before the event. The shoes sold out quickly although there were limited quantities. Jones actually threw out his shoes to the weigh-in crowd on Friday. He also wore Monster headphones, another UFC official sponsor, at the weigh-ins, to the ring and even when he sat on the stool being interviewed post-fight.
-Sonnen wore a TapouT blue ring robe with a Modell’s patch on the arm. It was reminiscent of boxers or pro wrestlers and appropriate for Sonnen.
-An ironic sponsor for Sonnen was VA Mortgage Lending. As you may recall, Sonnen plead guilty to money laundering in a mortgage fraud case during his realtor days in Oregon. While Sonnen’s actions were not related to VA Mortgage Lending, its still strange that you would want to have it as a sponsor because it reminds people of what happened in the past.
-Phil Davis had a couple throwback sponsors: Affliction and Lugz
Pre-Fight Hype
When you talk about hype, Chael Sonnen comes to mind. The Ultimate Fighter was to serve as the 12 week promo piece for this fight but it was actually Sonnen’s banter the week or so after the TUF Finale that served as the real promotion for UFC 159.
I really enjoyed the UFC Countdown show this time around especially the Alan Belcher-Michael Bisping back and forth. Perhaps, Bisping can pick up the “King of MMA Smacktalk” when Chael Sonnen retires.
This card produced a couple interesting articles on the issue of race. Tim Marchman wrote an article on Deadspin and Tomas Rios wrote one for The Pacific Standard which explores the issue and whether Chael Sonnen uses race to gain fans. We explore the public relations aspects of Sonnen here. When challenged on the subject of race on ESPN’s Dan LeBatard show, Sonnen deflected the direct issue and seemed genuinely uncomfortable about talking about it. This was something unusual for Sonnen who was on in each appearance he did for the promotion of UFC 159.
Odds and Ends
- Darren Rovell sent a tweet Saturday night which stirred the pot for defenders of the UFC. Rovell indicated that the UFC may have lost its “edge” based on the fact he knew someone that purchased a ticket for $50 with a face value of $553. UFC PR’s Dave Sholler tweeted defending the UFC and its attendance indicating that it mattered and then Dana White sent a tweet professing that its numbers are improving and would prove it by sending it to the ESPN Sports Biz guy. We will see if Rovell gets that information. We’ll have more on this interesting story later.
- The card was deemed “cursed” by Joe Rogan for the various stoppages due to injury. This started with two stoppages due to injury during the Prelims and continued with Alan Belcher’s eye poke and then Jon Jones’ toe. And of course, we get a full on brawl in the stands caught on camera during Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” No word on the deep voiceover between rounds during Bisping-Belcher but it seemed fitting for what happened during the night.
- Sarah McMann v. Sheila Gaff was aired on the prelims twice on FX as a result of filler. But, the fight was the first women’s fight not hyped for the fact it was a women’s fight in the UFC. McMann disposed of Gaff quickly.
- Leonard Garcia-Cody McKenzie was the only fight not aired. McKenzie indicated he was going to take some time off for personal reasons. Garcia may be on his way out of the UFC.
Conclusion
The card was not as interesting on paper as last week’s UFC on Fox 7 and it played out that way in reality. Sonnen did his usual work to hype the fight but many believed that it was a mismatch from the start. The unusual issues during the card confirmed its demise as probably one of the strangest in some time. Although Nelson’s KO and Healy’s submission were highlights, the rest of the night proved so-so. A buy rate of 500K would be a success here and many probably bought it because they were fans of Sonnen and/or Jones as the supporting card lacked intriguing matchups.
UFC on Fox 7 attendance, gate and bonuses
April 20, 2013
MMA Junkie reports the attendance and gate for the UFC on Fox 7 was 13,506 for a gate of $1.333 million. In addition, $50,000 bonuses were given for Fight of the Night and two KOs as there were plenty of knockouts but no submissions.
The bonuses were as follows:
Fight of the Night: Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein
KO of the Night: Josh Thomson
KO of the Night: Yoel Romero
Payout Perspective:
A great prelims and main card that was certainly PPV worthy. An interesting night with no submissions and a healthy amount of KOs. Not a good night for the Skrap Pack as Nate Diaz took a stiff leg kick from Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez lost a tough split decision to Benson Henderson. Overall, an exciting night of fights on FX and Fox.
TUF 17 Finale ratings: 1.7 million
April 16, 2013
John Morgan of MMA Junkie reports that The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on Saturday night scored 1.705 million viewers. Morgan reported the TUF 17 Finale was the number 1 cable show in the 18-49 male demo.
Notably, Morgan reported that the number 1 network programming at the time was NASCAR on Fox.
The TUF 16 Finale in December received a 1.3 million viewers and TUF Live in June received just 1 million viewers.
Payout Perspective:
Strong ratings when compared to the last 2 TUF Finales on FX. The added hype of the women fighting for a spot to coach opposite Ronda Rousey and TUF competitor Uriah Hall were reasons why there were more viewers. The interesting thing is that neither one was in the main event which was headlined by Urijah Faber. A good swan song for the TUF franchise on FX.
Bellator MMA Live First Season a Success
April 11, 2013
Bellator’s inaugural season on Spike TV scored an average of 861,000 viewers according to a recent press release. Despite some issues during the season, it was an overall success.
Via Bellator press release:
Spike TV’s debut season of Bellator MMA was a ratings success for the network, delivering an average of 861,000 viewers, culminating with 952,000 viewers for its finale event this past Thursday, April 4. Emanating from venues all around the country, Bellator’s live events on Spike TV improved the timeslot (Thursdays from 10pm – 12:00am) in the hard-to-reach male demographic of Men 25-34 by 36% (compared to last year).
Bellator’s shift from MTV2 to Spike TV proved to be a ratings bonanza for the rising MMA league. The most recent season 8 on Spike TV delivered +388% more viewers than Season 7 on MTV 2 and +403% more viewers than Season 6. Also of note, the weekly encore presentation of the Bellator events drew an average of 336,000 on Thursday night (12:00-2:00am) – thus the weekly cume was an impressive 1,197,000 viewers.
Competitively, Bellator MMA consistently placed in the top 10 in cable among Men 18-34 and Men 18-49 in the timeslot. For the live finale last week, Bellator placed #6 with Men 18-49 with a 0.7 rating. Also, Bellator’s April 4 event was a hit on social media as it ranked #5 on cable for tweets during episode airtime, the highest during this season.
Kevin Kay told MMA Fighting that he thought the ratings would be between 600K to 700K. He also indicated that they were unsure how much TNA had an impact (sorry) on its ratings.
Payout Perpsective:
According to our count, Bellator MMA Live did a season average of 793,000 viewers so the 861,000 may include the replays and/or 3 day DVR totals. Despite an upset loss by the highly touted Mo Lawal, some suspect judging and minor production issues, the season was a success. It also developed an app which many seemed to like and created another platform for fans to connect. It now must work on introducing fans to the likes of Pat Curran and Michael Chandler to gain a following.
TUF 17 Episode 12: 1.09 million
April 11, 2013
Television By Numbers reports that the season finale for TUF 17 scored a viewer average of 1.09M. The finale ratings garnered a 0.6 share.
TUF 17 Season
TUF 17 Episode 1: 1.51 million
TUF 17 Episode 2: 1.27 million
TUF 17 Episode 3: 1.191 million
TUF 17 Episode 4: 1.25 million
TUF 17 Episode 5: 1.13 million
TUF 17 Episode 6: 1.14 million
TUF 17 Episode 7: 1.259 million
TUF 17 Episode 8: 1.12 million
TUF 17 Episode 10: 1.03 million
TUF 17 Episode 11: 1.174 million
TUF 17 Episode 12: 1.09 million
The final episode included a visit by the four semifinalists, coaches and Dana White to the local Harley Davidson as part of the promo for the official sponsor. The winner gets a customized Harley. The TUF episode featured the semifinals with Kevin Gastelum and Uriah Hall emerging as the two finalists to compete for the TUF crown Saturday night. Hall has to be the most impressive fighter coming out of the season.
As an aside, the WWE Hall of Fame aired an hour later on the USA Network and received a 1.63 million viewer average.
Payout Perspective:
It was the best season for TUF on FX but slightly lower than the least watched TUF on Spike TV (Season 13 – 1.24M). One has to think that the hype between Sonnen and Jones would have brought more viewers than a 1.21 million viewer average for the season. There was much hype before the show and I would have expected a Rashad-Rampage like animosity which would have meant better viewership. Yet, that didn’t happen and it seemed like they became friends throughout. This may have cooled viewership as the season progressed. The UFC/FX tried new production including a more “reality” feel with camera angles, interviews, etc. Not sure if this was well-received or if the content was the issue.
TUF 17 Episode 11: 1.174 million viewer average
April 5, 2013
Television By Numbers reports that TUF 17 episode 11 received an average of 1.174 million viewers for a rating of 0.7.
TUF 17 Episode 1: 1.51 million
TUF 17 Episode 2: 1.27 million
TUF 17 Episode 3: 1.191 million
TUF 17 Episode 4: 1.25 million
TUF 17 Episode 5: 1.13 million
TUF 17 Episode 6: 1.14 million
TUF 17 Episode 7: 1.259 million
TUF 17 Episode 8: 1.12 million
TUF 17 Episode 10: 1.03 million
TUF 17 Episode 11: 1.174 million
As a sidenote, the season finale of Justified scored an average of 2.2 million viewers with TUF as its lead-in. This week, TUF competed with the return of live sports including MLB (and free MLB Extra Innings package this week) and NBA games on TNT.
Payout Perspective:
This week’s episode was up from its season low last week. As with last week, the show featured two fights. In this episode, the two ended in two first round stoppages. With the season almost over, the average for season 17 hovers around 1.23 million viewers. Its likely that the UFC and FX would have liked to seen this number higher considering the coaches involved.
TUF 17 Episode 10: 1.09 million
April 1, 2013
Before we head into this week’s episode, we would be remiss without letting you know that last week’s The Ultimate Fighter received an average of just 1.09 million viewers via MMA Fighting. It was the lowest ratings for the season.
TUF 17 Episode 1: 1.51 million
TUF 17 Episode 2: 1.27 million
TUF 17 Episode 3: 1.191 million
TUF 17 Episode 4: 1.25 million
TUF 17 Episode 5: 1.13 million
TUF 17 Episode 6: 1.14 million
TUF 17 Episode 7: 1.259 million
TUF 17 Episode 8: 1.12 million
TUF 17 Episode 9: 1.3 million
TUF 17 Episode 10: 1.03 million
Payout Perspective:
Even with appearances by Ronda Rousey, Mike Tyson and two fights, TUF did its lowest ratings for this season. Its disappointing considering there were no major sporting events on Tuesday night. We shall see if two more fights this week will get any rise out of the ratings.
TUF 17 Episode 9: 1.3 million
March 24, 2013
MMA Fighting reports that this week’s TUF episode scored the second highest ratings of the season with a 1.0 rating and an average of slightly over 1.3 million viewers.
According to MMA Fighting, the episode received a 1.37 rating in Males 18-34 and a 1.25 in Males 18-49.
TUF 17 Episode 1: 1.51 million
TUF 17 Episode 2: 1.27 million
TUF 17 Episode 3: 1.191 million
TUF 17 Episode 4: 1.25 million
TUF 17 Episode 5: 1.13 million
TUF 17 Episode 6: 1.14 million
TUF 17 Episode 7: 1.259 million
TUF 17 Episode 8: 1.12 million
TUF 17 Episode 9: 1.3 million
Payout Perspective:
It was Thanksgiving on this episode of TUF which underscored one of the unexpected happenings of this season: Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones actually like each other outside of the Octagon. This was highlighted by Sonnen’s toast calling Jones a “gentleman” which occurred during a Thanksgiving meal with all of the competitors at the TUF house.
