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.
UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields nets 610,000 viewers
April 15, 2011
MMA Junkie reports that the debut telecast of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields received 610,000 viewers. The first of three original episodes, the show accompanies The Ultimate Fighter as part of Spike TV’s Wednesday night’s lineup.
Via MMA Junkie:
The debut episode of “UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields” earned the smallest audience to date for a first episode of the “UFC Primetime” series.
The full list of debut episode audience size for the series, as compiled by MMAjunkie.com, includes:
- “UFC Primetime: Rampage vs. Evans” (UFC 114): 1,200,000 viewers
- “UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Hardy” (UFC 111): 1,000,000 viewers
- “UFC Primetime: Lesnar vs. Velasquez” (UFC 121): 974,000 viewers
- “UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Penn II” (UFC 94): 880,000 viewers
- “UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields” (UFC 129): 610,000 viewers
Payout Perspective:
Disappointing ratings considering St. Pierre’s previous ratings success with UFC Primetime. The numbers are lower than its lead-in, TUF, as episode 3 garnered 1.3 million viewers. However, with the record setting attendance at the event, it seems that the Primetime ratings will not correlate with the actual financial success of the event.
WWE’s Jim Ross sums up what may be the sentiments of many that watched the Primetime episode Wednesday (H/t: Bloody Elbow):
Watched the GSP-Jake Shields 30 minute UFC Prime time special Thursday night. It was OK but not a compelling show largely in part to both fighters being somewhat low key and remaining professional. I’m going to buy the PPV nonetheless from Toronto but the TV special, while having good production values and being well edited, felt sort of like a nice bowl of oatmeal with nothing on it.
Tough Enough ratings: 3.3 million viewers
April 6, 2011
WWE’s Monday night debut of its resurrected reality show, Tough Enough, received a huge audience of 3.3 million viewers. The reality show featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin has 14 individuals competing for a WWE contract.
Via Zap2it.com:
WWE TOUGH ENOUGH is #2 new reality series premiere of the year on cable in P18-49 and P18-34.
- P18-49: 1.969 million
- P25-54: 1.714 million
- Total Viewers: 3.326 million
- P18-34: 1.064 million
The numbers equate to a 2.6 rating. MMA Mania compares these numbers to TUF’s premiere last week. TUF 13′s debut featuring former WWE star Brock Lesnar garnered 1.5 million viewers for a 1.0 rating.
Payout Perspective:
Before we go too far with the numbers, as the MMA Mania post points out, the TE debut came after Monday Night Raw (after Sunday’s Wrestlemania). Usually MNR after Wrestlemania’s do well due to the momentum of Sunday’s big show. The Rock-John Cena confrontation was last on MNR and ran over into TE time so there was likely spillover viewers.
But, it will be interesting to track these two shows at it goes forward. Most of TE’s contestants do not seem like people with long-term aspirations of being pro wrestlers (in fact, one of the contestants was/is a MMA fighter) but reality stars whereas the TUF cast seem dedicated to being fighters. So, TE’s cast may have more personality than TUF’s cast. Of course, we haven’t seen too much from TUF’s cast yet. We will see what is more watchable and what will draw viewers. TE may have an advantage here as MNR is the lead-in to TE whereas TUF is the lead-in to Spike’s new reality series “Coal”.
Its official: UFC purchases Strikeforce
March 14, 2011
The UFC acquisition of Strikeforce was offically announced this morning after Saturday’s surprising announcement.
Via Zuffa press release:
Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, announced today that it has purchased the assets of Explosion Entertainment, LLC dba Strikeforce®. Under the terms of the deal, all Strikeforce fighter contracts will be honored, as will its broadcast agreement with Showtime® Networks, Inc. Strikeforce will continue to operate as a separate business and current Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has signed a long-term employment agreement with the company.
“We have worked hard to make mixed martial arts the fastest growing sport in the world,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’ve spent countless hours getting this sport regulated and taking the Octagon® all over the world. Acquiring the Strikeforce assets allows us to continue to develop this sport into a global force.”
“We intend to operate Strikeforce as a separate business much like we did with the WEC for many years,” Lorenzo Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of Zuffa, said. “We look forward to working with Scott Coker, and the entire Strikeforce and Showtime teams to continue to provide quality content for mixed martial arts fans.
“We’ve long admired Scott Coker and the Strikeforce business he launched and developed,” Fertitta continued. “We feel that together with Scott, we can continue to build both Strikeforce and the UFC.”
Currently, Strikeforce holds 16 events annually across the United States. The organization will continue to do so under new ownership and fans can look forward to exciting fights featuring their favorite Strikeforce athletes. While there are currently no plans to bring Strikeforce fighters to the UFC, a new strategy to strengthen Strikeforce’s talented roster is being developed.
“This is an important day for the sport of mixed martial arts,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. “We are excited to work with Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta, Dana White and everyone at the UFC on the quest to make MMA the biggest sport in the world. Fans can continue to expect quality Strikeforce shows and we look forward to giving our athletes an even broader platform on which to perform.”
Strikeforce was represented in the transaction by Evolution Media Capital, a media and sports investment bank affiliated with Creative Artists Agency.
Payout Perspective:
A good discussion of the acquisition in our Main Event section. How long will UFC-Strikeforce operate as “business as usual”? In today’s conference call, Lorenzo Fertitta stated that Showtime will continue production of Strikeforce shows, but they will offer input. (H/t: Bloody Elbow) It will be interesting to see how much input they will offer? There seems to be a lot of things that UFC could make better immediately.
It also seems that Strikeforce fighters (except Paul Daley) are toeing their new company line by stating that the merger is a good thing. MMA Junkie reports that many Strikeforce fighters are excited about the monetary benefits of the merger: fight purses, sponsorships and performance bonuses.
Penn and Fitch head UFC PR tour of Australia
December 23, 2010
B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch toured Australia last week to promote their February 27th bout in Sydney. The promotional tour may assist in educating Aussie fans with mixed views of mixed martial arts.
Via Fight Opinion:
BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, George Sotiropoulos, and Kyle Noke went on a public relations tour yesterday in Australia to promote the promotion’s upcoming event in Sydney in February. A red hot ticket and business will be booming. However, in places like Victoria and Melbourne, you won’t be seeing events any time soon.
The Victoria paper story on the UFC headline: “Ultimate in blood and gore” The article focuses on all the stereotypes of MMA. Cage fighting is banned in Victoria. Melbourne’s Herald Sun had a similar piece although it quoted George Sotiropoulos.
On the positive side, 9MSN and The Moonee Valley Leader had articles which featured UFC fighters. In the 9MSN article, Fitch is featured. The Moonee Valley Leader focuses on the UFC fighters visit to a local gym.
Payout Perspective:
With the expansion of the UFC to new locations, educating the locals on mixed martial arts is vital. The 4 stories show the opposing views of mixed martial arts. Obviously the UFC friendly stories are slanted since the journalists were given access to the fighters. The Victoria paper is the harshest critic of the UFC likely due to the ban in the state. Media tours like this one are necessary when trying to sway public opinon. The access the UFC provides is a good way to get its point of view out to the media.
The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale gate: $380,000
December 5, 2010
MMA Junkie reports that a crowd of 1,622 attended Saturday night’s TUF 12 Finale held at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show garnered a gate of $380,000. The figures are less than the TUF 11 Finale held at the same venue in June.
1,889 fans showed up for the TUF 11 Finale for a gate of $430K. TUF 11 featured Matt Hamill v. Keith Jardine and Chris Leben v. Aaron Simpson.
TUF 12 featured a co-main event of Stephan Bonnar v. Igor Pokrajac. Also, Demian Maia fought former TUFer Kendall Grove.
Payout Perspective:
The Pearl is an intimate place to hold a UFC event. On the broadcast, Joe Rogan reminded us several times that it was a small venue and the Octagon was smaller. It was funny to hear fans clearly. For example, a fan yelled out “Sweep the leg Johnny” during the Hendricks/Story fight. It reminded me of the NWA Wrestling Shows on The Superstation WTBS when the likes of Ric Flair wrestled in front of a studio audience of 56.
Unlike other gate numbers we report, there are no big issues with attendance (unless you argue that fans were watching the Strikeforce event on Showtime). The Pearl is an adequate venue to hold fights for the quality of the TUF fighters mixed in with a couple of known UFC fighters.
Spike TV exec talks about the future of The Ultimate Fighter
November 7, 2010
MMA Junkie recently spoke with Spike TV’s senior vice president Brian Diamond about The Ultimate Fighter. Notably, Diamond defended the show’s portrayal of some of its fighters and its selection process.
The SVP stated that TUF doesn’t seek out “miscreants” for the sake of ratings. Chris Leben and Junie Browing came to mind.
“The reality is, with Junie, he came to us,” Diamond said. “It wasn’t like we said, ‘Let’s go find us a Junie Browning.’ That guy was in casting two other times before he actually got cast on the show.
“The tough part with him is like anything else. You see a guy who’s got raw talent and abilities; it’s just his demons got in the way. You really wanted to give him an opportunity to see if he could weed those demons out. Unfortunately, it didn’t necessarily happen, but it’s like an MMA fight: you don’t know how it’s going to end until it ends because anything can happen in the last five seconds of the third round.”
Diamond indicated that the fighters trying out realize they need more than MMA skills to get in the house.
“[Fighters] know; they see the show,” Diamond said. “They know that they have to be interesting. They don’t have to be crazy, necessarily, but they just have to be interesting personalities.”
He also addressed criticisms, some of which have been stated in the comments section on this site, that TUF has run its course.
“We challenge ourselves,” Diamond said. “The fights to get into the house, adding the wild card, trying to find a unique combination of coaches – whether it’s Tito (Ortiz) and Chuck (Liddell), Rashad (Evans) and ‘Rampage’ (Jackson) – or when Kimbo Slice came into the mix, those are things that we try to challenge ourselves on. But the reality is, people are still watching it.”
“That would be like saying, I’m not going to watch the Daytona 500 because it’s the same race ever year. Well, there are different drivers. We don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the reality, and in those things, they don’t even tweak anything. They don’t go like, ‘Oh, the top three seeds have to be 50 yards back in the pack.’ It’s the same race.
Payout Perspective:
I find it interesting that when the weekly ratings of The Ultimate Fighter are released the comments section has a variety of opinion to the direction of the show. Some do not watch anymore, others do.
From a business perspective, I don’t believe TUF is going anywhere. Despite weekly fluctuations in ratings, people are watching. Secondly, similar to the minor leagues of baseball, it’s a great way for the UFC to find talent. It’s now a requirement that anyone trying out for TUF have at least three pro fights-thus, the UFC’s instituted a quality control for the show. Whether or not TUF fighters make it to the final, many still make the UFC roster. Third, TUF can do much more with an increased roster from the WEC. It wouldn’t surprise me that we see a TUF featuring 135 and 145lb fighters in the next year.
Diamond points out the positive changes it’s made over the course of TUF: fighting to get into the house, the wildcard and the coaches. Not to mention US v. UK. It also does a good job of keeping the coaches challenges fun and interesting (it’s always interesting to see how the coaches react to competing in a different sport).
From a viewer’s perspective, we grade based on what we see and don’t always check the ratings to gage whether or not we should approve of a season or another. Like every show, during the length of a successful run you recognize flaws. But most still watch. For a reality show, you cannot script endings or confrontations (well, at least you shouldn’t, but that’s another issue). That is TUF’s dilemma. The fights at the end of the show are what most viewers wait to watch. Coach interaction can be entertaining, but the fighters must carry the rest of the 30-35 minutes of the show. We see how they live, how they train and interact with each other. How does TUF keep that fresh, or does it even matter?
Breaking down the MMA-related election results
November 4, 2010
MMA Fighting debriefs us with a breakdown of the politicians that mattered to the world of MMA.
-UFC-supported, Nevada Senator Harry Reid survived a close battle for his seat in the U.S. Senate. Reid and Dana White actually voted together. Reid has assisted the UFC in attempting to persuade NY to pass legislation legalizing MMA.
-NY Assemblyman Bob Reilly will likely prevail in a close race with Republican nominee Jennifer Whalen. Reilly is NY’s leading voice in opposing legislation that would allow MMA in New York State. Also, NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver won reelection Tuesday. Although Silver has not given an official position on MMA legislation, he is a close ally of Reilly.
- Andrew Cuomo defeated Carl Paladino to become New York’s Governor. Although he has no official position on MMA, Zuffa donated to his campaign. This could mean that Governor Cuomo would entertain the idea of MMA legislation.
- NY Assemblyman Steven Engelbright retained his seat in NY’s Fourth District. In the past, Engelbert has sponsored bills supporting MMA.
WEC 51 official gate draws less than 3,800 fans
October 12, 2010
MMA Junkie reports the release of the official numbers from the Colorado State Boxing Commission for WEC 51 held September 30th. 3,791 fans attended with a live gate or $191,620.
The average revenue per ticket issued was $50.55. The event was the first-ever in Colorado.
Payout Perspective:
The numbers are better than WEC 50, but it seems a little disappointing since the card included some notable fighters (Aldo) and fights (Cerrone v. Varner). Aldo is one of the most exciting fighters out there but fought a tough opponent in front of a half empty arena. According to its web site, 1STBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado holds up to 6,500 fans.
I thought about whether having the event on a Thursday night, as opposed to a weekend night, hurt attendance. But, I believe that if the event were held on a weekend, it would compete with college or professional football. Still, there should be more fans out there willing to make it to see an entertaining card on a weeknight.
The information provided did not include how many complimentary tickets were given out, but it would be interesting to see the number of paid versus comped.
Zuffa contributes to Cuomo campaign in New York
October 9, 2010
The NY Post reported this week that the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, contributed $74,600 to the campaign of NY Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo (D). Zuffa has not contributed to the campaign of Carl Paladino (R).
Zuffa has sought to tap into the New York market but has met stiff, vocal opposition from NY politician Bob Reilly.
Payout Perspective:
Although Cuomo has not stated his position on the legalization of MMA in New York State we can safely assume that he is willing to entertain the thought of it.
We should not be surprised that Zuffa is seeking out influencers to legalize MMA in New York. I am sure that Zuffa lobbyists have been in touch with representatives for Cuomo and Paladino to gage their interest in legalizing MMA. We can assume, at this point, that Paladino is not as receptive to MMA as Cuomo. This issue is not a cut and dry Democrat/Republican issue. Bob Reilly, MMA’s biggest opponent in New York is a Democrat.
I do not believe Zuffa cares what political party Cuomo/Paladino belong to, just whether they would side with Zuffa or not. I’m not an insider on NY politics, but we can see that there is a struggle amongst the Democratic party forthis particular issue. Previous reports indicate Governor Paterson is in favor of MMA in NY. But, Reilly is not. Cuomo has not stated a position, but if he decides he is in favor of a bill legalizing MMA, he will need to negotiate a stand down with Reilly so that a bill may get through to at least a vote.
