UFC PPV Buyrates Increasing, Up 60% YOY

The following data represent estimates of the UFC buyrate figures over the first six months of both 2008 and 2009:

	2008			2009
	Event	Buys		Event	Buys
January	80	225,000		93	350,000
Superbowl	81	600,000		94	800,000
March	82	325,000		96	350,000
April	83	530,000		97	650,000
May	84	475,000		98	635,000
June	85	215,000		99	375,000
July	86	540,000		100	1,720,000
August	87	625,000		101	850,000
	Total	3,535,000		Total	5,730,000
	Average	441,875		Average	716,250
				YOY:	62.09%

 

Payout Perspective:

The UFC is up an estimated 62% on year-over-year PPV revenue from 2008 to 2009. It also out-performed each of its monthly totals from 2008 to 2009.

Perhaps even more telling, however, is the year-to-date PPV figure of 5.7 million – it’s just 500,000 short of last year’s record-breaking 6.2 million buys.

All this is quite impressive for a sports organization operating in what most have predicted to be the deepest part of the current recession; a recession so bad that even the economy-proof sports market has declined as ticket sales have slumped, television advertising revenue has decreased across the board, and salary caps throughout the major leagues look at the possibility of actually taking a step backward.

What has led the UFC to this point? Some combination of the following factors:

• A quick start. The organization ended 2008 with UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 and then followed it one month later with UFC 94. The hype and hoopla that ensued was tremendous; allowing the UFC to generate a ton of press and build the brand with new found local coverage (print, television, and digital). Remember all the concerns going in about so many Las Vegas cards in such a short period of time? It didn’t matter.

• The video game. UFC Undisputed generated a host of publicity from non-traditional sources, and it sold 3 million+ copies worldwide, which essentially helped to expose the sport and UFC brand to a new, lucrative market (closely related to the male, 18-34 demo that MMA caters to – in fact a great amount of cross-over exists here).

• Increasing media coverage. The result of all this hype and publicity was a renewed and positive interest in the UFC on behalf of the media – particularly national outlets like ESPN and USA Today.

• UFC 100 Weekend. The combination of the UFC’s centennial, Brock Lesnar, GSP, and a fan expo helped to push interest in the UFC to an all-time high.

• MMA’s growing appeal. We’ve talked before about the MMA lifestyle – the sport has its own vernacular, dress code, and general way of life – and it’s reaching a greater audience by the day. All the little things are starting to add up for MMA: the small, local shows in virtually every town/city across the continent; the plethora of training centers; and the sport-inspired movies, music, and art.

Note: I decided not to include UFC 102 in the analysis to balance the comparison. We’ll have the official, unofficial figures for you soon.

Note II: If you subtract UFC 100 and UFC 86 from the comparison, the organization is up just over 33%. A figure more in line with the organization’s growth of the past few years.