The UFC has announced that it will begin offering Spanish language PPV broadcasts starting with its UFC 111 event on March 27th.
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® PRESENTS FIRST-EVER
SPANISH LANGUAGE UFC PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT BROADCAST
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® today announced that for the first time ever, UFC® will broadcast its Pay-Per-View event fully in Spanish. From the moment UFC announcers Troy Santiago and Victor Davila welcome fans to the live event, to the fighter interviews in the Octagon™, right to the end credits rolling on screen, the broadcast will start and finish exclusively en Espanol.
Kicking off with UFC 111: ST-PIERRE vs. HARDY on Saturday, March 27, the broadcast will present all of the Pay-Per-View elements – including pre-produced segments, graphics and play-by-play and on camera color commentary – in Spanish.
“For our fans who want to watch and listen to our UFC events in Spanish, we are now creating a show just for them, in their language, so they can enjoy the whole UFC experience from start to finish,” said UFC President Dana White.
DirecTV, iNDemand, DISH Network, and Avail-TVN Pay-Per-View carriers in the United States are already committed to picking up the Spanish language feed for UFC 111.
Over the years, UFC has seen a demand for a dedicated Spanish language broadcast, as Hispanic viewership of UFC events continues to grow and as Mexican-heritage UFC fighters like Cain Velasquez and Efrain “Hecho en Mexico” Escudero have captivated fans with their action-packed fighting style.
UFC 111: ST-PIERRE vs. HARDY features one of the best fighters in the game today, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, as he looks to extend his reign and his six-fight winning streak against British bomber Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy. In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir looks to become only the second man in UFC history to win the championship three times when he takes on number one contender Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight title.
UFC 111 will also be available to French-speaking fans in Canada via a French-language feed offered to Canadian Pay-Per-View operators.
Payout Perspective:
Let’s be clear: this is a full-blown Spanish language broadcast that will be purchased as an alternative to the regular English language broadcast, not simply a Spanish audio dub placed over the regular program.
It’s a pretty sizable commitment on behalf of the UFC to serve Hispanic demographic. The move shows that the UFC understands the importance of a diverse audience, as well as the market potential of the Hispanic demo – one that’s traditionally been very supportive of boxing.
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