MMAPayout.com has learned that the debut of Spike’s Countdown to UFC 113 drew an average audience of 512,000 in the late time slot (11 PM ET/PT) on Thursday night. It’s a respectable number given when it was shown (especially considering it’s still a week+ out from the fight).
We’ll wait to see the marketing push during fight week and the eventual gate interest, but given the fact the main event is a rematch borne of controversy and Kimbo Slice is on the card, it should sell pretty well. I think it’ll beat UFC 104’s ~500k and am leaning towards 550-600k.
From what i am hearing the UFC isnt going to push this event much at all. They ran the Countdown way early and dont have plans for any reruns close to fight time. Specifically before or after TUF. I guess the thinking is this event will sell on its own being in Canada and having Kimbo. So this should have a strong hardcore following. But the UFC seem to not want to over saturate the mainstream public with this event and put all their focus on trying to draw mainstream fans with the Evans vs Jackson card. I look for a HUGE push of that event in weeks to come. If they can make that a huge success and QJ was able to win it would set up another huge event with maybe Shogun with a rematch angle and maybe for the title. At least thats how it seems their going about things. There is no other reason to air the countdown so far out and not rerun it.
No promotion for this show. I don’t think they made the casual fans aware that it was showing.
I don’t see this show doing a great buy rate, they seem to be pouring a vast amount of their attention into the card at the end of the month
Agree Stan but this show does have somethings going for it that will make it a decent seller nonetheless. Kimbo is on it and there are fans who still follow him. This is also in Montreal which will have a lot of buzz around it and the Canadian press will give the event a lot of press. Add to this the normal bare minimum numbers the UFC is ussually good for. 500K to 600K sounds about right.
UFC 115 will be the loser in all of this. People will drop money for UFC 113 and UFC 114 but skip UFC 115. UFC 115 is not as strong a card and with UFC 116 coming down the line people will their cash for that HUGE event.
It’s a shame if they’re not pushing 113. They had a ready built storyline with the Shogun “robbery”, the fact that he made Machida look human, etc. But I guess that’s what happens when you have a main event where neither fighter speaks English. You would figure that foreign fighters would sign up for intensive English classes. The difference in marketability is huge. What’s the point of trying to conquer the US market if you don’t bother to learn the language?
Smasher, I think it will do OK, I just think 500+ might be a little much with the basic ignoring of it this week, this fight should get every hardcore fan and some casual fans with Kimbo on it, maybe around 400k, I just see 114 and 116 doing bonanza business