TUF Live Episode 6 garnered a 1 million viewer average as reported by MMA Junkie. The number is slightly better than episode 5’s 947,000 viewer average – an all-time low for the TUF series.
TUF Live Episode 1: 1.28 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 2: 1.1 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 3: 1.2 million viewers
TUF Live Episode 4: 947,000 viewers
Payout Perspective:
Slightly better than the all-time low for the series. As we’ve discussed throughout reporting these figures, there are many factors to attribute the lower ratings. But, we may need to just recalibrate our expectations of the series.
UFC is the first new sport to rise to prominence in the internet age. Greater connectivity means awareness spreads faster, which allowed UFC to enjoy meteoric growth for many years.
So awareness spreads faster, but at the same time, saturation is achieved quicker.
At this stage, most everybody in America already knows about the UFC. And the type of people who want to watch will watch. But it’s no longer the hot new thing where every year millions of new people discover it for the first time.
When something is hot and new a lot of mainstream people want to check it out just to see what the fuss is about.
There are still virgin fans in other countries who haven’t been exposed to UFC, which is why UFC has focused so much on international growth.
There’s 310 million people in the US. So roughly 1/3rd of 1% of the country watch UFC.
UFC can either put it’s money into growing that % and getting more Americans to watch — or they can go to new countries and try and get 1/3rd of 1% of the whole world to watch.
WWE is following the same strategy. Instead of banging their head against the wall of stagnant US TV ratings, they are focusing more on international expansion.
Good insight Juan, and I agree on going international because the domestic biz appears to be slowing down now.
While most Americans are likely aware of what MMA is, a good many of them have yet to actually experience watching it.
The only way to get most watching is to get them hooked on a star. The current MMA model of putting on every fight with an ounce of interest at the drop of a hat is prevent any huge fights and killing prospects before they get to super star status. As a fight fan i dont care i watch all MMA even ametuer fights. But from the business side to grow the sport i think something will have to change.
If takes unusaul ciciumstances to create the stars the UFC had at one time. Most were stars because they happen to be the faces when the sport blew up. They were the only names known by the noobs and mainstream. Guys on long unbeaten streaks can build a following but this is rare. You get a couple every 10 years who can do this. Everyone else washes out inside 18 months. How can you keep Machida, Forrest, Evans, Jones, Shogun, and Rampage at the peak of their popularity so there is multiple draws in each division to create mega fights?