Spike TV and K-1 announced a multi-platform partnership for 2012 and 2013. The partnership begins September 8th with the K-1 World Grand Prix Championships from Los Angeles airing on Spike.com
Via Spike TV press release:
Spike.com’s 2012 coverage will include unprecedented access to K-1 events, from live streaming of the weigh-ins the day before the bouts, to locker room interviews, to live coverage of every fight on the card, including all the prelims. The four K-1 events in 2012 include:
September 8 – Los Angeles – U.S. Grand Prix Championship
October 14 – Tokyo, Japan – World Grand Prix Final
December 8 – Athens, Greece – MAX Final
December 26 – New York – World Grand Prix Final
The addition of K-1 to Spike TV’s lineup next year further establishes the network as the premier television destination for combat sports. Spike TV will debut Bellator Fighting Championships in January 2013 with a weekly live fight card featuring some of the best rising stars in the mixed martial arts world. K-1 is the largest kickboxing promotion in history. Since 1993, K-1 has presented professional live martial arts events in 38 countries, featuring the best and most accomplished athletes in the sport.
Payout Perspective:
With Bellator and TNA Wrestling, the addition of K-1 adds variety to Spike TV’s combat sports genre. Spike definitely is providing content for its target demo of young males and it is not letting the end of its UFC library rights end its combat sports programming. While it does not replace UFC programming (in terms of North America name branding and talent), it could spark some interest from combat sport fans. The viewership of K-1 will depend on the quality of fights put on by the kickboxing organization. The online streaming has been a success with fans as many have adapted to Bellator airing its undercard on the site. We will see how many check K-1 out this September. On another note, I wonder how many fighters that tried out for K-1 will be on the LA card on September 8th?
K-1 is dead on its feet. It used to be great 10 years ago. BUt they have never created new talent. Their rules being so different from every style and every other kickboxing sport ensures they never will. K-1 dies when it ran all its legends into the ground. The talent sucks. But the rules are great for action packed fights and finishes. But if you think back to the K-1 USA events thats used to be on ESPN. The good events were never aired and the best K-1 fighters were not on the card. So all you got to see was Rick Roufus and Michael McDonald over and over.
Plus take a look at the next K-1 USA event: A worse match up is impossible to find!!!!!!!
I enjoy K-1 and It’s Showtime, but the sport is not where it used to be. Maybe this gives them the boost they need to get back up to the Hoost/Aerts glory days.
It’s Showtime was recently bought by Golden Glory which runs the Glory World Series.
k-1 in the 90’s was awesome you had hoost, aerts, hug, greco, bernardo, le banner, sefo. filho, all in there primes and they all had the ability to beat each other.
k-1 j max was also pretty loaded at one time, k-1 is a prime exampleof bad management, they were huge on tv in japan and for years did monster ratings.
i really hope k-1 comes back,
k1 is on the way out, from what i hear they haven’t even paid their fighters or partnered agencies in years…in fact i’m pretty sure that’s why It’s Showtime was acquired by Glory World Series, they got fed up with K1 not paying the bills.
spike tv should have partnered up with GLORY, the management REALLY knows what they’re doing…they just recently announced several huuuuge events, with new fighters and older guys alike. hopefully people check it out, kickboxing has the potential to be enormous in the usa…some of the fights i’ve watched are unreal
glory’s website is here: http://gloryworldseries.com/
an interesting tidbit is that Spike TV does not have the rights to the K-1 library. I believe AXS TV still has those, so the deal will be for upcoming events only (for now anyways).
K-1 had the same problem Pride had. Both were huge in Japan and while they were big and could afford to expand they neglected the rest of the world. Not as bad as Pride but still. Pride always taked about comign to the US for year and didnt until it was to late. K-1 never created new talent. Like Pride ran with the same names from beginning to end. So what happened is a guy like Semmy Schilt was able to leave Kickboxing when the sport was big for MMA(i assume for a reason) then leave MMA and win multiple K-1 GPs. That to me speaks to the deminished talent level of K-1. Not to mention Overeem can moonlight in K-1 and will the GP too.
I personally think K-1 should make all fights 5 rounds. The rules make for good fights but it creates a crap shoot Toughman contest almosphere. With 3 rounds everyone bulks up and comes out banging and fights are unpredictable. This s why MMA fighters and big punchers and come in and punch someones ticket. This is why Goodrich, Rampage, Botha, Sapp, and Mighty Mo can come in and take out more talented legends. 3 rounds forces skilled Kickboxers into brawling.
SPIKE TV is trying to showcase its self as the destination for combat sports.Don’t be surpise to see INVICTA FC on Spike in 2013.
@brainshasher
Thats precisely why I prefer K1 fights, you are almost guaranteed action.