MMA Junkie reports that The Ultimate Fighter may be moving to Tuesday nights starting in 2013 with Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen as coaches. The move takes the show off of Fridays which has had poor ratings since airing on Fridays.
The news is based on an ad placed in the UFC’s magazine as no official announcement has been made by the UFC as of this writing. The ad states that the new season of TUF will start Tuesday, January 22nd at 9:00pm PT/ET. If the series moves to Tuesdays, it could serve as lead-in to two of FX’s top rated shows.
Payout Perspective:
TUF to 9:00pm on Tuesdays is a bold move as it will serve as lead in for the popular series, “Justified” which airs at 10:00pm. If FX decides to make Tuesdays permanent for TUF, it would be a lead-in to “Sons of Anarchy,” next fall. The placement of TUF in such a prime spot in its programming appears to be a reflection of the network’s commitment to the UFC. It can also be seen as a tool to reach out to the young male demo.
Hmm… it’ll be interesting to see what people think about TUF moving to Tuesdays (around Justified or SOA) and Belaltor moving to Thursday’s after TNA. Should make for some fun discussions and analysis heading into 2013.
It’s a necessary move. Fridays is a horrible night for sports.
Boxing could use some shifting as well.