The overnight ratings for the 10th episode of Fight Master did an average viewership of 558,000 according to The Wrestling Observer (subscription required). The season average on SpikeTV is at 615,000 with DVR +3 excluding the last episode.
The last episode of the season received a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
Episode 1: 432,000 viewers – DVR +3; 489,000 viewers
Episode 2: 545,000 viewers – DVR +3; 635,000 viewers
Episode 3: 676,000 viewers – DVR + 3; 810,000 viewers
Episode 4: 505,000 viewers – DVR + 3; 607,000 viewers
Episode 5: 441,000 viewers – DVR +3; 498,000 viewers
Episode 6: 629,000 viewers – DVR +3; 745,000 viewers
Episode 7: 398,000 viewers – DVR +3; 505,000 viewers
Episode 8: 595,000 viewers – DVR +3; 648,000 viewers
Episode 9: 539,000 viewers – DVR +3; 661,000 viewers
Episode 10: 558,000 viewers
Its lead-in, TNA Impact drew 1.24 million viewers.
Payout Perspective:
Should Spike TV be happy with the first season ratings of Fight Master? It did switch nights to address sagging ratings. Thursday’s ratings were up slightly from episode 9 and did go up against the first night of college football. We shall see if Fight Master will return for a second season.
I would say it wasn’t a success. Considering how much they promoted Bellator going into Spike. Their signing of Couture and the other coaches. risking their integrity strongly linking their brand to TNA and having the TNA lead-in. This has to be looked at as very disappointing. The only thing keeping them from total collapse is their ties to TNA. I mean their ratings are bad enough. BUt what would they be if they didn’t have TNA as a lead in? Without TNA cross promotion? Bellator needed to be averaging 800K viewers for this show at least imo.
The problem is Bellator is selling their sole to appeal to TNA fans. When TNA has 1.24 million viewers and even if half Bellator ratings car roll over TNA fans. That is still 1 million TNA fans who saw Bellator was coming on and turned the channel. These are the fans Bellator has in a way sold out MMA fans for. That is not good at all.
Good stuff, the problem I have with the show is only Joe Warren gets a boost, Mike Bronzoulis or Joe Riggs have no chance in a Bellator tournament, the rest of the coaches are either retired or are not fighters.
The show is pedestrian at best.
From pure viewer’s point: That show is actually much better than TUF. No house antics, pure sport. Viewership nubmers are different game though (probably because no antics).
One interesting thing: Message boards are full of fans, which now hate Greg Jackson because of his coaching style. In UFC, he cannot be heard during rounds, but here it is absolutely clear – and the way he nonstop tries to play the judges (he is basically doing the act for the judges, not coaching the fighter) doesn’t really sit well with a lot of people.
An average of 640,000 viewers. These ratings aren’t terrible for a new show on a cable network in it’s time slot. I mean in comparison, the last season of the Ultimate Fighter on Fox, average 860,000 viewers.