The NY Times reports that HBO is leaving the boxing business after 45 years in the business. HBO’s vice president of sports, Peter Nelson, made the announcement to HBO Boxing production staff Thursday morning.
According to the NY Times, Jim Lampley will remain on with HBO while Max Kellerman, Harold Lederman, Andre Ward and Roy Jones, Jr. will depart the network. Nelson indicated that based on audience research, boxing was no longer a factor when subscribing to HBO.
The competition for boxing on television has increased in recent years. Most recently DAZN launched its over the top platform this past Saturday with Anthony Joshua fighting Alexander Povetkin. The company has signed a stable of boxers to fill its platform with content in addition to select Bellator MMA events and Combate Americas. ESPN signed a deal with Top Rank which cut out a big piece of HBO’s roster of boxers. Top Rank is now on ESPN and ESPN+. Despite questions regarding its controversial business strategy, PBC has signed a lucrative deal with Fox to air its event on the network.
Payout Perspective:
The decline in viewership for boxing events on HBO and the increased competition was likely the nail in the coffin for boxing on the network. There have been many memorable moments on HBO and it will be a shame to see it go. But the reality is that the competition from other forces which center on combat sports and the network’s commitment to other areas of programming meant that this business decision was reasonable and probably best for the company.
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