Scott Coker announced that Bellator MMA will air on CBS Sports Network starting Thursday October 1st. The news comes on the weekend that it will be ending its relationship with SpikeTV/Paramount this weekend with a pair of shows.
Coker indicated that the events will take place live in all U.S. markets with preliminary matchups streaming on CBSSports.com and Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel.
The first event takes place on Thursday, October 1st from Milan, Italy which will air 4pm ET/1pm PT on CBS Sports Network. It is followed by Saturday, October 10th from Paris, France. The first primetime event will take place Thursday, October 15th at 9pm ET/6pmPT.
Although Coker did not directly address aspirations to be on CBS, he did indicate he would entertain it.
The events will be produced by Bellator Executive Producer Scott Fishman.
Payout Perspective:
The news today should help with the visibility of the promotion and while Coker did not mention competing with the UFC, this strategic move within the Viacom family should help position it to become competitive with Zuffa. Coker noted the opportunities in place for Bellator with the new partnership with CBS Sports Network and the ability for the brand to be seen by more people. It definitely helps that Bellator moves to a sports network which should facilitate more cross-over appeal for the fighters and more casual viewers wanting to watch live sports.
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