Despite a consensus by many fight fans and society in general, Dana White is doubling down on Power Slap as it returns for a second season which most will not see since it will be on the online platform Rumble. Yet, White is still bullish about the sport and utilizes social media metrics to tout the popularity of it.
In a piece in the Sports Business Journal on Monday, White talks about tuning out the critics and the media. He indicated that social media will be the determining factor as to whether the new venture will succeed. And based on the numbers, Power Slap is succeeding.
Whether or not the general sports public believes White’s claims that Power Slap is an ascending property, a new event for his promotion will occur this weekend. Hence, no UFC on a weekend which used to have the biggest promotion’s event.
The article notes that White is working with five states to sanction Power Slap by the end of the year. He is also working with states to allow gambling on the sport for states that have legalized gambling.
Instead of relying on Nielsen ratings, Power Slap is using social media metrics to guide its benchmarks for success. The first season of Power Slap aired on TBS an averaged 294,000 viewer per the SBJ article. It was delayed one week due to video of a New Year’s Eve fight between White and his wife in which they both slapped each other. Nevertheless, despite the bad optics TBS postponed the airing just one week. It was not renewed to a second season. Moreover, plans for a PPV for its first big event was turned into a free showing on Rumble, an online platform embracing right-wing politics.
White has a long-term plans for Power Slap which is to build out a “more formal structure around Power Slap in the coming years.”
Payout Perspective:
The obvious pivot here is to put a positive spin on Power Slap touting its social media numbers rather than the traditional Nielsen numbers that are used for advertisers. I would suggest that the success of Power Slap will reflect upon the success and leverage the UFC has on its business partners and sponsors. Monster Energy is Power Slap’s biggest sponsor according to the article. As we know, it’s a huge sponsor of the UFC as well. White has used his social media channels and the UFC’s social media to promote Power Slap in hopes of creating a crossover interest among the MMA fans dedicated to the promotion. We shall see how this weekend’s event does.
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