MMA Junkie reports that DirecTV will not carry this Saturday’s UFC 234 PPV due to a breakdown in negotiations with the UFC. According to the report, the UFC and DirecTV’s previous contract ended in 2018. UFC 234 is the first PPV of 2019 and the two sides had been negotiating but have come to an […]
ESPN + subs up to 2M thanks in part to UFC
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Tuesday that ESPN+ has doubled its paid subscriptions from 5 months ago. This is due in large part to the UFC debuting on the digital platform. ESPN+ launched in April 2018 for $4.99 per month. The UFC debuted this past January with its first live event to rousing success. […]
Top Rank Boxing on ESPN (2/2) draws 880,000 viewers
Top Rank Boxing airing on ESPN Saturday night drew 880,000 viewers according to Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily. The event, which included preliminary bouts to the main event of Sergey Kovalev and Eleider Alvarez, peaked at 1.022 million viewers. On the network telecast Oscar Valdez defeated Carmine Tommasone via 7th round stoppage. The opening bout featured […]
The Interview: Leslie Smith and Lucas Middlebrook
Leslie Smith and Lucas Middlebrook discuss the details of Smith’s NLRB dispute with the UFC and Project Spearhead. The two will appear at the University of Oregon Law School on Saturday as part of the school’s Sports and Entertainment Law Forum. For context on Smith’s Declaration discussed in the interview, it is attached to the […]
UFC on ESPN+2 attendance and bonuses
UFC on ESPN + 2 produced 4 bonus winners on Saturday night with the main event and co-main event winners drawing 2 of the $50,000 awards. Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira and Johnny Walker all won Performance Bonuses Saturday night from Fortaleza, Brazil. Moraes won via first round submission over Raphael Assuncao in the […]