Grasping for content for its network, ESPN aired replays of UFC PPVs, last year’s Wrestlemania and Fury-Wilder I and II. The ratings have been surprising. On Saturday, ESPN aired the UFC all day highlighted by UFC 244 featuring Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. The replay of the full event on Saturday night drew 725,000 viewers. […]
ESPN
UFC Fight Night Brazil draws lowest rating ever on ESPN
UFC Fight Night from Brazil drew 672,000 viewers per Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily. The UFC’s 6-hour block on Saturday afternoon was the only live sports content on the network, yet the poorest showings on the network. The event drew 288,000 viewers in the A18-49 demo. The replay on ESPN2 later that night drew 105,000 viewers. […]
UFC 248 Prelims on ESPN draw 1.195M viewers
The prelims for UFC 248 drew 1.195 million viewers on Saturday night per Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily. The Prelims were second in overall cable ratings only to its lead-in, the college basketball game between UNC-Duke. The game between the two rivals drew 2.232 million viewers. Once again, there was an overrun but a slight one […]
Payout Perspective: Wilder-Fury2
Welcome to a special edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at the big heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fury dominates rematch An early knockdown of Deontay Wilder by Tyson Fury set the tone for this fight as The […]
UFC passed on marketing guarantees in negotiating rights deal with ESPN
John Ourand of The Sports Business Journal (subscription required) writes about the UFC and its unique strategy in its negotiation with ESPN in not asking for guarantees in marketing the promotion if it joined ESPN. Per Ourand, television networks request a minimum marketing guarantee in any rights deal they negotiation with a league or a […]