Part of the success for the Ultimate Fighting Championship was bringing the sport to Spike TV with shows like “The Ultimate Fighter.” Since the explosion of the sport, UFC president Dana White has always been seeking to partner up with a major television broadcaster.
In a recent interview after this weekends UFC 121 event, White hinted at an upcoming network deal, and also noted that the promotion could launch their own network.
A lot of people don’t realize we are in a half a billion homes around the world. You know all the things we’ve been through in the United States, but this sport travels well. Cricket will never be big here and the NFL will never be big around the world. But we are all human beings and fighting is in our DNA. We get it and we like it. So we are working on a couple moves now and should be in a billion homes around the world in the next couple months.
It could be our way into NBC. Everything you’re saying makes sense. Fox on Saturday nights, Comcast merging with NBC, I am sorry I can’t get into it.
Sports Business Journal just came out with a survey asking big names in the industry which sport could start its own network and 4 out of 5 said us. They are right. I agree. That will happen within the next couple years.
The other major promotion, Strikeforce, deals with Showtime, which is a subscription service and can only be accessed by so many homes. A major network deal for the UFC would open the sport into the mainstream of everyday homes. A network deal would certainly help the promotion move into other markets around the world, allowing more events to be shown each month without fans having to hurt their pockets with costly pay-per-views.
Of course, according to White, the UFC could open their own network. Would you subscribe if the channel was available?
HT: BroadcastingCable.com via BloodyElbow.com