Bellator Fighting Championship has worked out a broadcast deal with MTV2 to bring you their brand of mixed martial arts on Saturday nights starting next month.
Shows will begin a few hours before the normal scheduled times for UFC pay per views, ending just as the live UFC event begins. They are hoping that you’ll use the remote control to switch between Spike TV (those occasions when the UFC puts prelims on Spike that is) and MTV 2. Making Saturday nights ‘Fight Night.’
But what I’d like to know is, will you be tuning in?
A normal pay per view runs for about three hours, and for many can be a way for groups to gather to watch the live show at home or at their local watering hole. Adding another two hours to that evening may be a little much for the average Joe to spend tuning in to a Bellator event and then having friends pile in for the live UFC event, or to quickly run out to the local pub for a seat in front of the big screen.
For shut ins like myself who live by the flicker of multiple computer screens and televisions, were probably the ideal demographic for Bellator, plus it will keep us busy while we wait for the pay per view.
Certainly the bars and pubs would like you to come in early, spend some extra cash while your watching Bellator on their screens, but how many of these places would actually bother tuning in? With other sports events like basketball or hockey how many normal fans can tune in for five hours?
I would expect most places to carry the live UFC prelim specials, but who wins the argument between featuring the Bellator main event against a prelim bout from the UFC. With some fans simply associating the words mixed martial arts to mean the Ultimate Fighting Championship I’d put my money on Bellator fans losing out.
Bellator will put on some great events with their upcoming fourth season. I hope they can find their niche on Saturday nights. I don’t think they will ever do outstanding ratings over two hours but I can definitely see them doing well enough to satisfy MTV 2 execs into signing them for another stint. I mean what man with a remote control will just watch one channel when there are multiple sports events on.