"…and Ben, I have you down to guest host on ‘Saturday Drop a Deuce’. That’s cool, right?"
A press release today announces that Bellator Fighting Championships has reached an agreement with MTV Networks to air live events on MTV2. The three-year deal, which begins in March of 2011, provides for broadcast of two live tournaments a year, "plus a collection of special feature events." Eric Conte, Senior VP in charge of Programming and Production for MTV2, is quoted as saying that "MMA is at the top of our audience’s wish list" and that a partnership with the surging promotion "made complete sense". (We haven’t received word yet on whether Conte was the guy that green-lit Wrestling Society X.)
The news comes as a surprise, as Bellator had been expected to announce an extension of its partnership with Fox Entertainment Group, parent of Fox Sports Net and FX.
Obviously, this is big news for Bellator, which has been hampered by lack of a stable time slot on FSN and plagued by last minute preemptions. MTV2 is a step up on the distribution ladder, and more people will have access to the weekly shows than ever before. As the press release noted, there is a nice dovetail in the demographics for the network and the Bellator fanbase.