Dana Guarantees a TV Network Deal Within a Year <HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000; COLOR: #000000" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be on network television within a year. That's the word from UFC president Dana White, who spoke to our friends at The DAM Morning Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday about the likelihood. According to White, who suggested fans are already forced to purchase too many pay-per-view events annually, the UFC will feature four network-TV events per year. "I guarantee you by Sept. 15 of next year, we will be on network television," he said. "I'll put on probably one (event) a quarter – one that should have been on pay-per-view except we'll put it on network TV. UFC officials, especially White, have long teased the possibility of the UFC appearing on network television. However, he's always cautioned that such a deal hinges on the organization's ability to find the "right deal." That's why the (now-defunct) EliteXC organization beat the UFC to the network airwaves and debuted on CBS in 2007. In recent months, though, White has hinted such a deal could be close to fruition. His comments on The DAM Show are the most direct yet. "I'm putting on so many pay-per-view," he said. "I'm putting on like 13 pay-per-views per year. That's more than one a month. I think you have to give back to the fans, and you have to give back free fights. "So we do a ton of free fights on Spike TV between [UFC] Fight Nights and some of the big, just out-of-the-blue fights we put on Spike. And now we get a network deal, and we're doing four big fights a year that should have been on pay-per-view, but you get for free? That's how I grew up. That's how I became a big boxing fan. My uncles used to watch all the fights on ABC's 'Wide World of Sports,' and I used to watch it with them, and I became a huge boxing fan. That's my model. That's what I'm going to build now here today."
I like that the UFC is taking their time with this and making sure they get it right. I cant wait for this to happen, and have confidence the UFC will be successful.
Now THIS is a Legitimate THREAT to the Sport of Boxing...The Boxing Powers that B have Been Tooooooooooo Reluctant, ie., GREEDY to Implement (Except for the Short Lived Main Event's Experiment on NBC a Few Years Ago) Something of this Nature... REED has Looooooooooong Believed that What's Hurt Boxing the Most is the LACK of Fights on NETWORK T.V...REED Grew Up Watching "Wide World of Sports" like Dana White Did & Co-Signs on his Comments...As Much as REED Hates to Admit it, the Powerplayers in Boxing just DON'T "Get It"...It's NOT like UFC is Coming Up w/NOVEL Concepts or Spending MORE Money than what Boxing Spends... Boxing NEVER Should've Left Network Television in the 1st Fucking Place...Kudos to UFC for Making this Move....As Popular as they Currently R, they'll Probably DOUBLE their Fanbase by Doing 4 Bouts a Year on Network T.V....U'd Better Get OFF your Fucking Ass, Boxing... REED:hammert:
Network TV - Is that free to air for every home in America ? and if that is correct does that mean spike to a premium channel ?
YES...Just like what Elite XC Did w/Kimbo Slice & Gina Carano Fights...Only UFC has a Much Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeper Roster & SUPERIOR Talent...Other than GREED, there's NOfuckingREASON for a Combative Sports Entity to NOT Want their Product on Network T.V... Spike Won't Ever Become a Premium Channel...NBC, ABC, CBS & FOX R the "Big Boys" when it Comes to American Premium Channels...They're in a Class of their Own... REED:kidcool:
When I say premium. I mean you have to pay extra for it, or does spike only air in certain states ? Over here we have cable tv, 4-5 channels. These are free to air and broadcast throughout the country - all other channels are extras.
In America, we DO NOT Have to Pay for CBS, ABC, NBC or FOX....Those R the MAJOR Channels where Most of the Popular Television Shows & Sporting Events R Shown...There's Also Lower Budget, Free, Syndicated Channels, but the Number of those Vary from State to State... Spike is a Cable Television Network that Airs Nationwide, if REED's Not Mistaken...There's Absolutely NOfuckingCHANCE of Spike Joining the 4 FREE Stations that REED Mentioned...If Any Cable Channel Could Pull that Off, it'd B ESPN in REED's Opinion... REED:hammert:
UFC is doing things that boxing did a while ago. It's not like the UFC is groundbreaking programming.
Thats what Reed said. However, while no groundbreaking, it is new in THIS day in age. Boxing needs what it was, because what its become is not good.
Like Godfather Said, NBC is FREE...Also, it's a MUCH LARGER Network...Any 1 of NBC's Top 5 Rated Shows Probably has a LARGER Budget than ALL of Spike's Shows Put Together... It's Like Comparing McDonald's to Somebody that Sells Burgers Out of the Back of their Home... REED:hammert:
I don't think it's gonna affect boxing, since being on a network means the events won't be on saturday night, but instead sunday or monday nights. It could compete with Football most likely.
