http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/1/2...-seeks-new-tv-deal-russia-mma-fedor-putinnews
On Thursday, Russian public sports channel MatchTV announced that they may no longer broadcast UFC events due to an ongoing stalemate in the negotiation process for a contract renewal.
According to the press release, Match TV claims the UFC handed over the programme licensing to a “local Russian mediator,” who raised the asking price by “multiples.” The release also apologized to fight fans and suggested they may not be able to view their preferred programming on their network.
"UFC, the primary owner of media rights, decided to transfer the license to broadcast in the Russian Federation in 2017 to the local agent of the Russian intermediary. Unfortunately, the value of these rights for those who would like to show the full scale data broadcast by Russian television viewers, increased by multiples in comparison with the same period last year.
"Match TV understands the interest of the audience to watch UFC event and is doing everything possible within the framework of the negotiation process. In the case of an agreement that suits all parties in terms of the financial and commercial conditions, "Match TV" will immediately inform the fans and viewers to the updated schedule of broadcasts."
Due the ongoing changes with seemingly no resolution in sight, MMA fans within the Russian Federation will not be able to watch UFC broadcasts in the near future. This could potentially include the UFC 209 PPV event (broadcasts on free TV in Russia due to time difference) in March. That event will feature Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov in a much-anticipated interim title fight against Tony Ferguson. And while this may inconvenience MMA fans anxious to see whether Khabib can become Russia’s first UFC champion, it was likely a strategic move on the promotion’s part to leverage a more lucrative TV deal.
On Thursday, Russian public sports channel MatchTV announced that they may no longer broadcast UFC events due to an ongoing stalemate in the negotiation process for a contract renewal.
According to the press release, Match TV claims the UFC handed over the programme licensing to a “local Russian mediator,” who raised the asking price by “multiples.” The release also apologized to fight fans and suggested they may not be able to view their preferred programming on their network.
"UFC, the primary owner of media rights, decided to transfer the license to broadcast in the Russian Federation in 2017 to the local agent of the Russian intermediary. Unfortunately, the value of these rights for those who would like to show the full scale data broadcast by Russian television viewers, increased by multiples in comparison with the same period last year.
"Match TV understands the interest of the audience to watch UFC event and is doing everything possible within the framework of the negotiation process. In the case of an agreement that suits all parties in terms of the financial and commercial conditions, "Match TV" will immediately inform the fans and viewers to the updated schedule of broadcasts."
Due the ongoing changes with seemingly no resolution in sight, MMA fans within the Russian Federation will not be able to watch UFC broadcasts in the near future. This could potentially include the UFC 209 PPV event (broadcasts on free TV in Russia due to time difference) in March. That event will feature Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov in a much-anticipated interim title fight against Tony Ferguson. And while this may inconvenience MMA fans anxious to see whether Khabib can become Russia’s first UFC champion, it was likely a strategic move on the promotion’s part to leverage a more lucrative TV deal.
