Following sale to Anthem Sports, AXS TV’s days covering MMA may be over

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MMALOPEZ

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https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2019/9/12/20861975/axs-tv-mma-anthem-sports-entertainment-news

One of the longtime homes of regional MMA is undergoing a major structural change.

Earlier this week, Canadian based company Anthem Sports & Entertainment acquired a majority stake in AXS TV and its subsidiary HDNet Movies. AXS TV, founded by billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, has aired regional MMA events for more than a decade, but Legacy Fighting Alliance is the only promotion they’ve televised in 2019, and this week could be the network’s final event.

AXS TV reporter Phoenix Carnevale revealed the news on Twitter, with LFA 76 airing this Friday night from Wichita, Kansas.

 
Fuck Anthem for doing this if it works out this way. They couldn't get anyone to pay to put Impact on TV so they had to buy AXS and gut it.
 
This sucks hardcore for me. My interest in Major promotions has waned but I still love LFA. I really hope DAZN or somebody steps up and shows the fights. Week after week they show up and coming fighters that were super hungry.
 
biomed190 said:
This sucks hardcore for me. My interest in Major promotions has waned but I still love LFA. I really hope DAZN or somebody steps up and shows the fights. Week after week they show up and coming fighters that were super hungry.
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Since they have a good working relationship with the ufc I see them joining the pass
 
MMALOPEZ said:
Since they have a good working relationship with the ufc I see them joining the pass
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Whatever happens it'll have to happen quick as they have a week off after tomorrow and then events back to back weeks after that
 
I hope LFA ends up on Fight Pass. They are a great feeder league for up & coming fighters and a route to the UFC.
 
Unless UFC brass are fcking retarded, they should take LFA to Fight Pass.
 
beefcake180 said:
Fuck Anthem for doing this if it works out this way. They couldn't get anyone to pay to put Impact on TV so they had to buy AXS and gut it.
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I thought that name sounded familiar. Fucking Impact Wrestling <Lmaoo>
 
Meltzer just reported that they fired everybody involved in producing the Friday night MMA shows and New Japan Pro Wrestling
Dark days ahead...
 
AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon was also let go.

He's been there since the early days of HDNet Fights and was the guy who spearheaded airing live K-1, Sengoku, DREAM, and Dynamite shows on HDNet. Not just Japanese content, but as the head guy in charge of their fight programming, he also took chances on stuff like live Muay Thai in addition to giving a platform to smaller regional MMA orgs in the states.

Some of my favorite memories as an MMA fan were from this time period, and watching the fights live late into the night.


Along with Simon, the other big name that got released was Adam Swift, who was their VP of Legal Affairs. This is the dude who spent around two years negotiating with TV Asahi to get New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS. He also helped negotiate Anthem buying AXS, which directly led to his firing.

Within just a few years they went from airing compilations of old matches to showing the New Japan US shows live and having major Japanese shows broadcast just days after they took place. Not to mention the popularity of New Japan on the channel led AXS to branch out to WOW.

AXS helped immensely in giving NJPW exposure to the American market, and Adam Swift was a guy who could navigate the politics very well when it came to bringing content over here. Also one of the few guys who could have possibly brokered some kind of deal between NJPW and Impact Wrestling (which Anthem owns), or at least help bury the hatchet between the two. Oh well.

These two dudes being out of the picture almost immediately paints a pretty grim picture of the future of the network in regards to combat sports and pro wrestling not named Impact Wrestling.
 
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I gladly stayed up late to watch DREAM live, then HDNet left my cable provider. For some reason my cable lists AXS but I can't get it. Maybe I don't have a certain package.
 
Wow this is terrible news. I dont watch every LFA fight but Ive been to a lot of them. I enjoy friday night MMA. LFA is THE feeder league to the UFC.

Im imagining Fight Pass will pick them up without hesitation. They have fights almost every week.
 
Tomorrow is the last lfa and as of right now the last live mma event on axs. Axs does own the footage of any events that took place on hdnet/ axs so they will be showing 'best of' and use the footage to fill air time.

Hopefully LFA can land on either dazn, espn+, or fight pass.

LFA was getting paid 4 million dollers per year the past few years. They did put on a lot of events, but I can't see them getting anything close to that elsewhere. I assume they will field offers and take the highest bidder.
 
LFA does have multiple events scheduled after tomorrow 's show. Hopefully they can find a new home and retain their on screen staff.
 
VinnyRuMark said:
Tomorrow is the last lfa and as of right now the last live mma event on axs. Axs does own the footage of any events that took place on hdnet/ axs so they will be showing 'best of' and use the footage to fill air time.

Hopefully LFA can land on either dazn, espn+, or fight pass.

LFA was getting paid 4 million dollers per year the past few years. They did put on a lot of events, but I can't see them getting anything close to that elsewhere. I assume they will field offers and take the highest bidder.
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AXS TV supplied a full 18 wheeler production truck and they had to travel all around the country 40 weeks or so a year and worry about selling tickets at all kinds of venues and a million logistical issues I am sure. Ed Soares who runs LFA has a great relationship with the UFC. I can totally see him making a deal with Uncle Dana now to change up the business model and do future LFA shows right in that barely used almost brand new UFC Apex in Las Vegas and put it on Fight Pass. It would change the business model for LFA for sure, but having it all in one location would alleviate so many costs related to travel and crew and a million other things since the venue is all set up as a production facility already.
 
JimGunn said:
AXS TV supplied a full 18 wheeler production truck and they had to travel all around the country 40 weeks or so a year and worry about selling tickets at all kinds of venues and a million logistical issues I am sure. Ed Soares who runs LFA has a great relationship with the UFC. I can totally see him making a deal with Uncle Dana now to change up the business model and do future LFA shows right in that barely used almost brand new UFC Apex in Las Vegas and put it on Fight Pass. It would change the business model for LFA for sure, but having it all in one location would alleviate so many costs related to travel and crew and a million other things since the venue is all set up as a production facility already.
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hope you are right about LFA taking place at the UFC Apex, hope they work out a deal
 
JimGunn said:
AXS TV supplied a full 18 wheeler production truck and they had to travel all around the country 40 weeks or so a year and worry about selling tickets at all kinds of venues and a million logistical issues I am sure. Ed Soares who runs LFA has a great relationship with the UFC. I can totally see him making a deal with Uncle Dana now to change up the business model and do future LFA shows right in that barely used almost brand new UFC Apex in Las Vegas and put it on Fight Pass. It would change the business model for LFA for sure, but having it all in one location would alleviate so many costs related to travel and crew and a million other things since the venue is all set up as a production facility already.
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Yep. UFC bless.

For all their faults, I have faith in the baldfather to support the continued growth internationally of MMA.
 
Not surprised. I've been to a handful of there events live and the crowds where pretty small. There social media presence is basically non-existent despite them pushing it heavily. There are times watching it live when i'm thinking "is there even 10,000 people watching this on TV right now" ?

Give the cost to run 40 shows a year there's no way LFA isn't a money pit.
 
VinnyRuMark said:
LFA was getting paid 4 million dollers per year the past few years. They did put on a lot of events, but I can't see them getting anything close to that elsewhere. I assume they will field offers and take the highest bidder.
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Damn yeah that's a setup for failure. There's no way there small viewership is worth 4 million a year. There's highschool football games in my area that probably do more viewership/attendance in one friday night then they do in half a year.

I'll miss AXS TV but this I'm not surprise this is coming. Regional MMA has always been niche but recently it's become extremely niche. Not worth the cost on something that's this unpopular. My favorite moments where probably MFC in Canada, great promotion
 
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