Illegal streams of UFC PPVs potentially costing fighters millions in payouts per PPV

[Sean_wongster_wongmastter]

I don't know how many people illegally stream PPVs but there is a estimate that 100 million+ people illegally watched Mayweather vs McGregor. Mayweather-McGregor fight most pirated in history (yahoo.com)

Given, that the amount of PPV buys for Mayweather McGregor did around 5 million, you could try to apply a 20X multiple to amount of illegal streams.

That's a lot of money left off the table, even if UFC fighters are only getting 15%-20% of revenue, having revenue jump by increasing PPV buys by that much would substantially increase PPV buy.

Obviously, not all illegal streamers will buy the PPV, so it's hard to determine how many will pay, but I'd bet it'd be enough people to make a dent in fighter pay.

How much do you think illegal streams are costing fighters in terms of their share of the revenue?

If all illegal streams stopped, do you think fighters would at least double their pay?

 

[swarrrm]

Hi Dana

 

[AfroBanana]

I think many of those illegal stream watchers wouldn’t pay for it if they didn’t access it free.

Your assumption that sales would increase to the number of illegal viewers is crazy wrong. Not only that but I imagine many of those viewers are in countries that can’t even buy it on PPV.

 

[reviv4l]

Hi Dana

 

[Mga223]

People who stream most likely won't pay full price for it.

 

[Dogshare]

Not only a small percentage will go to the fighters, also not many fighters get a part of the ppv, so more people paying will especially be good for the ones that already get the most.

 

[Fight Professor]

Sherdoggers are like politicians. They scream very loudly about fighters' pay but are not willing to spend an extra dollar to support them.

 

[brackis1]

You know what would pay fighters even if PPVs were streamed? Sponsorship and ads.
Instead the UFC bans them from doing so while turning PPVs into giant adverts for the latest dogshit movie, scammy crypto scheme, and hideous fight kits that make fighters look like fast food employees. And doesn't give most of that money to fighters.

 

[King Joffery]

They should offer the option to pay a reduced amount for just the main event, or co-main + main as often there are the only fights I could be bothered with.

 

[Yrat]

I don't know how many people illegally stream PPVs but there is a estimate that 100 million+ people illegally watched Mayweather vs McGregor. Mayweather-McGregor fight most pirated in history (yahoo.com)

Given, that the amount of PPV buys for Mayweather McGregor did around 5 million, you could try to apply a 20X multiple to amount of illegal streams.

That's a lot of money left off the table, even if UFC fighters are only getting 15%-20% of revenue, having revenue jump by increasing PPV buys by that much would substantially increase PPV buy.

Obviously, not all illegal streamers will buy the PPV, so it's hard to determine how many will pay, but I'd bet it'd be enough people to make a dent in fighter pay.

How much do you think illegal streams are costing fighters in terms of their share of the revenue?

If all illegal streams stopped, do you think fighters would at least double their pay?

Ok so that is the excuse bad Pay for fighters?

 

[lsa]

You know what would pay fighters even if PPVs were streamed? Sponsorship and ads.
Instead the UFC bans them from doing so while turning PPVs into giant adverts for the latest dogshit movie, scammy crypto scheme, and hideous fight kits that make fighters look like fast food employees.

True, but UFC fighters still makes a good coin from sponsorship.
PVZ made more from sponsors than from fighting in the UFC according to her.

How ever I wish they went back to having their own sponsors during fights. There is no good argument imo for not allowing it.
Its all a money grab from the UFC. And it sucks.

 

[DaleBoca]

This is soooooo 2013…

 

[Just Creed]

My heart bleeds for Conor's ppv points

 

[fastone]

You know what would pay fighters even if PPVs were streamed? Sponsorship and ads.
Instead the UFC bans them from doing so while turning PPVs into giant adverts for the latest dogshit movie, scammy crypto scheme, and hideous fight kits that make fighters look like fast food employees.

see? it's not that hard to figure out.

 

[brackis1]

True, but UFC fighters still makes a good coin from sponsorship.
PVZ made more from sponsors than from fighting in the UFC according to her.

How ever I wish they went back to having their own sponsors during fights. There is no good argument imo for not allowing it.
Its all a money grab from the UFC. And it sucks.

Uhhh, she makes money from sponsorship outside of broadcasts and is a unique case.
Random fighters would be paid by companies for ad-impressions on all fans.
Condom-Depot.com doesn't care if you paid for the stream or not if they're getting eyeballs and reaching the audience, and will pay up to a fighter.

 

[Queenofchaos]

That's why fans have no right to whine about fighters pay

 

[lsa]

Uhhh, she makes money from sponsorship outside of broadcasts and is a unique case.
Random fighters would be paid by companies for ad-impressions on all fans.
Condom-Depot.com doesn't care if you paid for the stream or not if they're getting eyeballs and reaching the audience, and will pay up to a fighter.

I would dare to claim that "most" UFC fighters make more money from sponsors today in the UFC than Bellator fighters does.
If we are talking names.
You see a lot of them plugging stuff on social media.
Issy was sponsored by Audi IIRC but lost it over some twitter BS, Gus was sponsors by one if not the biggest sporting store in the Nordic and was plastered all over. Being in the UFC seems to be enough for some sponsors.

Myles Jury made IIRC less than 9K when he was a headliner in Bellator.
Why I bring up Bellator is because people use the argument fighters should leave the UFC for Bellator because sponsor money.

 

[_manhattan]

Nonsense. According to Luke Thomas' reporting the ESPN deal pretty much ensures that none of the PPVs flop. Their guaranteed revenues start at the equivalent of 500k buys.

They got the bread to break with the fighters, they just choose not to so long as they remain a disaggregate, non-union workforce.

Sauce: https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...ranteed-per-event-with-the-espn-deal.3936283/

 

[Sean_wongster_wongmastter]

Uhhh, she makes money from sponsorship outside of broadcasts and is a unique case.
Random fighters would be paid by companies for ad-impressions on all fans.
Condom-Depot.com doesn't care if you paid for the stream or not if they're getting eyeballs and reaching the audience, and will pay up to a fighter.

There are a lot of issues with fighters having their own sponsors.

1) What happens if a UFC fighter sponsors a product that ESPN doesn't approve of? Once UFC partnered up with ESPN the content they put on is much more controlled. Who you sponsor can heavily affect the product's image. Getting the UFC involved with contracts from various sponsors between individual fighters and sponsors is just a legal nightmare waiting to happen.

2) What happens if a sponsor is competing with another sponsor? There are reasons promoters don't promote both Nike and Adidas. Does brands want their fighters fighting with other brands for them to lose to that brand?

How do you think Nike would feel about it if Jon Jones is wearing Adidas, while Cormier is wearing Nike, and Cormier gets wiped out by Jones.

3) It's a regulatory nightmare to allow UFC fighters to have their own sponsors. Your sponsors have to be vetted. UFC isn't going to put the time and money and effort into vetting that many sponsors potentially across so many fighters.

Fighters having their own sponsors were a problem, that's why it got dealt with.

 

[brackis1]

I would dare to claim that "most" UFC fighters make more money from sponsors today in the UFC than Bellator fighters does.
If we are talking names.
You see a lot of them plugging stuff on social media.
Issy was sponsored by Audi IIRC but lost it over some twitter BS, Gus was sponsors by one if not the biggest sporting store in the Nordic and was plastered all over. Being in the UFC seems to be enough for some sponsors.

Myles Jury made IIRC less than 9K when he was a headliner in Bellator.
Why I bring up Bellator is because people use the argument fighters should leave the UFC for Bellator because sponsor money.

Again: this discussion is about the broadcast of bouts and money earned from and during telecasts. Not whether a world champ like Izzy is pimping an audi dealership in his spare time. That's an entirelt different revenue stream and an entirely different advertising campaign independent of UFC broadcasts.

Random non-champ fighters do not get PPV point payouts from broadcasts, but would absolutely receive income from even small-time companies for a logo on a TV broadcast. That telecast and their time on TV/in the cage is often the only time a company would be getting a return-on-investment and give them money.