Streaming has always been a controversial issue amongst MMA fans. I remember there was a time when most people on MMA forums seemed to be against it. And when you look at the PPV numbers from the first few years after TUF 1, it was clear that MMA fans were enthusiastic buyers of PPV cards.
But obviously things have changed. Whenever a thread about streaming pops up, the responses I see are almost predictable. Stuff like:
"Who cares, Dana takes all the money Anway."
"If they paid the fighters more maybe I would consider buying."
"You can't stop streams, welcome to the internet."
"UFC should be free anyway, just put it on network TV and collect ad dollars."
"PPV is dead. UFC should find a new model."
And so on.
But the truth is that all of it is a cop out. As much as I despise Dana he is right on the streaming issue.
Streaming takes money away from the fighters. As much as we don't like to admit it, fighters make more money when there is a large upward shift in revenue. Fighters got paid pennies before TUF 1. But after PPV buys when up dramatically fighters started making millions of dollars. If all the people who streamed the event bought it Instead, there's no doubt in my mind that fighter pay would nearly double. So yes, you ARE absolutely robbing the fighters.
And it's not just purses that take a hit. If the UFC had double the revenue, they could put it towards benefits for fighters, like post-career healthcare, pensions, and larger bonuses.
Oh, and what about the watered down cards? Have you noticed that the cards got watered down when PPV buys started slipping? Well of course! The UFC got smart. They didn't see any need to stack a card when millions of people would just steal it anyway. So if you are a part of the streaming community then you should be the last person complaining about watered down cards. YOU ARE THE REASON why we only usually get two anticipated fights on a PPV card nowadays.
If you are a fan of this sport, and want to see better cards, and want fighters to be taken care of then BUY THE FUCKIN CARDS. I buy the cards because I'm a fan of this sport and I want to continue to see it grow. 30 years from now I want to be an old man who can still sit down and watch a good UFC card. And the way I can assure that happens is buy voting with my money for UFC/MMA to stay in business. And if you love this sport and the fighters then you should too.
Godspeed me friends!
I agree with you partially.
Yes, if UFC made more money, there's a (very slim) chance that they would pay more to fighters.
HOWEVER:
1) Most fighters do not get ANY money from PPV revenue.
2) The idea they water down cards because of streamers is a copout you are giving them. And not true. UFC simply figured that 1 card stacked for 500k viewers is far less than 2 or 3 bad cards with 200-300k viewers each. Especially now that most fights are in the apex, where they don't even pay for venue.
3) the sheer volume of PPVs for unworthy cards actually turn people into streamers, since the card is not worthy of the money they are charging us for.
And last but not least:
4) PPV is only in US. Most other countries it is free (BT Sports in UK) or subscription to a channel (i.e. Combate in Brazil).
And UFC makes millions around the world in this model. Why in US we have to pay u$70.00 for one event when the world pay far less than that for a full month subscription to a sports channel that has a lot more content than one PPV?
IMHO UFC is just greedy.
No matter how much money they make, they will try to pay the least amount they can to fighters. And this has been proven already.
Only fighters that have bargaining power make money in the UFC. And they are the most affected, because they get a portion of the PPV. But they also make already millions, so people don't really pity them.
And no, the UFC would NOT waste money on post-career healthcare, pensions, and larger bonuses. They do not care about fighters and they have proven time and again.
When the UFC starts sharing a fair share with fighters, and taking better care of them, then you may have a point. But as it is, they don't. so your point don't stand. Don't forget this is a 4 Billion dollars business.
But while that's how I think, I do buy the cards (with friends), or I go to a pub to watch the fights from unworthy cards (if I don't meet with my friends). I generally spend less than 10 dollars per card, not counting, of course, beer (at the pub) or food with my friends.
But I do think UFC is unfair to their American audience, forcing us to buy PPV's or stream.
