Interesting how history repeats itselfRumors that the Ufc's next tv deal will be worth around 450 million a year and that wme-img would be willing to give up control of production.
Interesting how history repeats itself
This was he path that some boxing historians said led to the USA " decline "in boxing from being removed from network tv
Let's hope the UFC brand doesn't fall pray to the same downfall
Would be a said story
Rumors that the Ufc's next tv deal will be worth around 450 million a year and that wme-img would be willing to give up control of production.
$450 million is what WME are asking. Not what they're "worth". At least not yet anyways. And according to the Sports Business Journal "executives inside the network already have started balking over the proposed $450 million-a-year price tag", so it seems unlikely that WME will end up getting what they're asking in the end.
They weren't worth 4.2 billion either, how did that work out?
Time will tell. As it will when this new television deal gets negotiated. All I said was that the $450 million figure was what WME was asking for according to the Sports Business Journal. The "worth" of a new television deal has yet to be determined. They may get something in the ballpark of that if there's enough bidders who value the UFC content and a bidding war takes place. Or maybe, like the SBJ seemed to indicate with FOX executives, networks won't see the "worth" as being nearly that much. Time will tell.
On top of that, they are the only major sports deal that is up for negotiation during that year, hot commodity that will garner major dollars. Let's hope the union comes on board and can get a % of that for the fighters.
They still have to be realistic, though, even if they are the only sports deal that's on the table. I mean, FOX has the rights to the UFC right now and they would know better than all what that package would be worth. If the FOX executives are "balking over the proposed $450 million-a-year price tag" that should be telling since FOX would know first hand what the UFC is worth to them, what they can recoup from advertisers and all that. Shit, WME is expecting FOX to pay more for the UFC rights than they do for the Nascar coverage they have the rights to (just signed a couple of years ago at $380 million per year), despite Nascar providing FOX with at least double the content, and probably triple the overall viewership along with that all that extra content.
The union will long be a part of the UFC by the time the new deal is negotiated, so hopefully that percentage is including in the CBA. I'm sure it will, although what percentage will be the question.
You're worth what someone is willing to pay for you. Fox and FS1 specifically need the ufc brand big time, they are going to shell out major dollars to try and keep them. Won't be shocked to see them end up on Fox and ESPN.
FOX and FS1 only "need" the UFC if there's a chance they make money on the deal. If they can't see themselves recouping the investment on advertising, subscriptions, or whatever else then it wouldn't make any business sense at all to pay WME's asking price. I'm not sure how much content the UFC provides to FOX/FS1, but I can't imagine it's more than a few hours a week on average with the PPV prelims, Fight Nights, TUF episodes, and weekly news show. Shouldn't be hard to fill at all even if they don't get the same ratings.
Bro they literally have ufc stuff on all the time on FS1 and FS2. Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd can't even draw ratings on that network.
I was talking about original content with that few hours a week comment, Bobby Jenks. Live fights, TUF, or UFC Tonight. Repeating an episode of TUF for the third time in front of 10,000 viewers doesn't count.