UFC Becomes ExcLusive to ESPN

[vamphunter23]

Cool....i remember when ESPN wouldn't even barely mention the UFC and tried to paint it as a "Blood Sport".....times have changed

 

[CerebralKnievel]

A dying network with the highest subscription costs short of premiums like HBO

LOL! $70 per person for a direct subscription profit equality. That would be funny.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Sherdog was saying they would be lucky to get 200/year tv deal since UFC is dying

Well, they weren't tremendously off base. 200 per year would still have amounted to one billion on this deal. As it turns out, they negotiated 300 per year.

 

[Northjayhawk]

Well, they weren't tremendously off base. 200 per year would still have amounted to one billion on this deal. As it turns out, they negotiated 300 per year.

I'm not sure what you'd call off base, but to me thats so far off base that they are now outside of the stadium.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

I'm not sure what you'd call off base, but to me thats so far off base that they are now outside of the stadium.

Having no real insight into the situation, it isnt bad. What was the Fox deal? 500m over 7 years?

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Cool....i remember when ESPN wouldn't even barely mention the UFC and tried to paint it as a "Blood Sport".....times have changed

It's called desperation.

 

[FrankieNYC]

I'm trying to figure out why ESPN stepped up last minute to bid/sign for ESPN Network.
It came out of left field.
It certainly wasn't there 2 weeks ago, because they would not have press released the ESPN+ deal.

 

[Northjayhawk]

I'm trying to figure out why ESPN stepped up last minute to bid/sign for ESPN Network.
It came out of left field.
It certainly wasn't there 2 weeks ago, because they would not have press released the ESPN+ deal.

I wonder if its possible that things behind the scene changed recently. Like, perhaps the powers that be at FOX drastically reduced their offer, and the UFC, realizing they are going with WWE, turned to ESPN and said "ok you can have everything for this much, but we need an answer now"

Just talking out of my ass here, maybe this was the deal a month ago, it somehow never leaked, and it just took this long for all the lawyers to do their due diligence.

edit: Or theory #3, maybe ESPN had this offer quietly all this time, and the UFC has been spending the last month or so trying to talk FOX into beating it, and finally gave up and accepted ESPN's offer.

 

[Rea_ctor]

its all under the same deal.

BT sport includes BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 (was BT Sport Europe) and BT Sport ESPN

If you have BT Sport you have all three..

Ah right nice one buddy I'm sorted either way!

 

[reflector]

When does the ESPN deal Begin?

 

[JonesBones]

LOL! $70 per person for a direct subscription profit equality. That would be funny.

Fuck Disney. I said that more than once today. Just laughing at that stock. Hasn't moved in fuckin months. Can't seem to get any traction. I see ESPN as deadweight but I can see them wanting to keep it. And now Comcast is trying to outbid them for FOX. If Disney got its act together, it has the library to take on Netflix. And talent and original content.

A main reason ESPN is getting fucked is the massive price of sports broadcasting rights. They cost a fortune. They HAVE to charge a lot.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Fuck Disney. I said that more than once today. Just laughing at that stock. Hasn't moved in fuckin months. Can't seem to get any traction. I see ESPN as deadweight but I can see them wanting to keep it.

I mean, ESPN within Disney is a minority chunk of their business, so within whatever financial figures they run they obviously have the capital at hand for whatever amount they choose to invest to maintain that market access or potentially expand it. Pixar and Lucas and Marvel will be keeping them floating in riches for decades to come.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

When does the ESPN deal Begin?

January 1

 

[JonesBones]

I mean, ESPN within Disney is a minority chunk of their business, so within whatever financial figures they run they obviously have the capital at hand for whatever amount they choose to invest to maintain that market access or potentially expand it. Pixar and Lucas and Marvel will be keeping them floating in riches for decades to come.

Yes, and take all that content, along with ESPN and possibly FOX library and they are fuckin locked and loaded to take on Netflix. I thought they were in a perfect position to do that. They still can be. Disney aint goin nowhere. I am disappointed in the stock recently though and glad I sold it.

Netflix original movies are fuckin garbage. lol.

 

[gimp0]

So we won't see UFC on FOX/FS1/FS2 at the start of 2019? I thought they were trying to get another deal with FOX.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Yes, and take all that content, along with ESPN and possibly FOX library and they are fuckin locked and loaded to take on Netflix. I thought they were in a perfect position to do that. They still can be. Disney aint goin nowhere. I am disappointed in the stock recently though and glad I sold it.

Netflix original movies are fuckin garbage. lol.

Not discussing the company value, but in terms of broadcasting, I despise this age of fractured streaming. I have no interest in having to pay and access ten different sources to watch TV. As it is now, I use Netflix and DirecTV, and that's pushing it (although if I lived or paid my bills alone I might reconsider, as DirecTV runs me about $150/month before PPVs).

 

[Bubba32]

I'm trying to figure out why ESPN stepped up last minute to bid/sign for ESPN Network.
It came out of left field.
It certainly wasn't there 2 weeks ago, because they would not have press released the ESPN+ deal.

ari is a closer.

 

[Northjayhawk]

So we won't see UFC on FOX/FS1/FS2 at the start of 2019? I thought they were trying to get another deal with FOX.

Correct. As of last night we still thought that FOX was going to get the TV rights, but ESPN bought everything.

 

[tithas]

Yes, and take all that content, along with ESPN and possibly FOX library and they are fuckin locked and loaded to take on Netflix. I thought they were in a perfect position to do that. They still can be. Disney aint goin nowhere. I am disappointed in the stock recently though and glad I sold it.

Netflix original movies are fuckin garbage. lol.

But the TV shows are fire

 

[JonesBones]

Not discussing the company value, but in terms of broadcasting, I despise this age of fractured streaming. I have no interest in having to pay and access ten different sources to watch TV. As it is now, I use Netflix and DirecTV, and that's pushing it (although if I lived or paid my bills alone I might reconsider, as DirecTV runs me about $150/month before PPVs).

lol. it is absurd. UFC was ahead of the curve on this. They have been on so many channels. You could watch one event and need 3 or 4 different channels. Remember Ion? Stations I never heard of until the the UFC gets on them. lol. my god. The UFC has been around. Spike made things so much simpler. I despised that network though. So meathead.