UFC signs new multi-year PPV deal. PPV business model to continue

DGT4NOW

DGT4NOW

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Meltzer:
UFC just signed a multi-year contract with inDemand to continue to provide them with PPV events. In other words, there are no plans to get out of the PPV business in the near future.

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What the fuck happened to UFC's deal with FOX that was going to "revolutionize" the business and take them out of PPV?!
 
Adamant said:
What the fuck happened to UFC's deal with FOX that was going to "revolutionize" the business and take them out of PPV?!
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I don't remember anything about UFC signing with Fox to move away from PPV
 
DGT4NOW said:
I don't remember anything about UFC signing with Fox to move away from PPV
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Yeah, that was the thinking back when the deal was first announced. UFC being on FOX was going to suddenly change everything and take them away from PPV.
 
we are simply stuck in a weird in between stage like gas and hybrid/electric. its difficult for them to move away from ppvs altogether. i bet its worth it for them to do ppvs even if they sell like 30,000 subs. thats why they will not move away from it just yet, since the ufc name alone is at like 100k itself.
 
Adamant said:
Yeah, that was the thinking back when the deal was first announced. UFC being on FOX was going to suddenly change everything and take them away from PPV.
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Find me some where that anyone stated that related to the UFC. It was never meant to be that, UFC was always signed to bolster FS1 essentially and it has.

Getting on Fox is just sort of them returning the favor by giving them some prime time slots to grow their brand.

They never said they wanted to leave PPV and after how bad the WWE Network did I doubt they will for awhile.
 
Adamant said:
What the fuck happened to UFC's deal with FOX that was going to "revolutionize" the business and take them out of PPV?!
Click to expand...

They saw WWE fuck themselves by getting out of PPV too early prolly.
 
VIP1349 said:
Find me some where that anyone stated that related to the UFC. It was never meant to be that, UFC was always signed to bolster FS1 essentially and it has.

Getting on Fox is just sort of them returning the favor by giving them some prime time slots to grow their brand.

They never said they wanted to leave PPV and after how bad the WWE Network did I doubt they will for awhile.
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This is just one article:

Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, the UFC has been primarily a Pay Per View based company. While live gates, merchandising, and ratings matter, the PPV model has always been the staple of UFC programming. Over time, we've seen a gradual shift away from this model - first with The Ultimate Fighter, then the Spike TV fight nights and Live on Versus shows. In recent months, there's been more of a shift away, with major PPV-quality shows on Fox, and an increase in content on FX and Fuel.

Now, hot on the heels of the UFC taking The Ultimate Fighter to its new live format on FX, Dana White has made an intersting statement on the future of this PPV model. White told MMA Weekly:

"I do believe there will be a day when there probably isn't pay-per-view."

White went on to explain that he, like many media analysts, sees the future of television and cable changing drastically in coming years and anticipates the UFC being on the front edge of that change. And one of those changes could very likely be the death of the UFC on PPV.

While this is all just speculation at the moment, the fact that White, and in turn Zuffa, are entertaining such an idea is huge. Since buying the UFC, White has always been outspoken about his desire for MMA to become a completely viable mainstream sport. One of the greatest hurdles in that goal has always seemed to be the company's heavy use of PPV. While dedicated MMA fans have are willing to spend $45 to watch UFC shows, that is a price tag that gets in the way of newcomers casually tuning in. If the UFC can get past this barrier - if they can find a way to be successful and not force the fans to spend any more than they do to watch other sports - then the Dana dream of MMA as a mainstream sport is one massive step closer to reality.
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Adamant said:
This is just one article:

"I do believe there will be a day when there probably isn't pay-per-view."
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That quote by Dana doesn't mean that the Fox deal meant that immediately.
That means that they have to get their content elsewhere as well since down the line PPV as we know it might cease to exist

I think you read a lot more into things happening immediately
 
People are going to die waiting for the UFC to get out of the PPV model completely. They're diversifying, but there's no way they'll ever leave PPV. Even boxing still does PPV. Even if they do a deal with HBO or Showtime someday, they'll still put their most marketable fights on PPV. That's where the money's at.
 
markys00 said:
we are simply stuck in a weird in between stage like gas and hybrid/electric. its difficult for them to move away from ppvs altogether. i bet its worth it for them to do ppvs even if they sell like 30,000 subs. thats why they will not move away from it just yet, since the ufc name alone is at like 100k itself.
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What do you mean 30,000 subs & PPV?
Sorry that confuses me

Did you mean they make a profit at 30k in BUYS or do you mean if they move PPV to FightPass (like WWE-n) they need 30k in subs to make a profit.
Both are incorrect, but I am not sure if you meant either

30k in PPV buys = about $750k - no way that makes them a PPV profit
 
DGT4NOW said:
That quote by Dana doesn't mean that the Fox deal meant that immediately.
That means that they have to get their content elsewhere as well since down the line PPV as we know it might cease to exist

I think you read a lot more into things happening immediately
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My personal opinion is that the day they get out of the PPV game will be the day that PPV is just dead overall. And even then, it will be basically a new form of PPV, like Fight Pass, but you get more content and they charge more money and you have to pay extra for special events available exclusively through that medium. If boxing is still in the PPV game after all these years, I think that's very telling. I also think the WWE failing with their network and trying to shift away too fast from the PPV model is a cautionary tale. For all the criticism that Zuffa receives from hardcore fans and non fans alike, they really do have all of their bases covered. PPV model still intact? Check. International expansion? Check. Lucrative TV deals with Fox and with various major networks around the world? Check. Fight Pass? Check. Even if one inexplicably fails or under performs, they don't have all their eggs in one basket. They were still able to do well, even with their PPV numbers being down last year. And this year, they're trending up.
 
Rulio Gracie II said:
My personal opinion is that the day they get out of the PPV game will be the day that PPV is just dead overall. And even then, it will be basically a new form of PPV, like Fight Pass, but you get more content and they charge more money and you have to pay extra for special events available exclusively through that medium. If boxing is still in the PPV game after all these years, I think that's very telling. I also think the WWE failing with their network and trying to shift away too fast from the PPV model is a cautionary tale. For all the criticism that Zuffa receives from hardcore fans and non fans alike, they really do have all of their bases covered. PPV model still intact? Check. International expansion? Check. Lucrative TV deals with Fox and with various major networks around the world? Check. Fight Pass? Check. Even if one inexplicably fails or under performs, they don't have all their eggs in one basket. They were still able to do well, even with their PPV numbers being down last year. And this year, they're trending up.
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I agree completely, but as someone that follows the business, there is a lot more to the WWE-N story
They could have made the move from PPV work a LOT Better.
There were several key factors that hurt it.
- They projected an unrealistic number of 2 million subs
- The execution of the network was horrible after mania. The library is incomplete & the older shows they are airing from different promotions are various episodes & often not in any order. They also cut down on original content.
- Creative is at an all-time worse & viewership is way down
- They promote it horribly. That was the one thing Vince was still a genius at, but he is even horrendous at that lately. WWE based their promotion regarding the price (9.99) & they have THREE hours of TV time on Monday, plus TWO on Thurs/Fri & they rarely use that time to promote anything but the "event" coming up.

Vince is an albatross for his own business these days
 
DGT4NOW said:
I agree completely, but as someone that follows the business, there is a lot more to the WWE-N story
They could have made the move from PPV work a LOT Better.
There were several key factors that hurt it.
- They projected an unrealistic number of 2 million subs
- The execution of the network was horrible after mania. The library is incomplete & the older shows they are airing from different promotions are various episodes & often not in any order. They also cut down on original content.
- Creative is at an all-time worse & viewership is way down
- They promote it horribly. That was the one thing Vince was still a genius at, but he is even horrendous at that lately. WWE based their promotion regarding the price (9.99) & they have THREE hours of TV time on Monday, plus TWO on Thurs/Fri & they rarely use that time to promote anything but the "event" coming up.

Vince is an albatross for his own business these days
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Yeah, pretty much all true, thanks. :)
 
Rulio Gracie II said:
Yeah, pretty much all true, thanks. :)
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Thanks for the words, but I forgot the dumbest thing they did was add Mania to WWE-N.
They should have kept that as the sole PPV & had tons of BTS stuff on WWE-N.
Mania was doing 1m PPV buys & would still do that.
 
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