Why the Good TV Ratings for UFC on Fox 22 (Van Zant-Waterson) Are Great for the UFC

Trojanlegal

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With the release of the good preliminary TV ratings for UFC on Fox 22, expect the UFC’s new owners (WME-IMG) to continue its business decisions to focus on promoting highly marketable fighters (especially from the women’s divisions) instead of fighters with merit to increase the attractiveness of the UFC to potential TV partners. UFC's current television broadcasting deal with Fox Sports expires in 2018. The deal is for seven-years and brings in $115 million annually to the UFC. Per most media experts, Fox is receiving the UFC at a bargain price. WME-IMG may be seeking $450 million annually for ten years under a new deal.

The UFC will enter the negotiations for a new deal with a lot of leverage. Most other major sports media rights deals will not be up for years, so the UFC will be the only major sports property available for TV networks to bid on short term. TV deals for MLB, NHL and PGA tour expire in 2021; NFL in 2022; and NBA in 2025.

Looking at other TV deals, NBC broadcasts the English Premier League, which averages 514,000. NBC has a six-year $1 billion-dollar deal with EPL.

Major League Soccer (MLS) averages 276,689 viewers over three networks (FOX Sports, ESPN and Univision). The MLS deal, which runs from 2015 through 2022, earns the league $720 million over the contract (ESPN and Fox pay a combined $75 million annually and Univision pays $15 million annually).

The last three Fox cards show why the UFC is highlighting women more on the main cards:
  1. UFC on Fox 20 (Holm v. Shevchenko): 2,440,000 (overnight ratings) (peaked for 4.7 million during the main event)
  2. UFC on Fox 21 (Maia v. Condit): 2,200,000 (overnight)
  3. UFC on Fox 22 (Van Zant v. Waterson): 2,690,000 (overnight) (peak ratings will be very high) (the fight also went up against an NFL game).
The ratings for women’s main events is one reason why Shevchenko will headline UFC on FOX 23 versus Julianna Pena on January 28, 2017. It is all about the next TV deal.
 
is 2 million a lot for fox? I'm honestly curious.

I imagine the ufc will continue to push wmma because it clearly interests people (for some reason)
 
They're lucky i didnt have shit to do Saturday,. Card was worse than your average bellator card on paper
 
I already hate the "new UFC".
 
is 2 million a lot for fox? I'm honestly curious.

I imagine the ufc will continue to push wmma because it clearly interests people (for some reason)

Apparently, the numbers suggest WMMA attracts a new audience. Although I like WMMA and support its inclusion in the UFC, I do find some WMMA fights on the prelim cards are clunkers. Generally, I believe the championship and number one contender WMMA fights range from very good to great. In 5 years, the quality will improve.
 
I remember a time when Title shot were deserved....
Really? I don't.
Why did Lesnar fight for the belt then?

Or Couture? They have like 20 belts now too. It's always been bush league mma
 
Really? I don't.
Why did Lesnar fight for the belt then?

Or Couture? They have like 20 belts now too. It's always been bush league mma

Let's be honest, MMA as a whole is and always has been bush league. Different organizations have their moments but overall it's always been sensationalist sports entertainment.
 
Let's be honest, MMA as a whole is and always has been bush league. Different organizations have their moments but overall it's always been sensationalist sports entertainment.
You're not wrong, but I won't sit here and glorify anything the ufc has done. Bunch of crooks
 
Because the soccer moms tuned in to see Waterson and the reality tv people tuned in to see PVZ
 
PVZ doing better ratings than Holly is pretty crazy since Holm was a household name after the Rousey fight.

I think they'll heavily push Waterson now as they should.
 
(especially from the women’s divisions) instead of fighters with merit

I imagine the ufc will continue to push wmma because it clearly interests people (for some reason)

Because the soccer moms tuned in to see Waterson and the reality tv people tuned in to see PVZ

It should be borne in mind that FOTN was the women's bantamweight fight between Leslie Smith and Irene Aldana. It was an exciting fight, and even though it opened the Fox pre-lims I posted before seeing the other fights that it could turn out to be FOTN. It wasn't a difficult or mysterious prediction. It was a damn good fight.

And of the two Performances of the Night, one went to Michelle Waterson.

My point is that a lot of the women's divisions fights attract MMA fans for solid MMA reasons: good fights.
 
It should be borne in mind that FOTN was the women's bantamweight fight between Leslie Smith and Irene Aldana. It was an exciting fight, and even though it opened the Fox pre-lims I posted before seeing the other fights that it could turn out to be FOTN. It wasn't a difficult or mysterious prediction. It was a damn good fight.

And of the two Performances of the Night, one went to Michelle Waterson.

My point is that a lot of the women's divisions fights attract MMA fans for solid MMA reasons: good fights.

I agree the UFC features WMMA fighters and fights that are great and should be applauded. I am a supporter of WMMA in UFC. However, I see the quality of women's fights as 10 years behind the men's. With the push by the UFC, it creates an avenue for more talented women to see a full time career in WMMA and grow the sport. I tell people all the time that the UFC is the only major sports organization that treats men and women athletes equally (tennis and track come close).
 
The problem with UFC on Fox 22 is that the fighters these new people tuned in to see lost in less than exciting style.

Sure Michelle won convincingly, but not in a way a first time viewer would know how to appreciate.
 
Come for the freakshow, stay for the good fights.

I guess I'm okay with that?
 
Final average figure for UFC on Fox 22 was 3.178 million, highest since Fox 5 in 2012.

I guess the only question is whether this is just a passing fashion or not.
 
Paige got the headliner strictly because of DWTS, not at all because "promoting highly marketable fighters especially from the women’s divisions"

Mickey Gall could headline a FOX card soon against someone like Alan Jouban
 
I tell people all the time that the UFC is the only major sports organization that treats men and women athletes equally (tennis and track come close).

It has certainly gotten better. I think the UFC strawweight division was treated somewhat disrespectfully at first.

The UFC debut of the strawweight division (which was also the UFC debut of Claudia Gadelha) was hidden away on a Fight Pass prelim.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk's UFC debut was also hidden away on a Fight Pass prelim.
 
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