Variety: ESPN, Fox Sports Team Up for UFC TV-Rights Bid

[beefcake180]

Who the fuck said you can't discuss it?
I responded to everything you asked, so we are discussing it.
I'm saying you are getting mad over something you have no idea might or might not happen.
Nothing mentioned said anything about you having to pay more & I brought that up.

Keep raging & getting mad, IDC

lol

It is a logical conclusion that there would be more to pay for, since, as I already said this company has found ways to charge extra for things they've already said they would never raise the price on. Why do you think that's so ridiculous?

Can you imagine if we turned every point made into a discussion on a personal mood when you sent it? YOU'RE GETTING TOO HAPPY TO POST BRO CALM DOWN. What the fuck does it matter lol.

 

[Troublesome10]

Wonder what this means for Canadian viewers. Not sure when the TSN deal ends.

 

[FrankieNYC]

sherdog is a unique place, even for the internet world

Being away from it for a few weeks puts it in perspective

 

[FrankieNYC]

Wonder what this means for Canadian viewers. Not sure when the TSN deal ends.

It won't change that deal as far as a viewer goes. If anything it might make it better, bc they will get better quality TV cards.
It will certainly change the next negotiations

 

[Troublesome10]

I'm never gonna get TV or ESPN+
Literally the only thing I watch that would be televised is MMA, and I get that through fightpass +vpn. I could see myself either not bothering with the sport (not likely) or not paying for any of it- Which I don't want to do necessarily, but if I have to pay for multiple services to watch all the UFC content, it's just not gonna happen. I think the UFC is out-of-touch.

 

[wartor]

If UFC is part of my Amazon prime package. I'm in.

 

[Mixedfights]

But Sherdog said UFC ia dying?

 

[FrankieNYC]

If UFC is part of my Amazon prime package. I'm in.

not part of this offer though

 

[dertdent]

More details on the purposed deal just posted by mmalogic

Rumor on proposed split:

espn + streaming service will essentially be fightpass for us residents.
- fightpass library
- fightpass prelims
- exclusive fight nights
- espn fight night prelims

espn national cable networks (espn 1, espn 2);

- espn fight night main cards
- ppv prelims

espn regional sports networks (previously fox sports networks before Disney bought it)

- access to ufc library of content

fox networks (fox broadcast, fs1, fs2)

- contender series
- fight nights (main card and televised prelims)
- ancillary programming (unleashed, etc)

.......



espn will be pushing every ppv with complete coverage.

There will be live fights on national espn cable networks (only main cards or ppv prelims... not fight night prelims.)
Regional sports networks that espn bought from fox will continue to have access to the library as they do now.

 

[DataBreach]

I thought the reason UFC sold for billions was because they were going to do the obvious. Give it all away for free so the sport could have it's second boom. That means Conor and GSP on free TV. It's not a coincidence the first boom happened right after the free TV on SPIKE TV.

Now, mind you, if someone already pays for cable then if a cable deal gets done it's free. But, if someone already pays for ESPN+ then that deal would be free. But that's mincing words.

No streaming service deal is going to offer the UFC its second boom. It's just not happening. Lol. How do these investors believe they're going to get their coin back?

not part of this offer though

 

[FrankieNYC]

I thought the reason UFC sold for billions was because they were going to do the obvious. Give it all away for free so the sport could have it's second boom. That means Conor and GSP on free TV. It's not a coincidence the first boom happened right after the free TV on SPIKE TV.

Now, mind you, if someone already pays for cable then if a cable deal gets done it's free. But, if someone already pays for ESPN+ then that deal would be free. But that's mincing words.

No streaming service deal is going to offer the UFC its second boom. It's just not happening. Lol. How do these investors believe they're going to get their coin back?

They had their biggest profit year in history in 2017 & they were valued at $5b in September
If they get a deal in the $350-400m range (this offer), they will do even better.

 

[DataBreach]

They had their biggest profit year in history in 2017 & they were valued at $5b in September
If they get a deal in the $350-400m range (this offer), they will do even better.

I get all that. That's profit last year and forthcoming revenue for this specific deal. How does that grow the sport exactly?

And 2017's profits are not a benchmark. The UFC fired everyone and got lucky with the Mayweather fight. Take those factors away and 2017 is a bad year for both profits and growing the sport.

The UFC deals are beginning to look a lot like smoke and mirrors.

If this deal doesn't grow the sport what tricks will the UFC have before the next deal?

 

[orangecuse]

I thought the reason UFC sold for billions was because they were going to do the obvious. Give it all away for free so the sport could have it's second boom. That means Conor and GSP on free TV. It's not a coincidence the first boom happened right after the free TV on SPIKE TV.

Now, mind you, if someone already pays for cable then if a cable deal gets done it's free. But, if someone already pays for ESPN+ then that deal would be free. But that's mincing words.

No streaming service deal is going to offer the UFC its second boom. It's just not happening. Lol. How do these investors believe they're going to get their coin back?

From the massive rights deal they are looking for described in this thread. What do you mean?

What does giving stuff away for free mean and how would that make them money?

What does "free TV on Spike TV" mean? And how does that differ from having fights on Fox, FS1, ESPN 1 & 2 described here?

The UFC has been widely available for a long time there's not some mysterious magic free bullet that will make it more popular and grow its fanbase.

 

[DataBreach]

Paging @FrankieNYC

I'm not addressing the above post.

 

[FrankieNYC]

I get all that. That's profit last year and forthcoming revenue for this specific deal. How does that grow the sport exactly?

And 2017's profits are now a benchmark. The UFC fired everyone and got lucky with the Mayweather fight. Take those factors away and 2017 is a bad year for both profits and growing the sport.

The UFC deals are beginning to look a lot like smoke and mirrors.

If this deal doesn't grow the sport what tricks will the UFC have before the next deal?

If you take out Mayweather, they still had a record breaking year
The budget cuts are built in to their profits every year now
Without a single PPV sold, they are over a $200m profit company. Their biggest profit year under Lorenzo was less than that (2016 was about that, but UFC was sold mid-year)
With the new TV deal offer being in that range, they will be even higher

You asked about them making their money back. They are more financially sound with a deal in the $350-400m range than they were under Fertitta's.

They don't need to grow the sport to make more money. The recent future proved that.

Having record profits, while interest is down, proves that the company is an ATM.

The UFC makes its major profits from contracts. That is WME's wheelhouse.
Are they good for MMA? I cannot say that, I think Lorenzo cared more about MMA, but they know how to make money.

There is a difference in MMA decisions & making money.
I responded to you wondering about the investors making money. I explained how, surprisingly they are doing pretty well in that regard.

Am I a believer in the WME-era as far as pure MMA goes? no
Do i report & share financial info that shows they are making UFC an ATM? Yes

 

[Bubba32]

But Sherdog said UFC ia dying?

if nearly 400m a year is dying come kill me baby.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Btw ... I don't know if they will make as much profit in 2018 as 2017, but they will still have the #2 or #3 biggest year.
If they get a deal like the one Variety reported, 2019 will be huge.

 

[FrankieNYC]

But Sherdog said UFC ia dying?

if nearly 400m a year is dying come kill me baby.

Eh, some say it as a goof/gimmick
They are certainly in an era with less interest, but they manage to still be an ATM.
In business, if you can turn more profit in a down year, that is the opposite of dying.
Those that actually think they are dying are not versed in business & that is fine, because an MMA fan doesn't need that knowledge to enjoy the sport.

 

[DataBreach]

If you take out Mayweather, they still had a record breaking year
The budget cuts are built in to their profits every year now
Without a single PPV sold, they are over a $200m profit company. Their biggest profit year under Lorenzo was less than that (2016 was about that, but UFC was sold mid-year)
With the new TV deal offer being in that range, they will be even higher

You asked about them making their money back. They are more financially sound with a deal in the $350-400m range than they were under Fertitta's.

They don't need to grow the sport to make more money. The recent future proved that.

Having record profits, while interest is down, proves that the company is an ATM.

The UFC makes its major profits from contracts. That is WME's wheelhouse.
Are they good for MMA? I cannot say that, I think Lorenzo cared more about MMA, but they know how to make money.

There is a difference in MMA decisions & making money.
I responded to you wondering about the investors making money. I explained how, surprisingly they are doing pretty well in that regard.

Am I a believer in the WME-era as far as pure MMA goes? no
Do i report & share financial info that shows they are making UFC an ATM? Yes

Okay. I understand you're a numbers guy. So let me make my reasoning plain. Maybe you'll get it...maybe you won't.

The UFC was in the red before the SPIKE TV deal. Their PPV's were very low. They were going out of business. So they had an idea to put some shows on cable (free for those who already had cable) to get eyes on their product. It was basically their final desperate act to try and save their company and product. They even had to pay SPIKE to put it on. TUF was basically a giant infomercial.

It worked! People saw Bonner vs. Griffin and they were hooked. This created the first boom. After it was put on free TV, of course. People then got addicted to watching the UFC and soon realized the best fighters were not on SPIKE, but on PPV. So, they began buying PPV.

This was the boom that made the UFC a valid product. But there's a problem now. People don't really care anymore. People aren't watching. And it's currently going down, not up.

So now the UFC wants a deal with fewer PPV's (they have no choice at this point, no one is buying anyway) but with a streaming service ESPN+ that will cost the viewers more money.

Like I already stated. In order for the UFC to make money and survive in the future people have to give a damn. If the UFC put all their content on free cable then it would have it's second boom because it's viewership will go up when all the stars are on free TV. This will get more eyeballs on the product and even smaller cards will have spikes in attendance.

At this point for the UFC brand to prosper I think what is more important is for people to care. Profits over the next 3 years are good. But what made the UFC boom the first time wasn't profits it was exposure (marketing).

If all the UFC wants to do is focus on the profits and split their company 3 or 4 different ways with PPV, streaming, cable tv, free TV then they may seriously lack enough exposure to gain any type of momentum.

And based on the numbers I see regarding MMA in general the UFC product needs momentum far more than it needs profits.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Okay. I understand you're a numbers guy. So let me make my reasoning plain. Maybe you'll get it...maybe you won't.

The UFC was in the red before the SPIKE TV deal. Their PPV's were very low. They were going out of business. So they had an idea to put some shows on cable (free for those who already had cable) to get eyes on their product. It was basically their final desperate act to try and save their company and product. They even had to pay SPIKE to put it on. TUF was basically a giant infomercial.

It worked! People saw Bonner vs. Griffin and they were hooked. This created the first boom. After it was put on free TV, of course. People then got addicted to watching the UFC and soon realized the best fighters were not on SPIKE, but on PPV. So, they began buying PPV.

This was the boom that made the UFC a valid product. But there's a problem now. People don't really care anymore. People aren't watching. And it's currently going down, not up.

So now the UFC wants a deal with fewer PPV's (they have no choice at this point, no one is buying anyway) but with a streaming service ESPN+ that will cost the viewers more money.

Like I already stated. In order for the UFC to make money and survive in the future people have to give a damn. If the UFC put all their content on free cable then it would have it's second boom because it's viewership will go up when all the stars are on free TV. This will get more eyeballs on the product and even smaller cards will have spikes in attendance.

At this point for the UFC brand to prosper I think what is more important is for people to care. Profits over the next 3 years are good. But what made the UFC boom the first time wasn't profits it was exposure (marketing).

If all the UFC wants to do is focus on the profits and split their company 3 or 4 different ways with PPV, streaming, cable tv, free TV then they may seriously lack enough exposure to gain any type of momentum.

And based on the numbers I see regarding MA in general the UFC product need momentum far more than it needs profits.

I understand 100% that MMA interest (UFC being the biggest) is down.
Again, I never argued that. All I did was explain that due to different business plans by the current owners, they don't need to grow the interest more to make more $$$ & get the investment back.

In 2014, nobody saw the 2015-2017 profits coming their way.
But they did.

The point is, if UFC can make $200-300m profit now, they can kill it in a decent year.

A good business plan adapts to the times. You can't compare 2006 to 2018 as far as business plans/management.

WME & the investors did not buy UFC to further MMA. They did it because WME saw ways to make even more money yearly than Lorenzo did.
That is/was their goal.

Is that good for MMA fans?
I doubt it, but I am holding off until 2020 when we live through a year of the new era's distribution deals.

Edit: Signing off @DataBreach - nice back/forth & have a great night