Whither MMA on broadcast TV after Slice is diced?
It took 14 seconds for Kimbo Slice’s 15 minutes of fame to end Saturday night on CBS, when the YouTube sensation went down, perhaps taking with him EliteXC and even mixed martial arts on broadcast TV.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
MMA in general and UFC in particular should continue to thrive on pay television, where it (like boxing) probably belongs.
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Comments (4)
UFC should have been the league that was on network, not the PlebianXC (which was the original name chosen but was changed as CBS' request).
B
It's too bad because the fights were actually very good - a knockout, a submission, a good three-round decision in the women's bout... It was the best card that Elite has had of the three on CBS, hope the next one will be even better.
Neil the ratings were pretty strong for the show especially in the key demographics. The question is whether or not EliteXC can put on another show now that Kimbo is exposed.
To say that MMA is done on Broadcast TV is a little premature. EliteXC enjoyed decent success with a subpar product. The UFC would be able to put on a superior product. The question is not whether they would get the ratings, but whether they would be able to come to an agreement with a broadcast network on issues of control etc.
I am not sure just how deep your MMA knowledge runs Neil (I am guessing not to deep) but it was nice to see you at least acknowledge the sport exists in the media world.
Chris:
You are right - I used to work in the MMA industry and Neil has always been open to hear what we had to say about the sport. Many mainstream media write dismissive comments without the doing the slightest bit of homework. Neil is honest that he doesn't know a lot about the sport but he doesn't take easy potshots at it.