UFC’s Network TV Plan B: NBC and Hispanic Suitors
Adam Swift over at MMAPayout is reporting that the UFC is in preliminary talks with NBC:
…the UFC has reportedly reached out to NBC as late as last week. The reception was reportedly cold with the peacock network having little interest in working with the UFC and particularly Dana White.
Swift reported a few weeks ago that the UFC/CBS deal was quite possibly dead. That makes two networks, CBS and HBO, who left the table after the UFC, including Dana White, refused to give up “creative control” over the presentation.
I’ve always been a cautious fan of Dana, but NBC brass stating openly it doesn’t want to do business with him in particular is worrisome. There are obvious reasons, not to mention the Fedor fiasco, but more abrasive folks have been tolerated for less potential money, let alone at a time when major networks are struggling to avoid taking their cousins to the prom. Maybe NBC’s sentiment is misguided, or maybe Dana kicks up the A-hole Meter all the way up to 11 at the bargaining table.
Swift also reports the the rumored lead dog for NBC’s rush to fill late-night slots with MMA is Strikeforce. If so, that could pose leverage issues for the UFC. The outspoken Frank Shamrock is essentially Dana with cred. People can only hate Scott Boras because he doesn’t actually play baseball (at least not well), he just makes a lot of money from it. Barry Bonds is a polarizing figure, and fills the seats, because he actually goes out there and performs. Stadiums don’t fill to watch Dana White verbally assault people on speaker phone.
Also mentioned in the article are rumors that Spanish-language network giants Telemundo and Univision have thrown their hat in the ring:
The latest potential entrants into the MMA sweeps race are reportedly Univision and Telemundo. Univision is rumored to be courting the UFC…
This little nugget thrown towards the end of the article is intriguing. An exotic foreigner vamping the UFC? How telenovela. Most of us have sat through Bodog’s discount-porn budget broadcasts, we’ll sit through quality MMA if Chespirito was the color commentator. I can’t be the only one who’s mother made him sit through mass in Spanish when the white-people church was full. Besides, “chingadaso” is universal.
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January 16th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I think the reason why NBC might not be interested in doing business with the UFC is because the late night slot that NBC has been dangling is a paid slot. It was originally reported that NBC was looking to do a live special at 11:30 p.m. ET on a Saturday but I’ve heard that it was going to be attached to a paid package that would have included a time slot every weeknight at 1:30 a.m. ET.
The live special would have offered no direct compensation. The only way for a promotion to make money off the live special would have been through the ability to sell some of the commercial inventory.
There was even a rumor at one point that in addition to trying to strike a deal with CBS that the UFC was also looking into possibly time on NBC to prevent another promotion from getting the exposure.
All of what I’ve just said is rumored. I’ve heard it from a few different people, but none are directly involved with the UFC’s negotiations.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Why would the UFC even be interested in a 11:30pm time slot? Admittedly I’m not informed when it comes to how TV deals work etc etc…but 11:30pm?
January 16th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Gotta remember that some people still consider MMA as “glorified cock fights” and very brutal sporting events. No question there would be some people that would tune in to watch but no guarantees that they would tune back in. No broadcast channel would give UFC a prime time slot right now, even if there is a writers’ strike. They can make money on reruns that cost no money to produce and do nothing. Prime example of sports in prime time is WWE back in its glory days in the 80s. They had a late prime time slot on Saturday nights and drew huge ratings, also leading to prime time Friday night specials too. Recently, when WWE went back to the USA network, they tried to reestablish the Saturday night broadcasts, same time slot I do believe, and it bombed. Wrestling is no longer in its heyday and, as of right now, MMA is nowhere close to being as mainstream at professional wrestling was in the 80s. Its slowly on its way but not quite there. I guess its kinda different when what you’re promoting is real and unscripted, compared to the predetermined outcomes of professional wrestling.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:46 am
The UFC would be interested in talking about the 11:30 p.m. ET special for two reasons:
1) To possibly give them leverage in negotiations with CBS
2) To block a competitor from getting the timeslot
January 16th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Sam, Thanks for replying…however, how beneficial would that time slot be to ANY MMA org? So if the UFC took that timeslot with NBC…you think CBS would still be open to a deal with them as well?
January 16th, 2008 at 11:00 am
“Why would the UFC even be interested in a 11:30pm time slot? Admittedly I’m not informed when it comes to how TV deals work etc etc…but 11:30pm?”
it’s either they get the spot…or you’ll end up watching some bonk infomercial talking about how you can lose weight by eating a gallon of ice cream* a night with no workout.
*you add in fresh fruits and vegetables.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Kelvin, I never said it would be beneficial to the UFC. I merely was explaining why they could have interest.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am
“Univision is rumored to be courting the UFC”
Univision has being showing Spanish-language UFC caps for over a year now…
January 16th, 2008 at 11:13 am
“Sam, Thanks for replying…however, how beneficial would that time slot be to ANY MMA org? So if the UFC took that timeslot with NBC…you think CBS would still be open to a deal with them as well?”
Kelvin money talks. A TV station is all about money and ratings. Lets say that they received HUGE ratings during the airing of the special. Well that means next time they air that Spot at 11pm that the commercials inbetween will be more expensive then what they were before that. Which means bigger revenue for the station. It’s all about money my friend…the station could careless if they ran with another station…as long as they are able to make money they are happy.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Derek, thanks for replying…I knew money is a big part of it…my thing is…what type of ratings will a show get a 11:30pm? That’s the whole just of what I’m asking…lol…
January 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Kelvin, the ratings wouldn’t be great but ratings wouldn’t be the only reason why a promotion would or wouldn’t be interested in that slot. Exposure is a big deal. More people will be exposed to a promotion in that slot than they would if no MMA was shown. Not to mention there is a prestige factor in being associated with one of the four major networks. The association with an NBC or CBS would be a great leverage for potential sponsorship deals with mainstream companies.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:37 am
“The association with an NBC or CBS would be a great leverage for potential sponsorship deals with mainstream companies.”
Ahhh…there we go…thanks Sam.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:57 am
“Derek, thanks for replying…I knew money is a big part of it…my thing is…what type of ratings will a show get a 11:30pm? That’s the whole just of what I’m asking…lol…”
Kelvin this all depends on what day of the week the spot airs. If it airs on the monday - thursday the ratings would be half of what they would be if it ran on a friday or saturday night. This is just a way for the UFC to get their foot in the door with running an ET with a big Station like NBC.
The UFC will do fine if this happens.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
If a late-night slot was the only outlet for the UFC, I’d be worried. As part of a larger package however, it makes a lot of sense. As eazy said, MMA is not built for prime time, at least at this point in time. Having a foothold on network TV while calling a mid-level cable outlet showing the bulk of free programming on primo slots is nice exposure while the sport still matures.
Sam, I heard the same financial structure rumors, I just can’t remember where. I would’ve sworn it was Swift as well. In any case, I hope the draining the kitty internationally didn’t preclude the UFC from taking what looks like a more manageable risk…
I had no idea Univision was already broadcasting UFC shows. Are these events, or rehashes like UFC Wired? To the internet!
January 16th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
The deal-breaking issue with HBO, and the thing that may be the deal-breaking issue with CBS and/or NBC, is control of production. That includes the commentators and whether it’s treated in general like pro wrestling or whether it’s treated in the same way that those same networks treat the NFL and other major sports.
Control of production means that you employ the announcers and you decide what gets said and what doesn’t get said about important issues. IE, it has been how many months and there has been no mention on any UFC PPV show that both of the competitors in the UFC’s most recent Lightweight Title fight tested positive for steroids, or that Randy Couture resigned from the company, or anything else that reflects negatively on the UFC. In addition, while there are exceptions, most of the major fights are treated in the, “Wow, what a great fight!” kind of way whether it actually is a great fight or not. Just look at Griffin-Bonnar II from 2006 for a good example of that.
Control of production is something that pro wrestling has when it goes on network television, because it’s scripted entertainment and not a sport. Creative control is not something that any major sport has, including the NFL. I’m not sure why major broadcast networks like CBS or NBC would want to afford the UFC treatment that they don’t even give the NFL.
At some point Zuffa is going to have to decide if they want to be treated like a real sport or whether they’re a pro wrestling company that just happens to have shoot fights instead of works. Or it’s possible that they have already made that decision and that’s why you heard that little tirade at the post-UFC 79 press conference which was directed at CBS, and that’s why the HBO talks fell apart.
And yes, the commentators and the production are that big of a deal to any major TV network. It’s not that they have anything against Mike Goldberg or Joe Rogan personally, it’s just that you can’t have a sports company coming in and controlling production like a pro wrestling company and talking about how great everything is and never mentioning anything that would portray the company in a negative light.
Of course they’re not going to call it human cockfighting or anything like that, they’d be shooting their own ad sales team in the foot if they did that, but they also aren’t going to have it say on the screen during a UFC event that Joe Stevenson and BJ Penn are going to be fighting for the “Interim Lightweight Title” with no acknowledgment or explanation at that time of what happened to Sean Sherk, and they aren’t going to have it say on the screen during a UFC event that Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are going to be fighting for the “Interim Heavyweight Title” with no acknowledgment or explanation at that time of what happened to Randy Couture.
Again, with no other major sport having control of production on any major TV network, it’s just a matter of whether Zuffa wants to be treated like a pro wrestling company or like a real sport. So far, they have answered that question loud and clear to HBO and CBS, and their answer has not been “like a real sport.”
January 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
“Again, with no other major sport having control of production on any major TV network, it’s just a matter of whether Zuffa wants to be treated like a pro wrestling company or like a real sport. So far, they have answered that question loud and clear to HBO and CBS, and their answer has not been “like a real sport.””
Go back and take a look at the IFL’s first TV broadcast to see how MMA gets treated “like a real sport.” The UFC is in a position of power and shouldn’t give up it’s control to anyone unless it makes sense for them.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I agree that any broadcast time slot is good for the UFC, whether its 11:30 at night or 5:00 in the morning. Remember though, NBC can run SNL reruns at ease too, so I highly doubt that 11:30 would be in the running for MMA. Question is, would these be regular every other month shows or a syndicated show. Heres a list of NBC’s prime time schedule: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nbc#Prime_time
I could see a possible Sunday night show, since other nights have established shows. Also remember, local news channels come on at 11 (on the east coast) with late night shows starting at 11:30 on weekdays and SNL on Saturdays. Sunday could be the likely option, maybe at 9, for 2 hours. Everyone gets their local news (on the east coast) and its not too long.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
“Go back and take a look at the IFL’s first TV broadcast to see how MMA gets treated “like a real sport.’ ”
And tonight….. someone is going to the hospital!!!!!!!! Cue ambulance graphics and scary music…
January 16th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
As much as it would be nice for the IFL to blame that one on MyNetworkTV, the IFL is in control of its own production, and they chose to put that crap on their first TV show in their ignorant, short-sighted attempt to draw ratings for that one particular episode. No MAJOR television network is going to give up control of production, and MyNetworkTV is not a major television network in the same vein as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, ESPN, or even HBO. Despite being in 107 million households, MyNetworkTV’s average viewership is smaller than HBO’s, even though HBO is only in about 30 million households.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
“As much as it would be nice for the IFL to blame that one on MyNetworkTV, the IFL is in control of its own production, and they chose to put that crap on their first TV show in their ignorant, short-sighted attempt to draw ratings for that one particular episode.”
Ivan, I think you generally post good, insightful comments, but you’re flat wrong here. As someone with intimate knowledge of the situation, I can tell you that the IFL was more upset than anyone about that first show.
The stretcher stuff wasn’t their idea, and they were assured it would be removed before air. It wasn’t, and they took the heat for it. MyNetwork wasn’t to blame either, though, but rather the production company that put the show together.
It was a painful lesson, but a lesson learned nonetheless.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Okay then, who hired and paid for the production company? As far as I’m aware, it was not the IFL, not MyNetworkTV. If the IFL can’t control what the production company that they hired puts into their shows, that’s not MyNetworkTV’s fault. My point here is that the “IFL first episode” fiasco can’t be blamed on an MMA company handing over production to a TV network.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I’ve seen the UFC on the Spanish channel a few times in passing. It’s basically a low rent version of Ultimate Knockouts with Spanish broadcasters introducing the fights in studio. It’s similiar to Pride on FSN w/ Trigg and Glazer. They need to revamp it, imho.