UFC broadens reach with new Fox TV deal
UFC president Dana White announces a multi-year, multi-platform agreement between Ultimate Fighting Championship and Fox Media Group, at a news conference at Fox Studios in Los Angeles. (Aug. 18, 2011) Credit: AP
Ultimate Fighting Championship has proved for the past decade that it can thrive without the help of broadcast network television exposure.
But the mixed martial arts powerhouse never said it wouldn't be a nice thing to have.
Thursday, it became a reality when UFC and Fox unveiled a seven-year deal that will reshape the sport's TV profile -- including four annual prime time or late night shows on Fox, starting at 9 p.m. Nov. 12.
"This is what I always wanted; this is what I always thought was the pinnacle for us," UFC president Dana White said at a news conference in Los Angeles, saying it would "take this sport to the next level."
White was speaking more about exposure than money; the heart of his business will remain UFC's pay per view extravaganzas. But Fox and its cable arms can bring in potential new fans, as network TV used to do for boxing.
What does Fox get out of it? Primarily, it gets the elusive young male demographic that Fox Sports chairman David Hill likened to squirming fish. "They're there, and then they're gone," he said.
Hill added, "There's no yesterday in TV. Television is all about the next big thing."
When Hill first met with UFC executives 10 years ago he was skeptical, but he said he has been won over as the sport has evolved and become more mainstream. (He would not say how much Fox will pay UFC for rights.)
In addition to the fights on Fox, its cable sibling FX will have 32 nights a year of live action, 26 as part of "The Ultimate Fighter" series that begins its final season on Spike next month.
White called it "revolutionary television." (To this point, the series has been recorded and shown much later.)
Another Fox-owned channel, Fuel, will carry UFC-related programming, including pre- and postfight shows.
UFC will control production of its fight shows. White said the Fox deal will prompt a fresh new look for the shows, including those on pay per view.
Some companies are hesitant to advertise on UFC, but Hill said there are not enough with that policy to make a dent.
"We would not have gone into this deal," Hill said, "if we hadn't canvassed a large group of advertisers who are 100 percent behind it."
