Boxing channel (merged)

[metropol]

I was reading on another forum where someone had the idea of starting a boxing channel. I thought it was a great idea. He had a very good argument saying that if there is a golf channel why cant there be a boxing channel. This guy was american so I thought that it would work over here. On sky there is a load of crap channels. Surely a channel dedicated to boxing could be created when there is a poker channel. It could be filled with classic boxing , phone in shows, interviews, preview shows and live fights. Does anyone know has there been a boxing channel before? I know channels come and go all the time on sky. I would love to see this happening
Anyone think there is a chance of this happening?

[damianhucker1]

i know id like to see it but dont think anyone would invest in it as soley a boxing channel cos of the costs to buy the rights to fights , you would need to buy good fights to attract customers but until those customers came there wouldnt be money for big fights , catch 22 . only way i could imagine it happening is either if setanta did it and put all their boxing on there . they could fill up the spare hours with repeats of previous live fights and steve bunce boxing hour , plus maybe creat a couple of new tv shows like random titles such as eurobox or boxing usa etc ect or maybe show latest edition of contender . the other way would be a promotor doing it to showcase the talents of his own fighters but not sure if they do that as they would miss out on tv money from other channels or then again it could be seen as a way to get more cash by cutting out the tv middle men ..????

[jamesmcdonnell]

This has been done to death - Frank Maloney talked about it a few years back.

The issues with rights are just too prickly and difficult to navigate, giving blanket coverage to the sport in any meaningful sense is virtually impossible - you'd have to negotiate so many contracts with different promoters, channels etc, that its not viable.

[stujones]

Its not really though James, why not just all the promoters pitch in (well some will not) and do phone in shows and non televised shows.

In that way rights are not important, the new channel can have the rights.

Love to see the likes of Impact boxing etc on the screens.

[metropol]

Steve bunce was talking about it today and thought it could work

[My T Sharp]

OK, it would have to be subscription based 'cause advertising alone would not fund it.

For example Boxing News magazine has 11,500 readers per week, and the annual subscription is £85 (from ABC).

If all of these readers subscribed to the channel that is income of just under a million. So that would give £83,000 per month for programming. That would just be one decent domestic show, and then a load of low budget chat shows and gym interviews for the rest of the month, plus any old shows that promoters would have to donate to the channel.

This doesn't however take into account advertising...don't know how much income that would generate????

Might be a runner

[whiskey]

I don't think id watch it.

Not being down on the idea, but i like the drama and build-up of the main event as much as the fight itself.

Once the result is out there, it loses it's shine for me.

Even the very best fights i can only watch so many times. Apart from unreal KO's, i dont think i'd be interested in say Eubank vs Ron Esset 12 round points win.

With the exception of Naz and a prime Tyson, i struggle to revisit old fights - but to sit and watch the station play old fights all day long would bore me silly.

Yet when i tune into the latest happenings on Bunce's boxing hour, i'm glued to the screen.

Maybe if they were extremely strong on current fighters and all the latest news and gossip then it could do ok.

[marvelmarv]

Please sign this and help the cause. 644 people have signed it and after some e-mails with Steve Bunce he has assured me that a chap called Jim Bentley (think he's in programming) will look at it. Sign it and make it happen!

http://www.petitiononline.com/boxing09/petition.html

[marvelmarv]

Look. I'm the guy that started the petition - I'm not American by the way.

Please sign it - every signature helps 649 so far

http://www.petitiononline.com/boxing09/petition.html

[Horse]

How expensive would rights to foreign fights that wouldn't normally be shown here be?

Would the channel be able to get them cheaply? Would anyone watch them?

[My T Sharp]

How expensive would rights to foreign fights that wouldn't normally be shown here be?

Would the channel be able to get them cheaply? Would anyone watch them?

Good question. I wouldn't watch them if they were on at silly o'clock in the morning but always worth a watch on a sunday morning/afternoon.

Channel five have US fights so they can't be too expensive :??

[metropol]

I started a thread on this after seeing it on another forum. Steve bunce mentioned it on his show last week. I hadnt got the link maybe the two threads can be merged.

[boxingchat]

Waste of time....there will be too many issues regarding rights etc of the content to make it
viable proposition for any one TV company, other than Sky, who have a vast back catalogue. Jim Bently does not make the decsions at Setanta either.

Having said that a better magazine programme would be welcome. Bunc is okay but boy he talks some shite! Entertaining though it is.

[knightster]

I've signed it.

[Spud]

Please sign this and help the cause. 644 people have signed it and after some e-mails with Steve Bunce he has assured me that a chap called Jim Bentley (think he's in programming) will look at it. Sign it and make it happen!

http://www.petitiononline.com/boxing09/petition.html

I have signed the petition - and as a boxing fan will always do my bit to get more coverage of our great sport - but lets get real here - when you have channels cancelling some contracts IN ALL SPORTS then the reality of getting a deciated channel showing boxing coverage is really pie in the sky.

I hate to be negative - but all TV channels are reliant on first of all subscribers and secondly advertising - both of those avenues are being bitten in the arse by the credit crunch!!!

All channels are tightening belts and although your idea is well meant and is deserving of support - its one that is doomed to fail solely down to the timing of it - the credit crunch is hurting in all areas!!!

In addition as "Boxing Tw*t From Brentwood" has already eluded to - Jim Bentley who is one dam good bloke and knows his boxing has no say concerning the purse strings and the thousands possbily millions it would take to open up a dedicated boxing channel.

Think the internet - thats the place for dedicated boxing coverage - lots of you said it a while back - your wish may now come true!!!

[chinny]

Having said that a better magazine programme would be welcome. Bunc is okay but boy he talks some shite! Entertaining though it is.

I get all I need from the Sun's Saturday boxing column. It's so balanced, considered and without agenda that there really isn't any need for anything else.

[Spud]

Having said that a better magazine programme would be welcome. Bunc is okay but boy he talks some shite! Entertaining though it is.

I get all I need from the Sun's Saturday boxing column. It's so balanced, considered and without agenda that there really isn't any need for anything else.

[Billy_Boy]

Gone quiet, this one! I understand there are around 800 signiatures at the moment.

Not looking good, really!

[jamesmcdonnell]

Waste of time....there will be too many issues regarding rights etc of the content to make it
viable proposition for any one TV company, other than Sky, who have a vast back catalogue. Jim Bently does not make the decsions at Setanta either.

Having said that a better magazine programme would be welcome. Bunc is okay but boy he talks some shite! Entertaining though it is.

Precisely, the issue with rights is the single biggest reason this will never happen.

[MR UNTOUCHABLE]

It would never work.

It's sad but boxing is just not main-stream enough anymore to support a specific channel.

Perhaps if it was mixed with UFC and the like but on it's own "no way Jose"

[housesecond]

Great idea but it won't happen. I always resented paying sky to give my money to footballers, I'd sooner it went to sportsmen I respect. Shame there's too many issues to complicate it though.

Signed the petition all the same.