PPV Criteria

[freddydoesdallas]

After all the shenanigans with team Khan and the card next weekend, sky have finally used their muscle and not caved into the demands for a poor quality to be on their ppv product. This is surely the time for them to come up with a set criteria of what will and will not be ppv material. No one boxer (currently) is a major cross-over star in the UK and as such will not generate the huge numbers that Hatton did and none of sky's rivals can really offer anything of similar quality and to a similar sized market.

Should sky now send promoters a set criteria stating what they require and that it is not flexible? Would the following be a starting point:

Main Event - Even world title fight
Chief Support - Mandatory world defence/even European title fight/Major British title fight (ie Groves DeGale)

Minimum of 3 British title level fights.

Times are hard for a lot of fans but it seems that we're all getting less bang for our buck now with boxing. We pay to watch fights not highlights and repeated cliches.

Any other things that should be in?

[wrimc]

I think it has to be value for money. I think having criteria like this would encourage promoters to get a "world" title such as an interim or regular title and then milk it for it for all it is worth such as in the WBU days which was worse for the fans and boxing ultimately though was a money spinner for Warren and Sky.

Burns does not deserve to be PPV obviously and id this was a case i fear all world title fights would immediatly become ppv which is something we do not want.

Each needs to be on a merit of their own but i would say there needs to be a genuine PPV worth main event most likely for a world title or unification and supported by a strong undercard of 50/50 fights at British/Euro level doesnt have to be the best but its shoudl showcase British talent and could help build names. It needs to be worth the while to spend £15 it needs to be a big event and it needs to showcase the brand of boxing.

[freddydoesdallas]

This could be the time for sky to actually dictate which belts they will accept though. Full titles, 4 sanctioning bodies and no shite.

Burns should not be ppv but he would be a fantastic support fight for a card. Froch v Johnson as a main with Burns as chief support would be ok with me. 3 British title fights shown (preferably the young stars coming through as you said) as well and i'd be happy enough to pay for it and spend a quality night in front of the tv

[wrimc]

This could be the time for sky to actually dictate which belts they will accept though. Full titles, 4 sanctioning bodies and no shite.

Burns should not be ppv but he would be a fantastic support fight for a card. Froch v Johnson as a main with Burns as chief support would be ok with me. 3 British title fights shown (preferably the young stars coming through as you said) as well and i'd be happy enough to pay for it and spend a quality night in front of the tv

I think that is the key is that a few good British title fights which on the whole are competitive scraps would make for great support bouts. If you look at how much some of the fighters are getting paid for fights in the US it i see no reason why we cant entice our fighters to get fighting on these cards against god opposition.

The sat night fats will then be reserved for more established fighters and Euro title fights as they will probably reach a larger general audience than the undercard fighters on a PPV but people will pay more attention or look out for the exciting fighter called Tyson Fury that they saw on the Khan undercard and will connect it when they see on a regular sky sat fight night.

It is all about continuity good matches, events and personalities will ultimately build stars.

[ILikeBeer]

There should be a top quality main event for a start. A 50/50 world title fight, or at the very least the two top contenders fighting. No Haye vs Harrison bollocks. Closer to the Lewis vs Bruno, Benn vs Eubank of Hatton vs Tszyu matches, that the masses legitimately wanted to see. (I'm working under the assumption it's a British pay-per-view.)

Probably a lesser world title fight on the bill. By lesser, I don't mean lesser quality of fight, but maybe one that wouldn't attract the same hype as the main match. Take Carl Froch. His fight with Glen Johnson soon probably wouldn't attract the same attention in Britain as some of the fights announced above, but most boxing fans wouldn't complain if the pay-per-view had that in the semi-final line up.

Also, I think a British title fight or two underneath wouldn't go amiss. You're going to get the usual people making their debuts at the bottom of the card is fine. But if you have two genuine world title fights, a British title fight of the same sort of quality that would main event a Saturday Fight Night and a fight of the ilk of Fury vs Rahman. (Or any prospect vs slightly past their best big name fights would do.)

Essentially, there should be a great main event, and three to five very decent undercard match. And an opportunity given to a couple of kids making their debut at the start.

[ILikeBeer]

What would people's dream pay-per-view be? If you could have any matches you wanted, with the only proviso being that both boxers involved had to be still active, and obviously in the same weight categories as each other. You don't have to have to worry about who is promoted by who.

I'd have it at the 02.

Then I'd have, the following fights that are proposed recently.

David Haye vs Wladmir Klitschko (WBA, WBO, IBO, IBF heavyweight titles)
Carl Froch vs Glen Johnson (WBC super middleweight title)
James DeGale vs George Groves (BBBofC British super middleweight title)
Dereck Chisora vs Tyson Fury (BBBofC British heavyweight title ,Commonwealth heavyweight title)
Michael Sprott vs Martin Rogan (just for a bit of a laugh, battle of the Prizefighter winners. Give them both a pay-day.)

Then two or three debutants in 4/6 rounders at the start, help bring up new prospects.

Obviously, I know the boundaries to making fights like this. But that'd be the standard I think they should give, if they expect people to pay for watching their own television set.

[wrimc]

There should be a top quality main event for a start. A 50/50 world title fight, or at the very least the two top contenders fighting. No Haye vs Harrison bollocks. Closer to the Lewis vs Bruno, Benn vs Eubank of Hatton vs Tszyu matches, that the masses legitimately wanted to see. (I'm working under the assumption it's a British pay-per-view.)

Probably a lesser world title fight on the bill. By lesser, I don't mean lesser quality of fight, but maybe one that wouldn't attract the same hype as the main match. Take Carl Froch. His fight with Glen Johnson soon probably wouldn't attract the same attention in Britain as some of the fights announced above, but most boxing fans wouldn't complain if the pay-per-view had that in the semi-final line up.

Also, I think a British title fight or two underneath wouldn't go amiss. You're going to get the usual people making their debuts at the bottom of the card is fine. But if you have two genuine world title fights, a British title fight of the same sort of quality that would main event a Saturday Fight Night and a fight of the ilk of Fury vs Rahman. (Or any prospect vs slightly past their best big name fights would do.)

Essentially, there should be a great main event, and three to five very decent undercard match. And an opportunity given to a couple of kids making their debut at the start.

You surely must accept that boxing is increasingly moving towards PPV? The Hattton Tszyu Benn Eubank Lewis Bruno's only come around every few years. Those are undoubtedly PPV events and legitimate ones at that 50/50 high level high interest fight. Sky are now going to be doing around 4-6 PPVs a year and that is a fact.

With this in mind knowing that we cant always have Benn Eubank we need to make sure that we at least get the best value for money as possible and that th undercard becomes increasingly important in selling and promoting the fight as an attraction and promoting the fighters themselves.

[orbtastic]

Khan's team were moaning about SKY exercising some quality control, but it seems to me that it's Adam Smith making these decisions, or at least making his thoughts known. Fair play to him, he gets a lot of stick on here (and elsewhere) and he's making some decisions for the good.

[dazzer]

do not think sky can do 4-6 fight cards a year on ppv. haye is to stop fighting in sept/0ct, Froch no one knows who he is, Khan has shot himself in the foot. Wazza is the only promotor who could pull it off, but with all his fighters pulling out just before they are due to fight ???????????. Maybe prizefighter could go ppv . As a boxing fan if the card is really good forget ppv and get down to venue and cheer the fighters on if it is in the uk.

For ppv the cards now have to be good very good, like wazza one coming up the 2 fights so far are good fights another couple of good fights and we have a winner.

[wrimc]

do not think sky can do 4-6 fight cards a year on ppv. haye is to stop fighting in sept/0ct, Froch no one knows who he is, Khan has shot himself in the foot. Wazza is the only promotor who could pull it off, but with all his fighters pulling out just before they are due to fight ???????????. Maybe prizefighter could go ppv . As a boxing fan if the card is really good forget ppv and get down to venue and cheer the fighters on if it is in the uk.

For ppv the cards now have to be good very good, like wazza one coming up the 2 fights so far are good fights another couple of good fights and we have a winner.

I disagree mate I know the genuine PPV stars are few and far between and towards the end of their career mainly Haye tbh Sky will be increasingly looking to put PPV's on to fund some of the higher level boxing and Warren especially is looking to fund his operation this way this year we will probably have: Khan (well would have) Clev/degale groves Froch, Haye all PPV plus maybe another Warren card.

As a result I think we as fans have to accept we may have to shell out for the big cards. This means though that if we are going to have to begrudgingly pay £15 for a card we want it to be of the absolute best quality.

[smoothmoves]

Why do ppv's have to cost £14.95? Why can't Sky adopt a tiered system where they charge max £14.95 for a top end show, and less for showcase fights like khans was supposed to be? If a fighter is deemed to be ppv on his own, why not wait until an opponent has been named, and undercard been confirmed, then set the price?

[kamicazze]

lets for example say head of the card is khan vs mcloskey
chief support gavin rees vs anthony crolla
beneath that rendall munroe vs scott quigg
mathew macklin vs khoren gevor
along with tyson fury vs hasim rahman and by all means charge me 15 quid for that card :)

but they all fell through