Could SKY put some serious pressure on allegedly?

[chad]

As we've seen in the past 18 months Eddie Hearn has gone out and snapped up the cream of British boxing. allegedly are keeping their schedule packed with top class international action. The suggestion has been made that SKY cut their boxing budget nearly 2 years ago which is why we've probably seen allegedly flourish.

Today it was confirmed that BT have landed the exclusive rights to the Champions League from both SKY and ITV in a deal worth £897m.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24879138

A spokesman from SKY reacted today by saying:

"There are many ways in which we can invest in our service for customers. We take a disciplined approach and there is always a level at which we will choose to focus on something else. If we thought it was worth more, we'd have paid more. Nothing changes until 2015 and we look forward to 18 more months of live Champions League on Sky Sports. We will now re-deploy resources and continue to bring customers the best choice of TV across our offering."

With the loss of the Champions League rights, and millions of pounds to burn, could SKY not up the budget for boxing? Surely SKY could afford exclusive deals with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Dan Goossen, GYM Promotions etc.... and become a true powerhouse of televised boxing? Even upping Eddies budget could lead to some incredible fights on our shores. Now more than ever, SKY have the money to kill allegedly and Fr&nk allegedly if they really wanted too. The Goldenboy deal allegedly have expires in April........

[palooka]

As we've seen in the past 18 months Eddie Hearn has gone out and snapped up the cream of British boxing. allegedly are keeping their schedule packed with top class international action. The suggestion has been made that SKY cut their boxing budget nearly 2 years ago which is why we've probably seen allegedly flourish.

Today it was confirmed that BT have landed the exclusive rights to the Champions League from both SKY and ITV in a deal worth £897m.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24879138

A spokesman from SKY reacted today by saying:

"There are many ways in which we can invest in our service for customers. We take a disciplined approach and there is always a level at which we will choose to focus on something else. If we thought it was worth more, we'd have paid more. Nothing changes until 2015 and we look forward to 18 more months of live Champions League on Sky Sports. We will now re-deploy resources and continue to bring customers the best choice of TV across our offering."

With the loss of the Champions League rights, and millions of pounds to burn, could SKY not up the budget for boxing? Surely SKY could afford exclusive deals with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Dan Goossen, GYM Promotions etc.... and become a true powerhouse of televised boxing? Even upping Eddies budget could lead to some incredible fights on our shores. Now more than ever, SKY have the money to kill allegedly and Fr&nk allegedly if they really wanted too. The Goldenboy deal allegedly have expires in April........

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue, most likely the money will get swallowed up in other aresa and we boxing fans would moan if a big chunk went on the science fiction channel _ the Dr Who fans etc are more vocal than us (they don't have PPV Star Trek specials do they? :) )

[palooka]

If they stop ripping us off with PPV and use more than just Matchroom.

That'll take a change of heart and attitude and not just more money in the kitty.

[thatllbeme]

sky have shown a handful of international shows recently but do you think they will keep doing this? they also showed a handful of international shows around 2 years ago and people thought the same thing then but it wasn't built on and no deals were done then! im sure this was due to the viewing figures and I don't think anything has changed so I seriously doubt they have any real interest in the international shows we boxing fans want to see on uk tv every week!

[Parson Cross]

Anyone who thinks Sky are going to invest more in boxing is living in Neverland.
The latest accounts show that Wazza's channel is still minus 4.5 mill.
On that basis Sky might as well just sit back and wait for its demise.

[palooka]

Anyone who thinks Sky are going to invest more in boxing is living in Neverland.
The latest accounts show that Wazza's channel is still minus 4.5 mill.
On that basis Sky might as well just sit back and wait for its demise.

There're plenty of companies that run at a loss year after year and still maintain their function, Warren may have crap lawyers (the boxers jumping ship etc) but have excellent accountants,

[whiskey]

Good thread , and that means there are hours of space to feed.

But Sky are shrewd and know the value of things.

BT had no choice but to gazump their way into the market but will they get their fingers burned ?

[palooka]

Good thread , and that means there are hours of space to feed.

But Sky are shrewd and know the value of things.

BT had no choice but to gazump their way into the market but will they get their fingers burned ?

Are you still trying to sell the Groves/Froch PPV?

It still isn't worth £15 so they do not know the value of things.

[chad]

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue.

Boxing might be seen as a minority sport but people do tune in if the right fights are made. This very site reported "Brook v Hatton's fight registered the largest viewing figures for any non-PPV event in Sky Sports' history." Then a few months later Froch Vs. Bute peaked at 668,000 viewers. That's higher than the average viewing audience for SKY Atlantic. SKY pay HBO £30 million per year for the exclusive content to fill the channel.

All I'm saying is up Eddie's budget so he can put massive fights on, without the need of PPV, to bring in the viewers. People would tune in for the likes of Bellew Vs. Hopkins, Froch Vs. Golovkin, Barker Vs. Murray, Burns Vs. Vazquez etc.... When a big fight is on SKY know how to hype it up to the extent that the general public become aware.

You are right about darts though, last years PDC final peaked at 920,000 viewers

[palooka]

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue.

Boxing might be seen as a minority sport but people do tune in if the right fights are made. This very site reported "Brook v Hatton's fight registered the largest viewing figures for any non-PPV event in Sky Sports' history." Then a few months later Froch Vs. Bute peaked at 668,000 viewers. That's higher than the average viewing audience for SKY Atlantic. SKY pay HBO £30 million per year for the exclusive content to fill the channel.

All I'm saying is up Eddie's budget so he can put massive fights on, without the need of PPV, to bring in the viewers. People would tune in for the likes of Bellew Vs. Hopkins, Froch Vs. Golovkin, Barker Vs. Murray, Burns Vs. Vazquez etc.... When a big fight is on SKY know how to hype it up to the extent that the general public become aware.

You are right about darts though, last years PDC final peaked at 920,000 viewers

I understand your general point and sometimes those TV channels are stuffed with similarly connected directors - it's like a money go round.

Even if SKY gave Hearn £30 million he'd still have PPV fights because he can, it's not about the money it's because they can squeeze us.

[chad]

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue.

Boxing might be seen as a minority sport but people do tune in if the right fights are made. This very site reported "Brook v Hatton's fight registered the largest viewing figures for any non-PPV event in Sky Sports' history." Then a few months later Froch Vs. Bute peaked at 668,000 viewers. That's higher than the average viewing audience for SKY Atlantic. SKY pay HBO £30 million per year for the exclusive content to fill the channel.

All I'm saying is up Eddie's budget so he can put massive fights on, without the need of PPV, to bring in the viewers. People would tune in for the likes of Bellew Vs. Hopkins, Froch Vs. Golovkin, Barker Vs. Murray, Burns Vs. Vazquez etc.... When a big fight is on SKY know how to hype it up to the extent that the general public become aware.

You are right about darts though, last years PDC final peaked at 920,000 viewers

I understand your general point and sometimes those TV channels are stuffed with similarly connected directors - it's like a money go round.

Even if SKY gave Hearn £30 million he'd still have PPV fights because he can, it's not about the money it's because they can squeeze us.

I'm all squeezed out. No more juice to give

[palooka]

me neither, the pips are squeeking

[jtourettes]

As we've seen in the past 18 months Eddie Hearn has gone out and snapped up the cream of British boxing. allegedly are keeping their schedule packed with top class international action. The suggestion has been made that SKY cut their boxing budget nearly 2 years ago which is why we've probably seen allegedly flourish.

Today it was confirmed that BT have landed the exclusive rights to the Champions League from both SKY and ITV in a deal worth £897m.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24879138

A spokesman from SKY reacted today by saying:

"There are many ways in which we can invest in our service for customers. We take a disciplined approach and there is always a level at which we will choose to focus on something else. If we thought it was worth more, we'd have paid more. Nothing changes until 2015 and we look forward to 18 more months of live Champions League on Sky Sports. We will now re-deploy resources and continue to bring customers the best choice of TV across our offering."

With the loss of the Champions League rights, and millions of pounds to burn, could SKY not up the budget for boxing? Surely SKY could afford exclusive deals with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Dan Goossen, GYM Promotions etc.... and become a true powerhouse of televised boxing? Even upping Eddies budget could lead to some incredible fights on our shores. Now more than ever, SKY have the money to kill allegedly and Fr&nk allegedly if they really wanted too. The Goldenboy deal allegedly have expires in April........

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue, most likely the money will get swallowed up in other aresa and we boxing fans would moan if a big chunk went on the science fiction channel _ the Dr Who fans etc are more vocal than us (they don't have PPV Star Trek specials do they? :) )

/thread.

Sky have always had the money but it's not worth the investment to them.

[steve689]

It may sound a bit utopian but I would like to see them adopt the sort of approach where the head of boxing fills dates and there is no exclusive promoter. So promoters come along and pitch a show with a venue and the full card and Sky fill their dates with the ones they like. So that would maybe encourage the promoters to work together to get on Sky and make better fights. Like I said, probably not feasible and all that but HBO have been picking up the cream of late rather than focusing on a monopoly like Showtime are now doing with Golden Boy and Sky with Eddie.

[Roman7]

I think national geographic should screen boxing ha

[palooka]

It may sound a bit utopian but I would like to see them adopt the sort of approach where the head of boxing fills dates and there is no exclusive promoter. So promoters come along and pitch a show with a venue and the full card and Sky fill their dates with the ones they like. So that would maybe encourage the promoters to work together to get on Sky and make better fights. Like I said, probably not feasible and all that but HBO have been picking up the cream of late rather than focusing on a monopoly like Showtime are now doing with Golden Boy and Sky with Eddie.

It doesn't sound utopian, it seems like common sense and it also sounds like harder work for a director/head of department than the model they use. As a fan I'd enjoy the sport more I'm sure and would see better bouts if the platform operated what would seem, a straightforward and honest, evenhanded approach.

Got us by the bollocks though haven't they? :(

[steve689]

Pretty much, yeah

[earsjohn]

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue.

Boxing might be seen as a minority sport but people do tune in if the right fights are made. This very site reported "Brook v Hatton's fight registered the largest viewing figures for any non-PPV event in Sky Sports' history." Then a few months later Froch Vs. Bute peaked at 668,000 viewers.

Do you mean for a non-PPV boxing event? At 347k, it was only the 5th highest broadcast on Sky Sports 1 in the week it was shown (behind 4 lots of Live Football)

[expe]

Sky are currently investing in TV away from sport. £500m has been put aside to focus on drama and comedy and that will rise to £600m in the future. I'd expect the money saved to head in that direction rather than boxing. If it was going into sport then rugby, cricket, European football and darts are more likely.

[DMA1987]

Anyone who thinks Sky are going to invest more in boxing is living in Neverland.
The latest accounts show that Wazza's channel is still minus 4.5 mill.
On that basis Sky might as well just sit back and wait for its demise.

There're plenty of companies that run at a loss year after year and still maintain their function, Warren may have crap lawyers (the boxers jumping ship etc) but have excellent accountants,

Yeah but those companies usually have a pretty compelling end game. BN just doesn't I'm afraid, to me its obviously going to fold. The minute sky sees it as a serious competitor it will take the fights away from them.

[davie]

how long are sky tied exclusively to hearns.
surely that deal wont run for ever
the sooner sky open up to other promoter the better.

i dont want to see what happens to british boxing if allegedly fold, c5 stay away and matchroom run a televised monopoly of the sport

[chad]

They could afford to up the budget for boxing and they could afford exclusive deals but boxing is seen as a minority sport, I dare say fishing and darts bring in more viewers and advertising revenue.

Boxing might be seen as a minority sport but people do tune in if the right fights are made. This very site reported "Brook v Hatton's fight registered the largest viewing figures for any non-PPV event in Sky Sports' history." Then a few months later Froch Vs. Bute peaked at 668,000 viewers.

Do you mean for a non-PPV boxing event? At 347k, it was only the 5th highest broadcast on Sky Sports 1 in the week it was shown (behind 4 lots of Live Football)

Here is the full article:

http://news.boxrec.com/news/2012/brook- ... er-tv-fans

I can only assume the writer did mean for a non-ppv event.

[chad]

I was just reading through some articles about BT Sports and the Champions League rights and found this article from last Sunday:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/gene ... 19309.html

"It is also anticipated that next year BT will challenge Sky's boxing supremacy, linking up with Fr&nk allegedly's burgeoning allegedly, whose ex-chief executive Simon Green is now BT's head of sport."

So maybe it'll be BT Sports putting some serious pressure on SKY in terms of boxing.

[WelshJack]

I hope they up his budget and get big fighters over here. People in the UK don't realise how lucky we are, how much did American's pay compared to us for Mayweather v Canelo?