Boxing returning to ITV.....maybe

[whiskey]

I agree, unless ITV put in millions which I cant see them doing they wont ever get huge PPV level fights, no doubt. But also don't think ITV are going to jump in at that level.
I imagine they have seen the numbers a small channel like DAVE has attracted and believe they can attract much bigger numbers on their platform.
Alevel vs. Alevel, no, but that doesn't mean they can't have a-side guys like Haye, Fury, Khan vs. bums and still attract big numbers as Haye vs. De Mori has already shown...

You could well be correct.

And if you are indeed correct, I couldn't give a rat's ass about a single event they plan to put on.

If it involves some hairy frodo bum from Belarus who is 5'4 and fighting at middleweight just so Eubank can grab the entire budget for himself and pose at the camera as the freeview audience go wild - then thanks but no thanks.

However if they give Mick a wedge and get him proper fights on like Blackwell vs Eubank, Tyson Fury etc then I'll be right behind it.

In a nutshell, if terrestrial want in they need to put their money where their mouth is. Too many times they've ultimately lacked commitment and binned boxing off despite it doing sensational numbers.

[dalcumly]

ITV as a terrestrial TV channel aim to put on programmes to satisfy public demand. If they are going to cover boxing again then surely all their producers will be interested in is giving good quality boxing to the general public. That does not necessarily mean that , unlike SKY and BT,they need to put on world title fights. I think a midweek show at around 10.30 featuring an even matched British title fight would be a good start. I don't know if Matchrooms of Quuensbury fighters are contractually committed to appearing on SKY or BN. If they're not then I don't see a problem with them appearing on ITV. The other UK promoters can then do a deal with ITV provided Matchroom and Queensbury understand that they are also managers and not simply promoters.

[expe]

ITV as a terrestrial TV channel aim to put on programmes to satisfy public demand. If they are going to cover boxing again then surely all their producers will be interested in is giving good quality boxing to the general public. That does not necessarily mean that , unlike SKY and BT,they need to put on world title fights. I think a midweek show at around 10.30 featuring an even matched British title fight would be a good start. I don't know if Matchrooms of Quuensbury fighters are contractually committed to appearing on SKY or BN. If they're not then I don't see a problem with them appearing on ITV. The other UK promoters can then do a deal with ITV provided Matchroom and Queensbury understand that they are also managers and not simply promoters.

Hearn's tied down with Sky contractually until 2021, I doubt the situation is the same for Warren and BN because there's no need but it's his channel so he isn't going to do anything that isn't shown on there unless it's off TV entirely.

[rhino222]

eddie needs to realise that sky is already ppv..for every fight...its called a fornicating monthly subscription you money grabbing bastard!!

[rd350lc]

eddie needs to realise that sky is already ppv..for every fight...its called a effing monthly subscription you money grabbing bastard!!

that's correct you have to pay twice and watch adverts to view decent fights , he's the archbishop of banterbury dont you know .

[lefty]

The reality is Hearn is correct.

There's only so much revenue that a Mitsibishi advert for their L200 pick-up truck can generate for terrestrial stations.

Without a facility to charge people, they've no way of putting on the marquee event. It's all and good posting 2m viewers - but if each viewer paid 0p to watch it then it's of little benefit. Unless it's part of the approach to get a fighter well known stick them on sky box office when the big fight happens (if they get there).

500k PPV buys is £7,500,000 which is an absolute fortune.

The wildcard in all this is Alex Balfour, a multi-media powerhouse who delivered the olympics and has built Premier Boxing Champions into a marketing monster. He's a Londoner and can make things happen in a very big way. He was Haymon's top target and first employee I believe.

Didnt it say in the article that ITV were looking to build their own PPV channel alongside the dates?

[whiskey]

The reality is Hearn is correct.

There's only so much revenue that a Mitsibishi advert for their L200 pick-up truck can generate for terrestrial stations.

Without a facility to charge people, they've no way of putting on the marquee event. It's all and good posting 2m viewers - but if each viewer paid 0p to watch it then it's of little benefit. Unless it's part of the approach to get a fighter well known stick them on sky box office when the big fight happens (if they get there).

500k PPV buys is £7,500,000 which is an absolute fortune.

The wildcard in all this is Alex Balfour, a multi-media powerhouse who delivered the olympics and has built Premier Boxing Champions into a marketing monster. He's a Londoner and can make things happen in a very big way. He was Haymon's top target and first employee I believe.

Didnt it say in the article that ITV were looking to build their own PPV channel alongside the dates?

They've been talking about that since 2008. But that's all it's been so far, talk. BT were on about it for the last couple of years too.

The truth is, it's difficult to deliver through the myriad of platforms they broadcast through. Freeview, cable, satellite ... Whereas as long as you are a sky subscriber, you enter your PIN via the remote and it automatically adds to your next invoice. You can get an (inferior) experience via Virgin too of box office in SD.

I spoke at length to a primetime guy, and he explained that the 'ringing up' method and buying an event wasn't a cheap overhead. But it was a fraction of the cost of using the sky-remote PIN option. They could do it but it wasn't very cheap for a one-off event. Tens of thousands he said that sky charged them to use that remote control facility.

[chad]

Here's an article from the Daily Star website from a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/boxing ... -Amir-Khan

"A new promoter and – more importantly – added boxing on terrestrial television in this country is on its way.

Earlier this year it was revealed that ITV was considering returning to the sport on a regular basis with up to 20 shows per year.

Starsport understands that could now be as early as November as former BT TV chief Marc Watson ploughs on with plans to bring ex-music mogul Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series to the UK.

Watson and PBC want to run a show in the UK by the end of 2016, and they are currently trying to negotiate deals to make it happen with the first show to be broadcast on ITV4.

Former world cruiserweight and heavyweight champion David Haye is one name they have held talks with in recent weeks to headline their big opening night.

Haymon currently has four UK fighters – Carl Frampton, Lee Selby, James DeGale and Amir Khan – but none of those are realistically going to headline a UK-based show this year.

WBA featherweight champion Frampton is due to face Leo Santa Cruz in a huge rematch that looks set to take place Stateside while Lee Selby – IBF title holder in the same division – is tied into a Sky Sports contract with Eddie Hearn for one more bout.

IBF super-middleweight champion DeGale is heading to America for a unification fight with WBC title holder Badou Jack while Amir Khan is out with a hand injury.

Heavyweight Haye offers a lot for PBC but mainly he is a name known to the wider public.

He has generated large audiences on fringe channel Dave and the negotiations would explain why Haye – who was due to fight Shannon Briggs in September – has gone quiet since his last outing in May.

There is still no deal done though so PBC are in a race against time if they want their UK debut in 2016.

They also have yet to get the green light from Haymon, but his model to change boxing in America by buying airtime on TV is not working well with reports of his financial backers losing millions so far.

But if more boxing can come to terrestrial TV here that will help the sport grow in this country.

Around 1.9m tuned into ITV when Carl Frampton stopped Chris Avalos in five rounds back in February 2015 which ended a six-year absence for boxing on the channel.

Barry McGuigan’s Cyclone Promotions recently signed a deal with Channel 5 and their second show is on October 21 in Scotland when Josh Taylor faces Dave Ryan.

Now a regular return from ITV would offer another avenue for exposure.

ITV recently registered ‘ITV Box Office’ with Ofcom, which could be a pay-per-view arm of the channel’s boxing coverage.

Currently there are 14 British world champions, but some are unknown to those who don’t follow the sport avidly because fights don’t feature on terrestrial channels."

[Grilling Machine]

he's the archbishop of banterbury dont you know .

Fast-car wanker.

[Bodyshot3]

@Chad......here's hoping regarding ITV's comeback but they are taking their sweet time about it and seem to have be doing lots of toe-dipping.

To be fair, I am guessing they've got plenty to think about though.

Do they start with an established star or invest in building-up young talent up and reap the big rewards/ratings later?

And do you 'go for it' and make boxing a big Saturday night centrepiece gig on ITV1 after the talent show spots or keep it more low key on ITV4?

The good news is that they must have money to spend with so little football now and other sports tied-in with other broadcasters for years.

[Boxing Prospect]

Do deals with Conlan, Barnes and which ever other Olympians turn pro without Hearn/Warren?

[PredatorHayds]

Even though it's expensive to follow boxing there's a lot on here (me included) who will lap up any fight that's on TV.

For me the more boxing on the box the better.

At the moment we have Sky, Sky Box Office, BN, Channel 5, Dave and Spike all broadcasting.

Adding ITV to the list means more boxing and no extra cost. Everyone's a winner.

As soon as the new tv rights settle down I'd fully expect BT sports to dip there toes in the water as they have success with UFC so there not adverse to combat shows.

Never had it so good. Really rare that a good fight domestic or overseas isn't available on UK television.

[Stuarty]

Do deals with Conlan, Barnes and which ever other Olympians turn pro without Hearn/Warren?

Good shout

[PredatorHayds]

Do deals with Conlan, Barnes and which ever other Olympians turn pro without Hearn/Warren?

Good shout

Conlan with Top Rank who put a lot of there US shows on BN so expect him there.

Barnes signed with MGM. No tv deal in place but they have a good relationship with both BN and Matchroom.

[thatllbeme]

Do deals with Conlan, Barnes and which ever other Olympians turn pro without Hearn/Warren?

Good shout

Conlan with Top Rank who put a lot of there US shows on BN so expect him there.

Barnes signed with MGM. No tv deal in place but they have a good relationship with both BN and Matchroom.

Conlan has signed a managerial deal with MGM and promotion with Toprank