Every TV company has seen the potential of PPV boxing. But they recognise that they need a star boxer to make it worthwhile. So in effect they are not actually too interested in boxing as such, just having a star to build their product around.
Surely this means that it will become extremely difficult to have stars fighting stars.
We've already seen the problems in America with boxers tied to different networks and unable to fight each other. This will happen here.
PPV. Each channel needs a star(s)
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SaadOffTheDeck
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 19602
- Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 07:38
Re: PPV. Each channel needs a star(s)
The biggest problem here is how overpaid the fighters have been for the last few decades. Little incentive for big fights.
Re: PPV. Each channel needs a star(s)
There have been big networks for years - big fights have still happened.
The danger is fights being promoted as PPV, as though that in itself makes a fighter more popular, when their profile is bang average. Look at the absolute mess of the Hughie Fury v Parker fight.
The issue in the UK is that there aren't many fighters with the star quality to really sell a PPV other than on Sky Box Office. BN is fairly niche and the fighters in the Warren stable, whilst there are many who are technically very proficient, don't have the charisma, style or local support to turn them into major ticket sellers. Frampton does well in NI but beyond that? There's also the issue of cold hard cash. Haye, not a Matchroom fighter, has had all his PPV fights on Box Office. Tyson Fury, a guy never promoted by Matchroom and having previously had all his big fights across standard Sky, Channel 5 and BN, had his last fight on Box Office.
I think the ITV side could be interesting. A tenner for Groves Eubank looks great and if ITV market it right it could do the business. That may end up working as competition for Sky, which BN don't really do. (Namely too expensive for the casuals and without the fighters who sell.)
The danger is fights being promoted as PPV, as though that in itself makes a fighter more popular, when their profile is bang average. Look at the absolute mess of the Hughie Fury v Parker fight.
The issue in the UK is that there aren't many fighters with the star quality to really sell a PPV other than on Sky Box Office. BN is fairly niche and the fighters in the Warren stable, whilst there are many who are technically very proficient, don't have the charisma, style or local support to turn them into major ticket sellers. Frampton does well in NI but beyond that? There's also the issue of cold hard cash. Haye, not a Matchroom fighter, has had all his PPV fights on Box Office. Tyson Fury, a guy never promoted by Matchroom and having previously had all his big fights across standard Sky, Channel 5 and BN, had his last fight on Box Office.
I think the ITV side could be interesting. A tenner for Groves Eubank looks great and if ITV market it right it could do the business. That may end up working as competition for Sky, which BN don't really do. (Namely too expensive for the casuals and without the fighters who sell.)