HBO to no longer feature live boxing, as of 2019.

[JCS]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/spor ... oxing.html

Kind of shocked by this one.. may have to consider dropping the network.

[gilgamesh]

I dropped the network a few years ago because they weren't showing enough Boxing. I'm not too surprised by this. Seems to me they've been backing out of the sport bit by bit, and they've really contributed nothing much to the sport in the last few years. They were THE Boxing Network when I first became a fan, but they've experienced a swift fall from Grace in the sport definitely.

It's unfortunate, but at least ESPN and Showtime have picked up the slack.

[sweetviolenturge]

I'm not surprised because the network's commitment to the sport has diminished quite a bit over the past few years. So, while it will be a bit of a culture shock to no longer have them involved in the sport I won't miss much other than their top of the line production values. But, even then, those production people will get jobs elsewhere & we'll benefit from their work down the line.
Although I see a lot of fans lamenting the loss of HBO in the game, I don't think that it will make that much of a difference. Especially considering Showtime's support & dedication to the game as well as ESPN & FS1's new deals as well as the advent of the ESPN + & DAZN apps. Hell, I just realized that now I no longer need to subscribe to HBO so the added cost of having picked up ESPN + & DAZN is now paid for. Sweet.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Statement From HBO Sports Regarding Decision To Leave Boxing

“Our mission at HBO Sports is to elevate the brand. We look for television projects that are high-profile, high-access, and highly ambitious in the stories they seek to tell and the quality of production in telling them.

Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades. During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it's not unique.

Going forward in 2019, we will be pivoting away from programming live boxing on HBO. As always, we will remain open to looking at events that fit our programming mix. This could include boxing, just not for the foreseeable future.

We're deeply indebted to the many courageous fighters whose careers we were privileged to cover.

There have been hundreds of dedicated and remarkably creative men and women who have delivered the best in television production for HBO’s coverage of boxing and we are so grateful for their contributions. It has been a wonderful journey chronicling the careers and backstories of so many spectacularly talented prizefighters.

We are a storytelling platform. The future will see unscripted series, long-form documentary films, reality programming, sports journalism, event specials and more unique standout content from HBO Sports.

We are constantly evaluating our programming to determine what resonates with our subscribers. Our audience research clearly shows the type of programming our subscribers embrace. For HBO Sports, it's programming that viewers can’t find elsewhere.

In keeping with this mission, we’ve accelerated our commitment to storytelling. This has produced landmark shows like “Andre the Giant,” which is the most viewed sports documentary ever on HBO; the acclaimed NFL reality franchise “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cleveland Browns,” which delivered double-digit viewership gains from a year ago; “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel,” the gold standard in sports journalism on television; the powerful docu-series “Being Serena” that chronicled the comeback of tennis icon Serena Williams; and the acclaimed unfiltered talk series “The Shop” featuring LeBron James.

This fall, HBO Sports will present an edition of “24/7” highlighting the upcoming Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson match play plus engaging documentary films like “Student Athlete” and “Momentum Generation” brought to us by accomplished filmmakers. In 2019, we will have the innovative multi-part documentary presentation “What’s My Name|Muhammad Ali” from director Antoine Fuqua in conjunction with executive producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter of SpringHill Entertainment.

Other new ventures will be announced in the weeks ahead as HBO Sports continues to explore new frontiers in sports programming.”

[DrDuke]

RIP, HBO. The biggest boxing network for a long time. It was going to this though, it was a matter of time.

[Perseus]

I dropped the network a few years ago because they weren't showing enough Boxing. I'm not too surprised by this. Seems to me they've been backing out of the sport bit by bit, and they've really contributed nothing much to the sport in the last few years. They were THE Boxing Network when I first became a fan, but they've experienced a swift fall from Grace in the sport definitely.

It's unfortunate, but at least ESPN and Showtime have picked up the slack.

Same here.
HBO has some good shows but the main reason I was paying to have them was boxing.
I dropped HBO in late 2015/early 2016.

[Enlightened-One]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/spor ... oxing.html

Kind of shocked by this one.. may have to consider dropping the network.

Whilst I’m saddened to see HBO abandon the sport of boxing, their pundits behaved disgracefully when they persistently attacked the PBC and Showtime during recent years. It seemed that the importance of their commercial rivalry exceeded the general health of the sport itself, which they reaped significant profits from.

Even though HBO’s Jim Lampley frequently and aggressively criticised the PBC and often celebrated their alleged demise, now he’s unemployed, it seems ironic that he’s exited the sport of boxing before Al Haymon.

Boxing doesn’t need HBO. For sure, it’ll miss that TV network, but the prominence of ESPN and DAZN, coupled with Showtimes’ and Fox’s increased commitment, will inevitably ensure that its absence won’t adversely affect the sport too much.

Hopefully, traditional HBO fighters, such as those competing at middleweight or at 175lbs will somehow align themselves with the TV networks that frequently do business with the PBC, because the so-called “cold war” needs to come to an end. Bob Arum and Al Haymon both realised this years ago and it’s time that Kathy Duva and Oscar De La Hoya appreciate this too.

[Ron C]

The internet has taken over. ESPN+, DAZN, even Facebook and YouTube are showing Live Fights. No one watches TV anymore. Everything is online now

[Loki]

The great news here is that Kellerman will hopefully never be seen in boxing again. I don’t know US broadcasting but I hope that’s a fact.

[gilgamesh]

The great news here is that Kellerman will hopefully never be seen in boxing again. I don’t know US broadcasting but I hope that’s a fact.

Ahh he'll pop back up. He wasn't quite as bad when he was on ESPN 2. I almost wonder if it's not an HBO Production note for them to suck the ass of the house fighter.

[SenorPipino]

It brings a tear to my eye, but the handwriting has been on the wall for several years.

I've mulled dropping HBO for several years as its boxing quality declined. But I never pulled the plug.

Now the decision is easy, although I'll wait until after the Ali documentary airs.

But I'll miss Kellerman. His HBO personna was a toned down version of the loud New Yorker we saw 20 years ago on ESPN2.

Love him or despise him, Kellerman has become quite a name in boxing broadcasting and there's no question that he'll turn up elsewhere.

RIP HBO boxing. We'll always have great memories of some of your mythic fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The internet has taken over. ESPN+, DAZN, even Facebook and YouTube are showing Live Fights. No one watches TV anymore. Everything is online now

Showtime stream too.

HBO only had HBOGo whatever that was .

[Enlightened-One]

The great news here is that Kellerman will hopefully never be seen in boxing again. I don’t know US broadcasting but I hope that’s a fact.

I like Kellerman. His opinion has previously reflected the commercial needs to HBO, but he knows his stuff. I don’t want to see him exit the sport of boxing.

[gilgamesh]

It brings a tear to my eye, but the handwriting has been on the wall for several years.

I've mulled dropping HBO for several years as its boxing quality declined. But I never pulled the plug.

Now the decision is easy, although I'll wait until after the Ali documentary airs.

But I'll miss Kellerman. His HBO personna was a toned down version of the loud New Yorker we saw 20 years ago on ESPN2.

Love him or despise him, Kellerman has become quite a name in boxing broadcasting and there's no question that he'll turn up elsewhere.

RIP HBO boxing. We'll always have great memories of some of your mythic fights.

HBO Boxing broadcasts are what pulled me in, and made me a fan in the first place. So it's definitely sad to see it come to an end.

[tiny_acres]

I'm going to miss Harold Lederman. I always enjoyed seeing his scorecards
I hope another channel picks him up

[boxing_rocks]

One good thing: we won't have to listen to Kellerman wh0re.

[Loki]

One good thing: we won't have to listen to Kellerman wh0re.

Here, here. Just so biased. That being said, HBO has been good for boxing.

[Loki]

The great news here is that Kellerman will hopefully never be seen in boxing again. I don’t know US broadcasting but I hope that’s a fact.

I like Kellerman. His opinion has previously reflected the commercial needs to HBO, but he knows his stuff. I don’t want to see him exit the sport of boxing.

I agree the former ergo, always with the house or HBO fighter, but not the latter.

[turn2stone]

Any time boxing leaves a network it's never good for the sport. Even old biased HBO. Hopefully things don't get too fragmented what with international licencing not seeing ESPN+ service some countries as an example.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Doesn’t Kellerman also work for ESPN?

God knows what Lampley will do.

Lederman was decent with his scorecards and loved the way he was given 10 seconds to sum up the round.

RJJ, I always liked. Speaks the truth but sometimes goes on with himself.

[leejonesjnr]

Has there ever been Goldenboy/Ring TV proposed?

[gilgamesh]

[tiny_acres]

Has there ever been Goldenboy/Ring TV proposed?

God I hope not

[jamamb]

the ring does stream some cards i think, so i guess theres been sort of a lower end ring tv type thing

[punchoutsb]

The great news here is that Kellerman will hopefully never be seen in boxing again. I don’t know US broadcasting but I hope that’s a fact.

Great news may be an understatement.