BoxRec

The Adam Kownacki-Chris Arreola heavyweight fight was the most-watched sporting event Saturday on American television.

Viewership figures from Nielsen Media Research revealed Tuesday that a peak audience of 1,769,000 watched Kownacki and Arreola slug it out during the latter portion of a 12-round main event FOX televised from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The average viewership of that entertaining encounter, which Kownacki won by unanimous decision, was 1,727,000.

The average viewership of the entire three-bout broadcast was 1,301,000. A combined average audience of 1,393,000 viewers watched the show live on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports Streaming services.

FOX’s tripleheader also included a WBA interim light heavyweight title bout in which Jean Pascal upset Marcus Browne by technical decision, as well as a junior middleweight match in which Wale Omotoso stopped Curtis Stevens in the third round.

The Pascal-Browne bout drew an average of 1,220,000 viewers. Omotoso-Stevens, the opener of FOX’s show, was watched by an average of 898,000 viewers.

FOX’s post-fight coverage, which included former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis and WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder interviewing Kownacki, drew an average of 1,298,000 viewers. FOX is available in approximately 120 million homes in the United States.

Viewership for this show was significantly higher for FOX than the tripleheader the broadcast network aired last August 4.

The main event of that show, which featured Andre Berto’s narrow win over Devon Alexander, drew a peak audience of 1,266,000 and was watched by an average of 1,193,000 viewers. The average audience for FOX’s four-fight broadcast that night was 941,000.

Wow, that's pretty impressive. What is really a mid-level heavyweight fight got a pretty decent audience, in a time when boxing is "dead" and the HW division considered dead for decades.

Clearly a lot of Mexican and Polish fans tuned in, but that can't be the whole story. I think the point is: put fights on regular tv like they used to be, and boxing fans will watch. When everything is a PPV fans can't keep track of the fighters and lose interest in anything but the top-tier title fights.

SportsRatings wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:03 Wow, that's pretty impressive. What is really a mid-level heavyweight fight got a pretty decent audience, in a time when boxing is "dead" and the HW division considered dead for decades.

Clearly a lot of Mexican and Polish fans tuned in, but that can't be the whole story. I think the point is: put fights on regular tv like they used to be, and boxing fans will watch. When everything is a PPV fans can't keep track of the fighters and lose interest in anything but the top-tier title fights.

Agreed! We need more fights on free-tv. That's how they'll grow the audience and interest.

Fox has been drawing well on these pbc fights. They should have ran several weeks in a row before college football starts.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:47 Fox has been drawing well on these pbc fights. They should have ran several weeks in a row before college football starts.

True. Once College Football starts, boxing viewership on regular TV will go in the tank.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:47 Fox has been drawing well on these pbc fights. They should have ran several weeks in a row before college football starts.

Maybe next year.

oogiebe wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:05

SportsRatings wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:03 Wow, that's pretty impressive. What is really a mid-level heavyweight fight got a pretty decent audience, in a time when boxing is "dead" and the HW division considered dead for decades.

Clearly a lot of Mexican and Polish fans tuned in, but that can't be the whole story. I think the point is: put fights on regular tv like they used to be, and boxing fans will watch. When everything is a PPV fans can't keep track of the fighters and lose interest in anything but the top-tier title fights.

Agreed! We need more fights on free-tv. That's how they'll grow the audience and interest.

Shame the UK can’t do the same. We get Hughie Fury on free TV. Well not anymore.

Any decent ITV fights are now PPV as well. We just getting the free late night PBC shows. Bar Pac-Thurman which was PPV for £12.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 19:18

oogiebe wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:05

Agreed! We need more fights on free-tv. That's how they'll grow the audience and interest.

Shame the UK can’t do the same. We get Hughie Fury on free TV. Well not anymore.

Any decent ITV fights are now PPV as well. We just getting the free late night PBC shows. Bar Pac-Thurman which was PPV for £12.

Well, we pay more than y'all do on a ppv for our 'free' TV. I pay $155 a month for TV and internet, $10 for dazn and $5 for ESPN+. Thurman/PAC cost be about $90. Even with your pounds being worth more, you don't wish it was like here.

It is a sales / marketing issue tied to the fact that combat sports are brutally less than politically correct.

It is very interesting that my brother had Kow v Arreola on record well before the fight. He is waaaay more casual than me. Much more into mma.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 19:18

oogiebe wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:05

Agreed! We need more fights on free-tv. That's how they'll grow the audience and interest.

Shame the UK can’t do the same. We get Hughie Fury on free TV. Well not anymore.

Any decent ITV fights are now PPV as well. We just getting the free late night PBC shows. Bar Pac-Thurman which was PPV for £12.

Friends and I watched the Pac-Thurman PPV at a local sports grill for FREE. Canelo-Jacobs & Spence-Garcia were also free this year. They dont carry EVERY boxing PPV but the ones they show are usually free because 150-200 people usually order enough food & beverage to make it worth their while so they have NO cover charge!!

oogiebe wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:57

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:47 Fox has been drawing well on these pbc fights. They should have ran several weeks in a row before college football starts.

True. Once College Football starts, boxing viewership on regular TV will go in the tank.

I'm not so sure if they play it smart. Showing a 60-90 minute PBC card (especially a HW slugfest like Kownacki-Arreola) sandwiched in between a couple of top-notch college football games could prove to be a ratings winner if they market it well and advertise it in advance.

Best Coast wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 03:32

oogiebe wrote: ↑07 Aug 2019, 16:57

True. Once College Football starts, boxing viewership on regular TV will go in the tank.

I'm not so sure if they play it smart. Showing a 60-90 minute PBC card (especially a HW slugfest like Kownacki-Arreola) sandwiched in between a couple of top-notch college football games could prove to be a ratings winner if they market it well and advertise it in advance.

Fox isnt top 3 in college football. There will be bigger games on different networks. That being said, these aren't astronomical numbers by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps they're finding some new fans.

I wonder when they will realize it makes sense to put boxing back on regular TV. Those numbers dont include ilegal streamers like myself. I watched on an HD stream and got reached by all of the advertisers. Imagine how many viewers would a Canelo fight get on Fox, NBC or any other regular channel. 100 million (superbowl type of numbers) or half of it (world series) wouldnt be a crazy idea. Make the money off advertisement instead of PPV sales.

Onekrazyrican wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:15 Imagine how many viewers would a Canelo fight get on Fox, NBC or any other regular channel. 100 million (superbowl type of numbers) or half of it (world series) wouldnt be a crazy idea. Make the money off advertisement instead of PPV sales.

Canelo vs. Kirkland was on regular HBO. Peaked at 2.3 million. That was couple years after his fight with FMJ. Canelo is much bigger now and HBO isn’t like FOX. Less have access to HBO.

Over a million households paid for Canelo-GGG, both times, imagine how many would have tuned in had it been on free tv?

Onekrazyrican wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:15 I wonder when they will realize it makes sense to put boxing back on regular TV. Those numbers dont include ilegal streamers like myself. I watched on an HD stream and got reached by all of the advertisers. Imagine how many viewers would a Canelo fight get on Fox, NBC or any other regular channel. 100 million (superbowl type of numbers) or half of it (world series) wouldnt be a crazy idea. Make the money off advertisement instead of PPV sales.

Back in the day, the WWWF (pro wrestling) used TV to generate excitement for the big matches at the big arenas, like Madison Square Garden. By doing this they sold out all the big events in NY metro area. Those events weren't available on PPV or Closed circuit back then.

Today, the WWE does the same thing with their PPV's being the big events and they are selling very well. Boxing could learn a lesson from them. Regular TV builds into the pay event. Simple.

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:28

Onekrazyrican wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:15 I wonder when they will realize it makes sense to put boxing back on regular TV. Those numbers dont include ilegal streamers like myself. I watched on an HD stream and got reached by all of the advertisers. Imagine how many viewers would a Canelo fight get on Fox, NBC or any other regular channel. 100 million (superbowl type of numbers) or half of it (world series) wouldnt be a crazy idea. Make the money off advertisement instead of PPV sales.

Back in the day, the WWWF (pro wrestling) used TV to generate excitement for the big matches at the big arenas, like Madison Square Garden. By doing this they sold out all the big events in NY metro area. Those events weren't available on PPV or Closed circuit back then.

Today, the WWE does the same thing with their PPV's being the big events and they are selling very well. Boxing could learn a lesson from them. Regular TV builds into the pay event. Simple.

You ain't been paying attention bud. WWE is tanking right now, and has had some of their worst TV ratings in the history of their existence this year.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:40

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:28

Back in the day, the WWWF (pro wrestling) used TV to generate excitement for the big matches at the big arenas, like Madison Square Garden. By doing this they sold out all the big events in NY metro area. Those events weren't available on PPV or Closed circuit back then.

Today, the WWE does the same thing with their PPV's being the big events and they are selling very well. Boxing could learn a lesson from them. Regular TV builds into the pay event. Simple.

You ain't been paying attention bud. WWE is tanking right now, and has had some of their worst TV ratings in the history of their existence this year.

That's due to bad talent and poor writing. The model is exactly what boxing needs with regular tv and PPV's.

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:43

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:40

You ain't been paying attention bud. WWE is tanking right now, and has had some of their worst TV ratings in the history of their existence this year.

That's due to bad talent and poor writing. The model is exactly what boxing needs with regular tv and PPV's.

Poor presentation. They have talent. They're just not using them worth a sh*t.

Writing in Wrestling in general needs to be done away with. Jim Crockett's NWA didn't have writers, Bill Watt's Mid South Wrestling didn't have writers, Memphis Wrestling didn't have writers...and that's the best sh*t that's ever been on American Television as far as Wrestling broadcasts goes.

The problem is WWE's influence in the Wrestling industry has been so widespread that they've actually ruined the entire Profession. Every new company that comes out tries to be them...NO...F*ck the WWE model. Do what the other promotions did when Wrestling was f*cking Wrestling.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:46

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:43

That's due to bad talent and poor writing. The model is exactly what boxing needs with regular tv and PPV's.

Poor presentation. They have talent. They're just not using them worth a sh*t.

Writing in Wrestling in general needs to be done away with. Jim Crockett's NWA didn't have writers, Bill Watt's Mid South Wrestling didn't have writers, Memphis Wrestling didn't have writers...and that's the best sh*t that's ever been on American Television as far as Wrestling broadcasts goes.

The problem is WWE's influence in the Wrestling industry has been so widespread that they've actually ruined the entire Profession. Every new company that comes out tries to be them...NO...F*ck the WWE model. Do what the other promotions did when Wrestling was f*cking Wrestling.

Gil, that's all fine. The point is that boxing can use regular TV to boost interest in their PPV's.

No doubt about that, but first they have to find a way to make major TV networks want them on their air. Which is the hard part. If I ran ABC, NBC, Fox, any of that sh*t, and YOU want to put Boxing on MY network. I want PPV level fights on Free TV. If you ain't offering me PPV level fights. You can carry your ass somewhere else. This is a big time network. We got the Superbowl. We got the World Series. We got the Stanley Cup. Give us the best your sport has to offer or your sport can go f*ck itself.

This would be my attitude if I were the head of any major TV network, and I'm sure it IS their attitude for the most part. Boxing insisting on PPV as it's model is hurting itself. PPV needs to die.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:40

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:28

Back in the day, the WWWF (pro wrestling) used TV to generate excitement for the big matches at the big arenas, like Madison Square Garden. By doing this they sold out all the big events in NY metro area. Those events weren't available on PPV or Closed circuit back then.

Today, the WWE does the same thing with their PPV's being the big events and they are selling very well. Boxing could learn a lesson from them. Regular TV builds into the pay event. Simple.

You ain't been paying attention bud. WWE is tanking right now, and has had some of their worst TV ratings in the history of their existence this year.

Ratings are always gonna be slowly decreasing. Who even watches it on tv anymore? Highlights on YouTube is the way forward. They’re making a fortune on that. Videos are around 2-5 mins long and after a week, most of them gather around 2-3m views. Whether that be the same person watching the same video more than 10 times. I do it.

Also they have the WWE Network, they have over 1.5m subs. Most of their shows are still packed out.

The only thing that is tanking is literally the tv ratings. It’s been tanking since 2002-ish.

Onekrazyrican wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:15 I wonder when they will realize it makes sense to put boxing back on regular TV. Those numbers dont include ilegal streamers like myself. I watched on an HD stream and got reached by all of the advertisers. Imagine how many viewers would a Canelo fight get on Fox, NBC or any other regular channel. 100 million (superbowl type of numbers) or half of it (world series) wouldnt be a crazy idea. Make the money off advertisement instead of PPV sales.

completely delusional.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:52 No doubt about that, but first they have to find a way to make major TV networks want them on their air. Which is the hard part.

If they wanted to, they'd find a way. Not sure major networks are the answer at first. Do well on secondary networks and maybe it would be easier at that point to land a major. Something has to change before we start to see $99.99 PPV's.

oogiebe wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:55

gilgamesh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 16:52 No doubt about that, but first they have to find a way to make major TV networks want them on their air. Which is the hard part.

If they wanted to, they'd find a way. Not sure major networks are the answer at first. Do well on secondary networks and maybe it would be easier at that point to land a major. Something has to change before we start to see $99.99 PPV's.

Major networks are obviously the answer. The biggest stars the sport has ever had fought on Network Television. That's not a coincidence.