“We’re flat out going to lose money on this fight,” Fertitta said. “But that’s the investment we’re making. Those are the steps we’ve got to take to make Cain and Junior pay-per-view stars and lift up the whole thing.”
Fertitta envisions an opportunity to create 100,000 new pay-per-view buyers from the exposure the UFC gets on Fox Saturday night. Surveys show that buyers will buy four pay-per-views a year, on average, he said.
“Maybe we think a little funny here,” Fertitta said, “but that’s well worth forgoing $16 million. Take that out over the next 10 years and we get a healthy return.”
For its part, Fox says it will deliver the UFC a brand bomb unlike any it’s gotten previously. On top of all the promotion across its networks, Fox will produce a two-hour prefight show that will air live on Fuel, hosted by analyst Jay Glazer, which will include red carpet arrivals and interviews with celebrities, fighters and White. That leads into the 9 p.m. Eastern start on Fox. Its prefight show will include features on both fighters, as well as live locker room interviews, followed by the walk-ins for which the UFC has become known.
source: sportsbusinessdaily.com
No comments:
Post a Comment