Is this the last decade with boxing on HBO?

[Pandur]

First Ken Hershman & now Mark Taffert (head of HBO PPV) is leaving (possible for PBC).

Could this be the last decade with boxing on HBO?
Their budget for boxing is getting smaller and smaller every year.

Boxing has been on their network since 1973, but it seems like it is getting closer to an end for World Championship Boxing on HBO.

[-MAKAVELLI-]

probably not

[The Big Dunn]

No. It could be a sign that HBO may be transitioning out of the PPV model, which frankly would be great IMO.

[Eff Pandas]

I think its coming & the writing is on the wall. HBO's budget has decreased steadily over the last 15-20yrs I believe. At their height they had about $100M-$120M a year to spend on boxing. Allegedly thats down to $30M-$35M last year.

HBO already attempted to get in bed with MMA twice, once with the UFC about 8 or so years ago & the other time when ODLH was trying to start his own MMA league. Those situations both never went anywhere, but its clear HBO is interested in MMA & MMA is only gaining in popularity & more importantly has that young fan base greedy old rich men would trip their sick mothers over doing business with them. Having said all that it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if in 2025 a 76 year old Lampley is excitedly yelling about Sage Northcutt missing a bunch of punches during a UFC 300 fight & HBO's only connection with boxing is a random big ppv fight &/or TruTV.

[Eastcoast]

I'd be more worried about the state of ESPN overall than boxing on HBO. It's niche programming for them, I think they like having their mark on the sport so long as they have the premier quality fighters with them.

[QballLobo]

I could see it even sooner than that. At its height we had American heavyweight champions that would cause the sports world to stop when they fought. Oscar was a big crossover star but since then the sport has become more and more niche every year. Mayweather was a great villain and knew how to hype a fight but never delivered in the ring unless you love the technical nuances of the sport, which aren't that entertaining. Boxing is an expensive and risky sport to produce and with how the promotional game works right now I could see HBO throwing in the towel on the whole thing.

[Eff Pandas]

I'd be more worried about the state of ESPN overall than boxing on HBO. It's niche programming for them, I think they like having their mark on the sport so long as they have the premier quality fighters with them.

ESPN has cricket & sumowrestling or some such bs on at 3am, I think boxing is safe. And there are like 4 or 5 ESPN's ffs. Boxing was regulated to ESPN2 for years & just moved back up to regular ESPN so they are moving in the right direction. Worse case PBC goes outta business & their is boxing on ESPN 3 or 4 or the ESPN2 show comes back or some such bs.

HBO Boxing is the gold standard in the sport no question, the problem is HBO seems to give less f#cks about boxing each year & at some point it stands to reason there might not be any f#cks given about boxing & poof its gone. It might seem crazy to consider no boxing on HBO, but I think the future of boxing on HBO is way more flimsy then people think.

[The Gambler1981]

I said it a long time ago and still stand by it unless they start to actually raise their budget or operate in a different fashion than their our way or the highway approach to the boxing world they will be out sooner rather than later.

It will be a sad day when it happens but I haven't seen the changes starting to take place, they have a chance with a change in leadership to adapt to a changing environment but it is probably the last chance before they say screw it.

[Eastcoast]

ESPN has cricket & sumowrestling or some such bs on at 3am, I think boxing is safe. And there are like 4 or 5 ESPN's ffs. Boxing was regulated to ESPN2 for years & just moved back up to regular ESPN so they are moving in the right direction. Worse case PBC goes outta business & their is boxing on ESPN 3 or 4 or the ESPN2 show comes back or some such bs.

HBO Boxing is the gold standard in the sport no question, the problem is HBO seems to give less f#cks about boxing each year & at some point it stands to reason there might not be any f#cks given about boxing & poof its gone. It might seem crazy to consider no boxing on HBO, but I think the future of boxing on HBO is way more flimsy then people think.

I was referring to all those job cuts ESPN recently went through. HBO's subscribers #'s seem pretty stable, I don't think they'll be cutting the boxing budget any lower. They have the elite fighters, but quality match-making has been tough with the cold war.

HBO's focus has always been on having the big-name fighters, so their subscribers feel their getting value for the subscription. I think if they can develop another flagship name of a fighter on level with a peak Mayweather/Dela Hoya/Tyson, they'll increase investment into the rest of their boxing programming. Of course everything's changing with the increase of channels, internet, and cord-cutting.

[The Big Dunn]

I was referring to all those job cuts ESPN recently went through. HBO's subscribers #'s seem pretty stable, I don't think they'll be cutting the boxing budget any lower. They have the elite fighters, but quality match-making has been tough with the cold war.

HBO's focus has always been on having the big-name fighters, so their subscribers feel their getting value for the subscription. I think if they can develop another flagship name of a fighter on level with a peak Mayweather/Dela Hoya/Tyson, they'll increase investment into the rest of their boxing programming. Of course everything's changing with the increase of channels, internet, and cord-cutting.

ESPN laid a lot of people off because cable subscriptions are dropping significantly. Instead of getting lets say $100 mil a year it dropped to like $75 mil.

Bill Simmons actually talked about this in the WSJ or Business Weekly.

I think HBO has a similar problem. My guess is most people are going over to HBO go, which gives them all the programming for a lot less than an HBO subscription on cabel. Hell with internet and smart TV's cable TV is almost a thing of the past.