By Dean Parr
BoxingScene.com UK newcomer Dean Parr examines British boxing’s TV options.
In recent months, boxing fans from the UK have had to endure a serious reduction in the amount of boxing shown on their television sets. The principal reason is the demise of the widely regarded 'Setanta Sports' channel, which attempted to give boxing as much coverage as possible.
Setanta not only showed a heavy amount of live boxing, including European events promoted by Kalle Sauerland and shows from the much lauded Top Rank promotions, but it also had a hugely popular boxing chat show headed by the highly regarded journalist Steve Bunce. The channel called itself the 'home of boxing', and for good reason, as it did a massive amount of good for the sport. The loss of Setanta has hit boxing hard in the UK and it appears that many TV stations are indifferent about the situation the sport is in.
The BBC, a group of stations that everyone in the UK must pay for, has made no effort to accommodate boxing. Despite the fact the BBC have spent a rumoured £150 million on securing a five year contract for Formula One races - high profile boxing matches, which could potentially, with the right marketing, attract the same number of viewers as the Formula One - comes at a price that is 'very hard' for the BBC 'to justify'. While this is the beeb's excuse, and they are sticking to it, British boxing fans and promoters alike are struggling to listen to this corporate drivel, as the statement does not reflect the truth.
High-class boxers, such as David Haye and Carl Froch, have pleaded with the BBC to cover their fights, and have even offered cut-price deals to try to lure the BBC in. However, the BBC remained uninterested, and despite the fact Joe Calzaghe's fight against Jeff Lacy drew 6 million viewers in 2006 [for ITV], no deals have been struck. It is fair to assume that professional boxing just isn't on the BBC's agenda.
ESPN, who have filled the boots of Setanta Sports in many areas, have decided boxing is something they don't want to pursue for the time being. Their focus has been on football from all around the world. To date they have only showed one live boxing show.
However, there is still time for ESPN to get involved with the sport. The word from inside sources has ESON looking to move into British boxing in 2010. This could have something to do with Hennessy Sports, whose deal with ITV Sport is about to run out, which nicely leads onto the next station in question.
ITV is another channel that is available to everyone in the UK and, to be fair, it has done its fair share for boxing over the last few years. Well-known fighters such as Carl Froch and Amir Khan have been showcased on the national stage, as well as domestic level fighters like John Murray and Darren Barker.
ITV currently have a deal in place with Mick Hennessy's promotional outfit but when that expires at the end of the year they will not look to re-negotiate terms; i.e. boxing is off their calendar. Indeed, ITV are in financial dire straits right now and, because of the great service they have done for the sport over the last few years, the boxing fans can forgive them more easily for not getting involved in the sport.
Sky Sports have been the principal source of boxing for the fans in Britain. Every week (in season), they show a domestic level scrap on their 'Friday Night Fights' programme, which is available to all those who subscribe to their service. In addition, they occasionally show pay-per-views, with the likes of Amir Khan and David Haye headlining future PPV events. Sky are the 'diamond in the rough' here and they show as much boxing as can be expected of them.
Online streams and pay-per views are becoming more fashionable in the UK; and this is unfortunate for the sport. The proposition of watching a fight on an Internet stream at 2am is unlikely to lure casual fans into boxing. When you throw in the obscene prices charged for these things it makes them an inviable long-term solution for those with a passing interest in boxing. The 'fistic art' is therefore dying a slow and painful death in the UK. Until a major TV company takes note the implosion of boxing will continue, as attendances will fall, and purses will fall accordingly; meaning no one benefits from this 'TV blackout'.
Looking into the future on this subject is on the most part depressing. It doesn't look like boxing will appear on terrestrial TV anytime soon and MMA is gaining lots of steam in the UK.
However, on the positive side, it is possible that promoters will realize they need to work together to sort this problem out, and super-fights that have been avoided in the past may take place. The popularity of the upcoming 'Super Six' tournament could be vital in predicting the future of boxing on national TV; hopefully, it will be so successful that the big companies will have no choice but to take note.
Indeed, terrestrial TV is the key for boxing to be successful on a mainstream level. Until big fights are picked up by big networks, UK fans may just be in a 'dark age' for boxing.
