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By Cliff Rold - In 2009 so far, TV has been the thing.
After ‘not enough paid’-per-view bombs like Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik in the second half of 2008, premium cable giant HBO got back to basics in a big way over the first half of this year. Three of the first half’s best and most anticipated matches (Shane Mosley-Antonio Margarito, Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz, and Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey) were free to subscribers.
The trend towards serious quality for subscribers, something which used to be a given, truly began in the second half of 2007 with the live airing of notables like Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor I. This was the first time three fights which could have been bona fide pay-per-view shows aired in such close succession for years and the ratings have grown accordingly.
The broadcast playing board has seen plenty of strong moves from HBO’s competitors. Showtime continued to provide quality looks at the future in its ShoBox airings while maximizing its Championship Boxing series with worthy battles like unification clash at Jr. Welterweight (Timothy Bradely-Kendall Holt) and a Super Middleweight war between Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor. Though limited in approach, the Versus network stepped up by offering the fourth season of the Contender and June’s brutal Light Heavyweight showcase between Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu. [details]
After ‘not enough paid’-per-view bombs like Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik in the second half of 2008, premium cable giant HBO got back to basics in a big way over the first half of this year. Three of the first half’s best and most anticipated matches (Shane Mosley-Antonio Margarito, Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz, and Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey) were free to subscribers.
The trend towards serious quality for subscribers, something which used to be a given, truly began in the second half of 2007 with the live airing of notables like Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor I. This was the first time three fights which could have been bona fide pay-per-view shows aired in such close succession for years and the ratings have grown accordingly.
The broadcast playing board has seen plenty of strong moves from HBO’s competitors. Showtime continued to provide quality looks at the future in its ShoBox airings while maximizing its Championship Boxing series with worthy battles like unification clash at Jr. Welterweight (Timothy Bradely-Kendall Holt) and a Super Middleweight war between Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor. Though limited in approach, the Versus network stepped up by offering the fourth season of the Contender and June’s brutal Light Heavyweight showcase between Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu. [details]
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