Comments Thread For: Paramount Global To Shut Down Showtime Sports; Network Will No Longer Broadcast Boxing

[rickJen]

You're still missing the point.

PPV became necessary because ad-supported networks ("free" TV, and even cable to some extent) stopped supporting the sport because they couldn't get sponsors to support it. PPV was a symptom, or a result, not the cause of boxing's problems.

If your theory were true, then DAZN would have actually been successful, since for years their promise was no PPVs. But that clearly didn't work, as even DAZN had to capitulate and incorporate PPVs because that's the business model that the greatest number of boxing fans support.

If fans wanted to pay a subscription instead of PPVs, DAZN would run boxing. Instead they failed in the US and essentially pulled out in favor of international focus.

PPV became necessary because fighters/managers/promoters became too greedy.
Showtime is not free tv. You pay for subscription. And not all boxing is PPV.

[The Big Dunn]

Most of those do horrible ratings and worse than boxing: The 34 Major League Soccer regular season matches televised on ABC and ESPN networks in 2022 delivered an average audience of 343,000 viewers

Is that actually worse than boxing on TV?

what about all the other sports on?

[bchap05]

Ok I agree with you. But deals ending terrible isn’t a reflection of the promoters, it’s a reflection of where boxing is in the sports landscape.

When the networks left the sport, we as fans were fortunate that the cable networks picked up the sport.

But even they changed when boxing was still popular. USA Tuesday night fights got replaced. FNF got replaced.

Now there is soccer, cornhole, high school sports and other things that get stronger ratings on that never were in the past.

Most of those do horrible ratings and worse than boxing: The 34 Major League Soccer regular season matches televised on ABC and ESPN networks in 2022 delivered an average audience of 343,000 viewers

[wrecksracer]

You're still missing the point.

PPV became necessary because ad-supported networks ("free" TV, and even cable to some extent) stopped supporting the sport because they couldn't get sponsors to support it. PPV was a symptom, or a result, not the cause of boxing's problems.

If your theory were true, then DAZN would have actually been successful, since for years their promise was no PPVs. But that clearly didn't work, as even DAZN had to capitulate and incorporate PPVs because that's the business model that the greatest number of boxing fans support.

If fans wanted to pay a subscription instead of PPVs, DAZN would run boxing. Instead they failed in the US and essentially pulled out in favor of international focus.

Promoters offered top boxers more than they were worth, hoping that they could recoup the money with PPV. That's what really happened. If the market decided what fighters were actually worth, they would be getting paid much less. This was all on boxing promoters.

[BennyBlanco]

Your clown take is hilarious. Nobody is paying $80 per episode for Game of Thrones. That's what ran boxing from a popular attraction into what it is now.

You're still missing the point.

PPV became necessary because ad-supported networks ("free" TV, and even cable to some extent) stopped supporting the sport because they couldn't get sponsors to support it. PPV was a symptom, or a result, not the cause of boxing's problems.

If your theory were true, then DAZN would have actually been successful, since for years their promise was no PPVs. But that clearly didn't work, as even DAZN had to capitulate and incorporate PPVs because that's the business model that the greatest number of boxing fans support.

If fans wanted to pay a subscription instead of PPVs, DAZN would run boxing. Instead they failed in the US and essentially pulled out in favor of international focus.

[wrecksracer]

He may have had some reasonable points, but he has that annoying habit forumites have of trying too hard and playing to a gallery. "Comically bad", "******est take", etc. He just means he disagrees but that sounds less dramatic.

yep. Network TV did turn their back on boxing after that Mancini fight. However, moving to cable wasn't what drove boxing into the ground. It was the $80 PPV for any decent fight.

[dan-b]

Your clown take is hilarious.

He may have had some reasonable points, but he has that annoying habit forumites have of trying too hard and playing to a gallery. "Comically bad", "******est take", etc. He just means he disagrees but that sounds less dramatic.

[Southpawology]

This is sad. No more showtime production, al bernstein commentating, jimmy lennon jr introductions, all access.

Into the graveyard of boxing nostalgia with HBO.

Truly sad.

[Tag, You're Hit]

Showtime has done like 20 shows this year. Four have been PPV.

So how is "EVERYTHING" a PPV show now??????

Well, "everything" wasn't meant to be literal. Most of the fights that weren't PPV were basically C or B level shows (no big names). They picked up the Tszyu fights, which was good.

[paulf]

The things you guys are talking about in this thread come down to the fact that boxing is not a unified sport - its a series of independent leagues that choose to copromote when it suits them.

NBA, NFL, FIFA etc call the shots when it comes to something like a reports credentials being revoked. Boxing is the Wild West - each league does what it wants and answers to no one.

People complaining about PBC fighters not fighting Top Rank fighters or vice versa.... it's always exhausted me. It's like calling for the UFC and Bellator champs to fight one another. Could it happen, legally? Yes. Will it? In there any mechanism to force it to happen? Fuck no. Top Rank and PBC have two great fighters and dont want to let their guys go to rival networks? There are four belts to choose from, and if they both want the same belt the sanctioning bodies will just make up two belts in that weight class.

It's a joke. Boxing in the United States is in a bad way because it's a poor product. HBO being gone effectively moved all the midsized promoters Dibella and Duva off TV entirely, and the major promoters get blank checks from promoters in exchange for exclusive agreements.

The UFC has 12 fights almost every weekend - 4 fights in the main card, 4 fights in the prelim, and 4 more in the free early prelims. Those 4 early prelims each weekend are always more competitive and exciting than any boxing PPV main card I've seen the past decade. Unless that changes..... boxing will continue to disappear from mainstream America.