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Time For CBS And Top Rank To Deliver On Their Promise
I urge any Boxing beat writers with access to Top Rank's and/or CBS' offices to follow up on this...
Before the Pacquiao-Mosley Fight:
Les Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS Corp., was hosting Top Rank officials Bob Arum and Todd duBoef at a dinner in New York in late January when he spoke words that may ultimately change the course of boxing in the United States.
The meal came only a few days after Top Rank had closed a deal with CBS and Showtime to distribute and help it promote its May 7 pay-per-view bout between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Top Rank’s decision to move to CBS/Showtime and away from HBO Pay-Per-View, which had dominated the industry for the last dozen years or so, sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the boxing industry.
Moonves looked at Arum and duBoef and, referring to the May 7 pay-per-view card, said, “We’ll make this work.” And then, in words that boxing fans in the U.S. have been dying to hear for more than two decades, he added, “I want you guys to figure out how to help me get boxing back [on network television] on Saturday night.”
DuBoef had cut the deal with Moonves a few days earlier, but its genesis was at least 10 years prior, when duBoef began to question why boxing was so willingly pushing its product onto premium cable television channels such as HBO and Showtime.
From the advent of television through the mid-1980s, boxing was one of network TV’s staples. But then HBO and Showtime came along and, desperate for programming to supplement their movie offerings, began to broadcast boxing.
They began to wave large license fees at promoters for the rights to broadcast their fights. And promoters eagerly accepted the inflated fees. But to duBoef, it didn’t feel right.
“I looked at it as short-term gain ending in a long-term failure for the sport,” he said.
That’s because by leaving network television and basic cable and driving the sport onto premium cable, it severely reduced the size of the potential viewership and it eliminated sponsors, since premium cable has no commercials. The customers of the premium cable channels are largely higher-income whites and they miss large portions of the Hispanic audience and the inner cities, where boxing is huge.
Ultimately, in duBoef’s view, it comes down to a simple numbers game. HBO has approximately 29 million subscribers and Showtime has approximately 19 million. CBS is accessible to more than 97 percent of all televisions in the U.S. and reaches about 115 million homes.
http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slu...ey_push_042911
After the Pacquiao fight:
Arum/Top Rank are fielding offers from CBS and Time Warner for Pacquiao-Marquez III and Cotto-Margarito II, maybe once the winner is announced, we'll get a followup on the above. As luck would have it Kelly Pavlik is slated to take on Bute later this year after a tuneup...
Before the Pacquiao-Mosley Fight:
Les Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS Corp., was hosting Top Rank officials Bob Arum and Todd duBoef at a dinner in New York in late January when he spoke words that may ultimately change the course of boxing in the United States.
The meal came only a few days after Top Rank had closed a deal with CBS and Showtime to distribute and help it promote its May 7 pay-per-view bout between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Top Rank’s decision to move to CBS/Showtime and away from HBO Pay-Per-View, which had dominated the industry for the last dozen years or so, sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the boxing industry.
Moonves looked at Arum and duBoef and, referring to the May 7 pay-per-view card, said, “We’ll make this work.” And then, in words that boxing fans in the U.S. have been dying to hear for more than two decades, he added, “I want you guys to figure out how to help me get boxing back [on network television] on Saturday night.”
DuBoef had cut the deal with Moonves a few days earlier, but its genesis was at least 10 years prior, when duBoef began to question why boxing was so willingly pushing its product onto premium cable television channels such as HBO and Showtime.
From the advent of television through the mid-1980s, boxing was one of network TV’s staples. But then HBO and Showtime came along and, desperate for programming to supplement their movie offerings, began to broadcast boxing.
They began to wave large license fees at promoters for the rights to broadcast their fights. And promoters eagerly accepted the inflated fees. But to duBoef, it didn’t feel right.
“I looked at it as short-term gain ending in a long-term failure for the sport,” he said.
That’s because by leaving network television and basic cable and driving the sport onto premium cable, it severely reduced the size of the potential viewership and it eliminated sponsors, since premium cable has no commercials. The customers of the premium cable channels are largely higher-income whites and they miss large portions of the Hispanic audience and the inner cities, where boxing is huge.
Ultimately, in duBoef’s view, it comes down to a simple numbers game. HBO has approximately 29 million subscribers and Showtime has approximately 19 million. CBS is accessible to more than 97 percent of all televisions in the U.S. and reaches about 115 million homes.
http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slu...ey_push_042911
After the Pacquiao fight:
Arum said he thinks boxing could return to prime-time network television on CBS this year. But if it happens, it will probably be without Pacquiao because he might be too expensive.
"Manny makes between $20 million to $30 million a fight," Arum said. "How are you going to leave that kind of money on the table to fight on free TV?
"I'm not ruling it out completely. But I don't know that you could make it work (economically)."
If not Pacquiao, Arum said, former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik might be a candidate for a CBS bout.
Pavlik, 29, has a compelling life story, as he has battled alcoholism. Arum said he thinks there are enough worthy super middleweight opponents for Pavlik to create a good TV matchup.
"Lucien Bute is a possibility," Arum said. "Andre Ward. Carl Froch. There are lots of good fights for Kelly."
"Manny makes between $20 million to $30 million a fight," Arum said. "How are you going to leave that kind of money on the table to fight on free TV?
"I'm not ruling it out completely. But I don't know that you could make it work (economically)."
If not Pacquiao, Arum said, former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik might be a candidate for a CBS bout.
Pavlik, 29, has a compelling life story, as he has battled alcoholism. Arum said he thinks there are enough worthy super middleweight opponents for Pavlik to create a good TV matchup.
"Lucien Bute is a possibility," Arum said. "Andre Ward. Carl Froch. There are lots of good fights for Kelly."
Arum/Top Rank are fielding offers from CBS and Time Warner for Pacquiao-Marquez III and Cotto-Margarito II, maybe once the winner is announced, we'll get a followup on the above. As luck would have it Kelly Pavlik is slated to take on Bute later this year after a tuneup...
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