Why are American promoters scared to put boxing on free TV?

[RoyJonesJrp4pno1]

What's free viewing? Main events deal with NBC? Yes it's free viewing.

Boxing will never get back to the networks with big time fights when HBO and Showtime are giving bank...Even ESPN would pay more than what the networks will.

Maybe so but if it can draw high ratings then the commercials pay for it and it could make a lot of money anyway.

[davros2010]

Maybe so but if it can draw high ratings then the commercials pay for it and it could make a lot of money anyway.

Yeah there are other ways to make money. You could even sell a UK prize fighter style event once a month to network TV. IMO boxing promoters are way behind the times especialy in America. These days getting your product to as many people as possible is the most important thing, you can then spin money of that. With a prize fighter style event you could even sell of sponsorship space on boxers shorts if you want to make more money.

Its just getting a promoter who has the vision and a network who will work with them.

Youtube is another good way to get fights out there for free.

[Mayweather41-0]

I remember Don King was talking about this subject and he was saying networks know Boxing can draw huge ratings I mean look at the biggest sporting events in History and it shows Boxing's true drawing power but he was saying what is keeping Boxing off of network tv is its image problem.

[Mayweather41-0]

Hopefully Oscar/Golden Boy are getting the picture.

OscarDeLaHoya Oscar De La Hoya
Imagine victor Ortiz vs Berto on prime time t.v.? Ratings would go through the roof!


OscarDeLaHoya Oscar De La Hoya
It's exciting times for boxing. Golden boy

My dad always says this he worked for the City of Chicago in the 70's and the 80's and the main sport always talked about Monday morning was Boxing bc there would be free fights on some free network cbs/nbc/abc. Now the sports talked about are American Football/Baseball/Basketball and sometimes Hockey.

[Haglerwins]

They're not scared. Main Events has a deal with NBC.

But, the problem is that networks would want fighters that bring ratings. But, the fighters that bring ratings would make more money on HBO or Showtime or and the big stars on PPV.

And this is why boxing's current model is a dinosaur.

America's most popular sport, is on free TV.

Good fights could be like mini-superbowls in ad revenue. Though an outright contract to fight on free TV wouldn't equal what PPV can do for a fighter, Premium cable can't do for name recognition around the country what free TV can.

And you don't necessarily have to cut out cable or PPV. Let them advertise WCB fights and big PPVs during TV spots, makes everything a bigger event following your fav TV guy.

Wolfe and Kirkland would be great TV (they might have to tone some of the rhetoric down because they're raw characters but it would be the goods on network TV).

[bojangles1987]

I somewhat doubt the ability of boxing, which has all the good fights on Saturday nights, on network television where college football, basketball, and baseball, which it will be shown opposite of a fight.

[Haglerwins]

Nothing beats a good brawl in prime time.

Boxing would have to sacrifice a couple of big fights for TV though to get it going out the gate.

That would be the biggest hurdle I'd see in all this. Which fighters would take a little risk for the interview and face time trade off.

And the first shows might need some celebrities to draw wider interest. Get one of them hot singers to do the national anthem and Sly Stallones in the crowd.

[Mayweather41-0]

And this is why boxing's current model is a dinosaur.

America's most popular sport, is on free TV.

Good fights could be like mini-superbowls in ad revenue. Though an outright contract to fight on free TV wouldn't equal what PPV can do for a fighter, Premium cable can't do for name recognition around the country what free TV can.

And you don't necessarily have to cut out cable or PPV. Let them advertise WCB fights and big PPVs during TV spots, makes everything a bigger event following your fav TV guy.

Wolfe and Kirkland would be great TV (they might have to tone some of the rhetoric down because they're raw characters but it would be the goods on network TV).

Imagine viewers that tuned in for Kirkland vs. Angulo if that **** was on NBC those mo***ers would be addicted to Boxing. If Boxing took HBO/Showtime type fights Ortiz/Berto I, Kirkland/Angulo, Peterson/Khan, Rios/Antillon, Rios/Acosta, Pascal/Hopkins II, Maidana/Morales, Cotto/Margarito and put them on CBS/NBC/ABC the ratings would be through the roof the real problem is finding sponsors but Golden Boy is going to get the job done imo.

Watch at 6:00 as Mark and Richard talk about sponsors that is really the key to Boxing returning to Network TV.

[Mayweather41-0]

bump.................

[davros2010]

Someone needs to take the risk.