How do you feel about boxing returning to Network TV(NBC)?

[Evil Abed]

So we got off subject a bit.

[-Kev-]

NBC will be a good network for prospects and fighters who are in a rebuilding stage.

[paulf]

What are you trying to say exactly? The Wire had **** ratings on HBO, especially for one of their major shows. The Sopranos had great ratings by HBO standards but it was still largely cut off from a big audience. I think the final episode managed a high of around 5 million on HBO. Had that been on a network like CBS you could be talking more than 20 million viewers.

A good example of how this work is that tennis when on HBO manages around 200k to 600k viewers. Tennis when it's on network TV in the US has managed around 6 million.

What am I trying to say? I'm saying that, despite having a much smaller subscriber base than network TV, the above shows are incredibly popular and known very very well by the general public. Meanwhile, Boxing, which takes place on the same network as these incredibly well known shows, is all but a ghost to average Americans.

Thanks for supporting my point even more.

[Evil Abed]

NBC will be a good network for prospects and fighters who are in a rebuilding stage.

Adamek and Cunningham are neither of those things.

[macman]

A lot of it depends how well they do their coverage, but from what I've seen they're doing an excellent job, gearing it towards the 'blue-collar' audience who are not going to fork out $40 for a PPV, but still appreciate a good boxing 'fight'.

The kind of casual fan that these days will check out your icehockey & NFL games if it looks like being a good match, follow how their local team are doing & have their favourite players, without necessarily really following the sport.
Or the people who used to be the mainstay of boxing audiences in the 50's & 70's but overpriced PPV's & ticket sales drove them away.

NBC are featuring some good solid contender matchups, building up fighters with an exciting style, as well as featuring some local fighters that people will tune back into to find out how they are doing.

ESPN mostly does a great job, but it's focused more on the hardcore fan. NBC is a welcome addition to the US boxing lineup in bringing back the blue-collar casual fan, while serving up some really good fights.

[Mule Deer]

I love it, but these guys are unknowns. Put a decent name on so we can get a true judge of what the numbers could pull. This will just be a ratings disaster and we will see boxing take a step back from getting onto a network.

[The Hammer]

Cunningham-Adamek is better than 90% of the fight on HBO this month.

Props to NBC for choosing a good matchup to televise.

[Pez]

if they're gonna put boxing on one of the major networks for free, they should make sure it's a fan friendly fight. otherwise, i think it's just going to hurt the sport. they should be putting on entertaining fighters like rios and maidana or super talented ones that dominate like gamboa. just putting on a known fighter like adamek is not going to help boost the sport's popularity.

[kiaba360]

If not for NBC, I wouldn't know much of Gabriel Rosado. Adamek has also been a notable name being featured on the network. Boxing needs more outlets.

[Chups]

WTF? Why was CHOWWOKKA banned?