Just saw a commercial for 'Spike Sports'

[Scipio2009]

espn and bounce are dropping boxing. spike actually pays a license fee. hopefully they renew. nbc is getting out too

I doubt that ESPN or BounceTV drop boxing (BounceTV especially, as the fight cards have shown themselves to be ratings hits for a network that has very little of it's own original content to push). I can easily see a point where ESPN, in the next deal, locks in a summer series of fights for their channel, while sports fans wait for football to come back and the folks who stuck around for basketball come down off of their buzz.

May though August for the main crux of the shows, 10 shows per year (8 shows during the "season", with two shows added at points throughout the rest of the year.

[Scipio2009]

Maybe Fox/FS1 becomes the new Schaefer vehicle, filled with Haymon prospects and on-the-verge types.

that could work; main issue would be where Schaefer would go to fill the full slate of dates though (my general thinking would be that the Showtime/CBS package would include a slew of prospect-type fight cards for CBS Sports Network, as a means to fill in the content for that channel if anything).

Not sure if Schaefer would be up for it, but maybe use his platform with FS1 (I doubt that Fox gives any FOX dates out for the next deal) as a feeder system to Haymon's effort with Showtime/CBS/Viacom, no different then how the system basically used to be when ESPN's Friday Night Fights was truly influential (fighters would have the opportunity to build their profiles on cable TV, before HBO became interested and brought the fighter to pay TV).

Schaefer works his relationships with the various gyms around the country/world, features talented guys who've yet to get that call from Haymon, and see if he can't get these guys on.

Won't start off with the gliterriest of records on the fighters, but if he keeps the matchups basically 50/50, and the guys he brings in scrap, Schaefer's got the chance to build destination TV on FS1 (who will likely still feature UFC content for most of what they're channel covers)

[Scipio2009]

Spike Sports has a twitter:

https://twitter.com/SpikeSports

three years in, and I'm just seeing that. will be interesting to watch.

[killakali]

I doubt that ESPN or BounceTV drop boxing (BounceTV especially, as the fight cards have shown themselves to be ratings hits for a network that has very little of it's own original content to push). I can easily see a point where ESPN, in the next deal, locks in a summer series of fights for their channel, while sports fans wait for football to come back and the folks who stuck around for basketball come down off of their buzz.

May though August for the main crux of the shows, 10 shows per year (8 shows during the "season", with two shows added at points throughout the rest of the year.

Nah. ESPN is going to make a massive bid for UFC. That's why fox may want PBC long term. Its pretty well know. ESPN wants in mma and doesnt even like boxing.

As for bounce. They hardly do any shows. They just aren't interested.

[killakali]

They've had three cards on Bounce this year and another one scheduled for next month. They had three total cards on Bounce last year.

4 cards in 7 months...enough said. they dont care enough about it. these are fs1 toe to toe level cards with not even half the cards