Comments Thread For: DiBella: Ratings the Real Reason HBO Airing Less Boxing in 2017

[Flash13]

Hbo has come to the conclusion dealing with the diva fighters, their promoters, and the bs associated with boxing is not worth the ratings they generate. GoT averages 7-8 times that of boxing. I love hbos original content so I will always be a subscriber.

[filup79]

I tink DIbella makes a fair point that HBO doesn't seem to be too interested in boxing anymore. They have a few stars and Lampley's show pretty much pushes those signed to the network, not the sport as a whole.

I hope they start investing more money into shows but it doesn't seem likely at all.

Lampley alone is what kills the sport. His show has an agenda, which is push HBO fighters and criticize any ohter fighter not associated with HBO. The writers alone with HBO people kill the sport by bad mouthing fights by other promoters but are ok with mismatches produced by HBO. You don't see any other writers from other sports talking ish about the sport they cover.

[The Big Dunn]

Lampley alone is what kills the sport. His show has an agenda, which is push HBO fighters and criticize any ohter fighter not associated with HBO. The writers alone with HBO people kill the sport by bad mouthing fights by other promoters but are ok with mismatches produced by HBO. You don't see any other writers from other sports talking ish about the sport they cover.

I was hoping the show would be more about the sport as a whole rather than an infomercial for HBO stars but that was a pipe dream. I get they have to push their guys, but if they pushed the sport as a whole they could potentially create viable opponents for their stars.

[Eff Pandas]

I tink DIbella makes a fair point that HBO doesn't seem to be too interested in boxing anymore.

This seems like a fair point to anyone paying attention.

I was hoping the show would be more about the sport as a whole rather than an infomercial for HBO stars but that was a pipe dream. I get they have to push their guys, but if they pushed the sport as a whole they could potentially create viable opponents for their stars.

For sure. Was hopeful upon first hearing about that show only to be disappointed once it started airing. Although that seems to be my feeling with 90% of things in boxing these days...Hopeful to Disappointed.

[sicko]

Peter Nelson seems like a cool guy but Arum was 100% Right About Him! He is NOT a boxing guy, he is an Exec trying to figure how to Market Boxing!

While I'm a fan of many of their foreign fighters on their Channel I like GGG, Loma, Kovalev all talented and exciting and should be top guys on HBO. However, I do think the major reason for their Decline and Downfall is because HBO Boxing is now too Foreign! This is still America and while some Hardcore's have this hate for Americans it is some Prideful Casual American Fight Fans who do want to see their own Americans do well.

Other than Terrance Crawford HBO don't showcase any American Fighters and I do think that can be a Turnoff more so for CASUALS! Kinda the same issue Hockey suffers from, most of the Players are from Canada and overseas so nobody cares much about Hockey in the States.

Showtime is much more BALANCED and they're getting results because of it while HBO WANT YOU TO LIKE WHAT THEY LIKE/PREFER and it is just not working so numbers will continue to decline!

PPV Numbers will be even worse, if people not tuning into the Network WTF makes them think people will buy their PPV

[The Big Dunn]

This seems like a fair point to anyone paying attention.



For sure. Was hopeful upon first hearing about that show only to be disappointed once it started airing. Although that seems to be my feeling with 90% of things in boxing these days...Hopeful to Disappointed.

I think a boxing show would really help the sport right now. It would be great to have boxing journalists talking about the Ward/Kov rematch or the GGG/Canelo saga in a even way so we could get the real story of what is going on.

[soul_survivor]

ofc ratings are going to go down when you decline your top boxer, put the rest on ppv and put your owrst match ups on subscription services

HBO have been piling on the ****, much like Sky tbh

[Bronx2245]

The PPV killed HBO! When you start asking people to purchase GGG vs. Lemieux or Crawford vs. Postol, you're damaging your brand, and the sport!

[Oluminati]

Hbo got caught up in the kovalevs and glovkins and forgotten about the Americans. It has back fired

And the fact that they all come to America and make a home here takes away from the international rivalry. Brook vs Spence is marketed as Brits vs Yanks. Kovalev/GGG vs Ward/Jacobs can't be done that way because of that.

This was one of the problems. Trying to replicate Manny was definitely a huge factor. I think they just didnt appreciate the uniqueness of Manny's career and tried to copy the PR model for GGG and Kov (along with others) but ignored how much of Manny's interest was generated due to his rivalry with Floyd. He was also much more credentialed than any of these current fighters were when he became a star.

But there were other issues too. Haymon didn't make it easy for them by having that large stable assembled. They didn't want to pay to play with him.

You are speaking truths! Also, Manny spent most of his time in the Philippines. GGG and Kov really live in the US. You need a country behind you to really make that superstar leap.

[Eff Pandas]

I think a boxing show would really help the sport right now. It would be great to have boxing journalists talking about the Ward/Kov rematch or the GGG/Canelo saga in a even way so we could get the real story of what is going on.

I don't really enjoy many of the boxing journalists around these days so I don't really care to watch many of them. Mannix might be my favorite guy these days (Iole was my #1 guy til he became a UFC shill), but beyond him too many of them focus on more negative stuff than positive stuff. That Showtime affiliated Mark Krigeil(?) guy is good too.

But I think just some Real Sports type show with a boxing focus would do well. Show some in depth quality features on guys, show some heartfelt stories in the sport & get into some controversial topic ever now & again. And thats what I thought Lampley's show was gonna be like.