Comments Thread For: Showtime's Espinoza: There's One Network Committed to Boxing

[Tomjas]

US boxing fans get absolutely ripped off.

I have a premium cable package and with the exception of Canelo and local PPV (e.g. Mundine - that I wouldnt pay for anyway), get virtually every major fight at no additional cost

[sicko]

Are both networks needed though?

Folks seem to willfully forget that, with the end of Tyson's run, HBO basically took over as the sole place for top-level fights (Showtime, still wanting to stay in boxing, shifted it's attention to international fights, 50/50 prospect fights, and quality fights that HBO simply didn't want).

What's different now?

HBO keeps to the PPV fights for the handful of folks that they still have, with Showtime now being the place where the vast majority of the major action in the sport occurs.

If Anthony Joshua beats Klitschko, and Andre Ward handles Kovalev again (with HBO's treatment of Ward likely prompting a return "home"), you're basically left with an HBO that isn't all that different from where Showtime was after Tyson; though Alvarez being about to enter his prime is likely going to drum up enough revenue off of PPV to finance a little bit of a boxing schedule.

I shouldn't say "NEED" but it doesn't hurt when both Networks are showing quality fights. But yes it is a OLD FORMAT that is dying slowly anyway. Boxing need to reach younger views and the only way to do that is more social media stuff like streaming on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, people will tune into what is Trending and a click away from Joining instead of turning on TV and sitting in front of it

[boxingitis]

We need a boxnation with better commentators. Ill pay to get QUALITY fights every weekend for $10. If they can get a 1 million subscribers, thats $10 million to pay fighters and the business.

[gbonafide]

I think you & I have a different definition of what a "top fighter" is. It's like calling your organization Premier Boxing Champions when you really do not have the premier boxers in each weight class in your organization. You can pretend the rest of the universe doesn't exist but discerning patrons aren't so easily fooled.

[miked85]

Showtime won

[Scipio2009]

I shouldn't say "NEED" but it doesn't hurt when both Networks are showing quality fights. But yes it is a OLD FORMAT that is dying slowly anyway. Boxing need to reach younger views and the only way to do that is more social media stuff like streaming on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, people will tune into what is Trending and a click away from Joining instead of turning on TV and sitting in front of it

I think the hype behind the value of social media is overstated; social media is great for the promotional aspects of building a fight, but I doubt very much that fans will ever consistently head to Twitter/Facebook to watch live sporting events.

The old format is definitely in trouble, but the solution is already in the works; get boxing to be treated by other sports.

PBC (and the push to get boxing back into rotation on regualr/cable TV) is definitely going to be key to reaching out to the broader audience but, to me, Showtime is doing a great job in embracing this coming future.

The Showtime/SHOExtreme premium channels carrying boxing, CBS being interested in the very biggest fights, and the Showtime app carrying the live fights (and the other shows/movies) is a pretty solid trifecta of outlets to work from. Beyond that, Showtime has focused on using their website, their YouTube channel, their Facebook page, and the rest of their social networks to max out on the types of energy that they end up putting into marketing events.

Folks will pick up on different memes and things on social media, but "fight fans" are found out, imo, at fight parties; whether it's the family coming over to your Uncle's place for the barbecue, the school friend hosting a kickback at the house, the co-workers wanting to head to the bar to watch, or the new neighbor down the hall hosting a house-warming, very few fans are ever made by following a Twitter feed, tbh.

[Scipio2009]

We need a boxnation with better commentators. Ill pay to get QUALITY fights every weekend for $10. If they can get a 1 million subscribers, thats $10 million to pay fighters and the business.

Why bother with a BoxNation, when you can currently get the Showtime app/channel for $10 a month, and Showtime is basically delivering near that already?

You add that Phase 2 of the PBC effort will likely also include some type of PBC app option (depending on how the deals work out, I have doubts that all of the fight cards will be live on the app), and there are options in the cue to piggyback on the idea without going with it whole hog