PPV price and how networks can raise PPV buys

[filup79]

People keep saying this, but due to HBO's budget reduction neither of those fights would have happened without PPV is the thing. So you can complain about the PPV angle, but if it wasn't on PPV we'd be complaining of why didn't those fights happen at all. So those specific examples are a bit of a catch 22.



Thats valid. My assumption is the distributors take is why PPV's are priced so high, but idk that to be a fact. I've always heard the distributors take like 45%, but maybe they got a minimum take to idk. I just know idk enough about how that stuff works behind the scenes nor have I seen many boxing people who seem super well versed in the economics of PPV boxing.

The funny thing is the best fights have been on regular cable tv or Showtime the past 2 years with the exception of 1 or 2 fights on HBO. The problem is that they want to put fighters on PPV that don't sell. I don't know how Kovalev is going to even make to 2 mil with his deal for the fight against Ward. Only way Canelo is getting over 500k buys is if he fights a popular fighter but yet its a mismatch. PPV model is slowly dying thats why Pac is fighting on ESPN

[Eff Pandas]

The funny thing is the best fights have been on regular cable tv or Showtime the past 2 years with the exception of 1 or 2 fights on HBO. The problem is that they want to put fighters on PPV that don't sell. I don't know how Kovalev is going to even make to 2 mil with his deal for the fight against Ward. Only way Canelo is getting over 500k buys is if he fights a popular fighter but yet its a mismatch. PPV model is slowly dying thats why Pac is fighting on ESPN

Yea I don't even believe the PPV model + main base of world class boxing being on premium cable is sustainable. Its amazing its lasted as long as it has. And in 30-40 years if things were to continue on its current path & with the cats on forums like this one starting to die off boxing the sport is gonna have an even harder time staying relevant as its not creating young fans to take over like it always had at the same clip when it had broader access in past eras via free or more viewed basic cable.

[papichulosweg]

Ppv is hurting the sport cause there is no way that people are going to pay 70 dollars to watch a blasphemy lkke Canelo and chavez ever again it's hurting the sport and fighters wants to get pay ppv money for a regular fight

[redmish]

I've posted this myself in the past. It's clear the PPV numbers are flagging in the US post mayweather v pacquaio and who can blame them? The prices are ridiculous. Halving the price would obviously generate more customers and long term, more fans too.

[Motorcity Cobra]

It's not the price it's the names. People paid $100 for May-Pac and they're about to pay $100 for May-McG. You think Crawford left some buys on the table because the PPVv wasn't $35 or you think those that wanted to see him paid to see him? It's not the undercard and it's not the price.

You could've priced that Crawford fight at $15 and it still would've done the same amt of buys. My experience when asking people if they're buying a fight is either Yea or "I'm not paying to watch them". The pricing doesn't come into play.

[BrometheusBob.]

I assume they don't like to change up how they do things in order to avoid risk. Sure they might cut the price in half and increase revenue, but they might cut the price in half and lose revenue too. They probably felt more confident that they had a good idea of how many buys they could sell at this price point based on the first fight and other data they have, and that it wasn't worth risking that position given that they have guarantees and other known costs to pay for.

TLDR They probably viewed it as the choice between a confident small profit margin and a gamble.

But I would like cheaper PPVs

[Lords]

PPV is one of those things that kept creeping up so long as they kept selling. I think the PPV sales will sharply decline in the next year or two. Once Mayweather and Pac are completely out of the picture, I can't see a million+ fans paying $70 to see anyone on the current landscape to include Canelo.

I think $50 is way more reasonable and will sell better than $65+. Especially when they have to compete with pirated streaming that is viewed for free, uploads of the fight the next day, and replays the following week on HBO and SHO. All of that cuts into sales. Factor in weak undercards and I can't see how they sustain current prices.

Even $50 is too much, they need to put the price around $29.99 Max, that would bring in a *** load of more buys. Problem is Bob Arum and DLH are too ****** to even consider.

[soul_survivor]

Look, I'm going to say it how it is and a lot of you will not like it but what ever.

If Americans are ****** enough to pay $50, 60, 70 for a PPV, with networks still selling to hundreds of thousands of viewers with most events, why would they change their strategy/price plan?

[jas]

they have experimented with lower price points

and the relationship is definitely not linear between price and buys as you suggested kev, you even go as far as saying a 50% cut in price would lead to more than a 50% increase in buys. this is likely not true and you jus have to look at the numbers of the cheaper ppvs to see that

but i do agree kev that ppvs should be cheaper....long term it helps boxing. yet the promoters just see a 1 time cash grab and its actually hurting their bottom line medium and long term. the cheaper ppvs will bring in more loyal fans who will actually tune in more often

[-Kev-]

I've seen price cuts for PPVs of an A or B fighter vs a journeyman, and basically the entire card is the same, just good fighters vs bad fighters. But imagine a price cut for an actual good fight, good card? Sure you can't predict there would be a 50% increase in sales if you halve the price but I think if promoters and networks sell this hypothetical price and make it a point to add the price of the PPV into commercials and posters, eventually it will catch on and I think you will see such an increase, and this decrease in price will generate more money in the long run.

And Motor City, like I said, TC vs Postol had no business in PPV to begin with. I said maybeeee $10-15.