rumored deal

[Scipio2009]

Fox just bought smackdown for 205 million dollars for five years. Interesting note moving smackdown to Friday nights instead of keeping in on Tuesday.

Maybe making room for PBC's toe to toe Tuesdays?

Need to see more about the deal, but at that price tag, it'd seem like the deal is set to have SmackDown on FOX, settling their Friday night issues for the foreseeable future (read that Fox also might take a shot at rebooting Tim Allen's 'Last Man Standing', but they can almost put that anywhere).

Still curious to see what the second half of the UFC's deal ends up looking like; with the WWE basically getting $400m for the rights to their programming, the UFC number will confirm the desire still in the marketplace for sports-related content, with the number well beyond the $100m per year that the UFC got on their initial deal.

Sit tight

[Scipio2009]

Fox and WWE Close to Massive Five-Year, $1 Billion Deal for 'SmackDown'

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...edium=referral

Thanks for the info.

Something like 52 episodes of SmackDown a year going for $200m (~$4m per episodes, less costs WWE still has to pay to produce the content), and UFC having a stalking horse offer of $175m per year (for less shows than the original package due to ESPN+ getting it's 15 shows) makes things that more likely that the deal is on the works, quietly along

[Mitchell Kane]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/espn-adds-30-fights-to-ufc-tv-rights-deal-reaching-1-5-billion-value-exclusive-1202819447/

ESPN Adds Fights to UFC TV Rights Deal, Reaching $1.5 Billion Value (EXCLUSIVE)

Sources familiar with negotiations say ESPN has struck a deal for a second portion to the package currently held by Fox Sports that will bring the total cost in the neighborhood of $300 million per year for five years, totaling $1.5 billion. The new deals, which cover a total of 30 fights per year, kick in early 2019.

Fox is exiting the UFC business after spending well north of $1 billion on a new WWE deal. After nabbing a different set of TV rights from UFC in April for a five-year deal worth $750 million, the second pact will deliver an additional 30 fights to Disney. UFC will still pay-per-view and its Fight Pass streaming service.

UFC, which was acquired by Endeavor for a hefty $4.4 billion, isn’t getting as much per year as it had sought for these rights. It’s a reflection of declining TV ratings on Fox Sports for UFC, which has struggled to keep its momentum going despite the absence of the caliber of star fighters that propelled the league to its peak just a few years ago.

[Mitchell Kane]

Thanks for the info.

Something like 52 episodes of SmackDown a year going for $200m (~$4m per episodes, less costs WWE still has to pay to produce the content), and UFC having a stalking horse offer of $175m per year (for less shows than the original package due to ESPN+ getting it's 15 shows) makes things that more likely that the deal is on the works, quietly along

Variety reporting FOX is leaving the UFC business next year....so there will definitely be openings in their schedule next year.

[Scipio2009]

Variety reporting FOX is leaving the UFC business next year....so there will definitely be openings in their schedule next year.

wwcd.

Still need to see what happens with the rest of the WWE deal (specifically if NBCUniversal keeps Raw on USA Network, and if SmackDown is confirmed for Friday nights on FOX), but there's now a massive content hole on Fox Sports, and Haymon is sitting there with more than enough content (beyond the premium content marked for Showtime/CBS) to fill the void.

PBC on FOX/FS1 - 4 primetime dates on FOX, as many dates on FS1 as Haymon can deliver (20-30 shows isn't outlandish), and more shoulder programming (PBC Jabs w/Jordan Hardy is a cool little follow-up/recap show on YouTube that can easily fill 30 minutes on FS1, as an example).

It's a turtle race, but the end is starting to come clear

[jmrf4435]

cool, i;m really sick of flipping through networks to find fight I want. UFC and boxing.

I feel likle HBO and SHO do a **** job of scheduling as well because they are not "sports" network. at least ESPN's fights will start when they say, and air when they say.

[lanker rom]

Hypothetically If this deal were to go through how does the PBC compete with ESPN's Top rank. If we are talking visually Top rank has done a better production job add on ESPN as a backer to their programs and you have a full network being the promoter. My point is now we have a competition between top rank (possibly working with UFC) vs PBC? who you got and how

[lanker rom]

FOX and ESPN to partner on content deal for UFC:

-UFC PPV count goes from 12 events to 6 events.
-ESPN airs 15 UFC events on ESPN+
-FOX/FS1 continues with less UFC
(How much less is unsure)

No update on the movement of the WWE deal, but if WWE/USA happens and gets settled, it clears the path for the 2nd generation PBC deal to happen on FOX/FS1 (the same 4 FOX dates, with the FS1 calendar expanding by however many dates that UFC shifts to ESPN, except now all paid for).

If anyone in this thread watches fs1 you have to notice all of the subliminals these commentators are dropping. their always using boxing analogies but yesterday colin cowherd had a column about athletes being paid more and wanting less this was slapshot at the pbc.

[lanker rom]

you all might think im reaching but im not. Before fox got into the market colin cowherd had dragged the wwe. He loathed it even called it a show for "booger eaters" its documented. When Fox got in the market for wwe all of a sudden its a good he starts talking positive about the wwe.

[lanker rom]

Trust me right now foxes gripe with PBC is fighters not wanting to fight each other because they're getting paid to much.