PPV price and how networks can raise PPV buys

[-Kev-]

The question is how could you get more of those 947k people who watched the replay of Ward-Kovalev 2 on HBO to pay for PPV the first go around?

I would think, if you lower the price tag significantly, you'd have more buyers.

What if the price tag was $35, and the sales tripled? from 130k*3, 390k buys, that would be more PPV revenue than $65*130k. I'm not saying that it's a given that the sales would've tripled (what if it quadrupled also?). It's just amazing how HBO don't experiment like this. Why not try it? Price fights based on their popularity.

Also, how can you price every fight the same? How is Ward vs Kovalev II the same price as Canelo vs GGG? It makes no sense, you gotta consider popularity. Ward-Kovalev II was popular among the hardcore, I would say it's about 1/3 or 1/4 as popular as Canelo-GGG is in the sporting world.

What makes me suspect this? I post in other forums that have nothing to do with boxing, and others that have nothing to do with sports even, and see people discussing who's going to win in the Canelo-GGG fight ( I was surprised), the same people talking about Mayweather vs McGregor, the casuals. This is what they know of boxing, Canelo vs GGG and Mayweather vs McGregor, that's it.

If you mention Ward vs Kovalev II, people would have to google it to see what you're talking about.

So how can a fight that is probably like 1/4 as popular as Canelo-GGG cost the same?

130,000 people buying this fight shows me the demand was kind of there, just that economics came in to play and people just didn't feel the need to drop $65 on this fight. Cut the price in half, $32.50 and maybe you would've had in the 400k range of buyers.

[-Kev-]

Also, GGG-Lemiuex suffered from the same exact thing.

Crawford-Postol had no business on PPV, maybe for $10-15 dollars tops.

They need to start pricing fights correctly. Ward and Crawford are not in the same popularity bracket as Canelo, so why are they fights the same price as his?

[Eff Pandas]

I've always felt if they offered two choices it'd maximize revenue. I feel like they should offer a option for the whole card for say the regular price for us hardcore fans & they should offer a slightly lowered price for just the main fight for the casuals or mainstream fans who just wanna see the main fight.

I've been around hardcore & casuals when watching PPV's & as a rule the hardcores wish they were seeing more fights & the casuals just wanna see the main fight.

I also think allowing for more viewing options, like listening to whatever corner you wanna listen to between rounds (UFC's Fight Pass already does this) or turning off the commentators while keeping the ring sounds intact & other options like that, would help make PPV's more appealing to those wishing to control what they see & I believe thats one of the things the streaming market is bringing.

[BoxingFan85]

I agree with you Kev.. For the price you pay 65$ for a PPV fight, you expect a stacked up card with interesting matchups even on the udercards.. Just by the main event alone the sales would be hard to come by unless you are a big ppv star..
the UK guys buy a lot of ppv because it costs them less ~20-25$, I agree they pay a subscription fee for Sky but so do we for HBO & Showtime..

[Eff Pandas]

Also, GGG-Lemiuex suffered from the same exact thing.

Crawford-Postol had no business on PPV, maybe for $10-15 dollars tops.

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.

They need to start pricing fights correctly. Ward and Crawford are not in the same popularity bracket as Canelo, so why are they fights the same price as his?

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.

[-Kev-]

They also have to take what people earn into consideration.

For example, if the United States adjusts the minimum wage for inflation, it would be $21 something an hour or $22, that's not what we make lol (I mean I make a little more than that), but I mean we and in the US and it's min wage. Generally the common buyer who doesn't have that job yet, who's making min wage (uneducated people, minorities, college students, ex convicts, etc), they're not gonna drop $65 easily.

The 947k viewers on HBO shows that people wanted to watch it, but they just didn't feel the need to spend that type of money on it when they can just buy 4-5 days of Popeyes or Chipotle with that.

[-Kev-]

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.

I understand why HBO is putting more fights on PPV, that's common knowledge among us hardcore. But the thing is, why not price them correctly?

Why are fight A, B, C and D all the same price?

It's like you go and buy some watches, and the obviously cheap looking models of Seiko's, Citizen's, and Fossil's are the same price as the luxury watches? (not saying those 3 brands only make cheap looking watches).

[Eff Pandas]

I understand why HBO is putting more fights on PPV, that's common knowledge among us hardcore. But the thing is, why not price them correctly?

Why are fight A, B, C and D all the same price?

It's like you go and buy some watches, and the obviously cheap looking models of Seiko's, Citizen's, and Fossil's are the same price as the luxury watches? (not saying those 3 brands only make cheap looking watches).

Idk that we know enough about the behind the scenes PPV model in the US & economics of PPV to suggest what they can get away with as unfun of an answer as that is. I just know I don't believe PPV in the US works the same as PPV in the UK (or other places, although I know even less about PPV outside of the US & UK) where PPV's are always less expensive.

[GhostofDempsey]

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.

[The Big Dunn]

The cost of any ppv should be the same as the cheapest seats at the fight.