Ratings Trend Suggests There Can Be 'Too Much Boxing'
Sorry fight fans, but there is such a thing as too much boxing—and we are in the midst of such a run. While some boxing junkies marvel at fight shows appearing on a slew of networks on a regular basis, the recent ratings trend suggests the offense is being spread way too thin. Case in point, the less than spectacular numbers produced over the past couple of weekends. A loaded Saturday night of fights was headed by the third installment of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) airing live in prime time on NBC. Shawn Porter scored a 12-round decision win over Adrien Broner in the evening’s main event, with the 2 ½ hour broadcast pulling in just under 2.4 million viewers on the evening. To the average boxing fan, it may appear to be a gaudy number. In reality, it pales in comparison to a favorable broadcast in that time slot. Live coverage of the U.S. Open on free-to-air Fox won the overall ratings battle on Saturday evening, although PBC on NBC ran neck-and-neck with the well-established golf tournament in the key demographic targeting viewers 18-49 years of age.