UFC’s Super Bowl Card May Move to Fox in 2014
By Chris Leslie on November 28, 2012
The UFC may lose their annual Super Bowl weekend pay-per-view in 2014 if their broadcast partner, Fox, gets their wish. The network – which will air Super Bowl XLVIII – would like to connect the two events for next year’s Super Bowl weekend. The move would still pit the UFC on Saturday, just on Fox.
MMAJunkie reported the news earlier today citing comments from Fox President Eric Shanks, who stated he was working hard to convince UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta to make the move.
Said Shanks:
“We think that Super Bowl week in New York is going to be unlike anything else, and … we’re going to own that week of sports television,” he said. “There’s nothing better than we can think of than a big fight that week.”
The UFC has traditionally planned their bigger match-ups for Super Bowl weekend every year since 2005. This year’s event – UFC 156 – will likely feature the usual Fox programming to start off the evening before the card moves over to PPV.
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Do it Dana! Do it!
Why is this a difficult decision?? Let’s see, you can tie your event in with the highest rated program of the year…hmmmm….
The cross promotion of this could be SICK!!
If MMA can be legalized in New York between now and then, maybe. Even still, putting your first UFC event in the Garden live and free?? How much in direct millions would be lost from NOT having it on pay-per-view??
Or am I thinking incorrectly?
Well technically the Super Bowl won’t be in New York either. The UFC would still make millions on Fox, just not as many.
Touche’ Chris…obviously the Jets and Giants play in Jersey.
@Frantz and @bsbiz It’s a bit of a tricky situation for the UFC. While the UFC could make more with either a PPV setup or a Fox setup, Fox is also likely to request one of the top PPV draws for the card. Meaning the UFC could lose out on a bigger payday later in the year but could also gain a bit more exposure and hope to recoup the losses in their cut of the advertising space sold on the card. Plus, it’s over a year away so they can’t really commit much to it since the MMA landscape can change so much.
You’re assuming they would make more money off a PPV than they would based on what Fox would be paying them. Given the numbers for every card not having GSP or A.Silva, that is a very risky assumption.
I don’t think they are saying that the card has to be in New York too just that Fox has both broadcasts. And I think this would be an excellent move for the UFC. The Super Bowl is the most watched sports event in the world every year. How could this even be in question by the UFC. This is the best opportunity possible for world wide exposure. I do not know a whole lot about advertising revenues compared to pay per views as far as profit goes but I believe that the NFL, NBA, and other top professional sports organizations are pretty well off without pay per view revenues
Yea that’s true but the Super Bowl is in New York either in 2013 or 2014 so I guess they are saying maybe host them in the same city from here on out?
it’s next year that it’s in NJ (they’re the NY Jets/Giants but play in Jersey), which is why Fox wants it the same weekend. Unlikely it continues past next year because the Super Bowl rotates networks each year
That would be so sick! Usually the show that is promoted after the super bowl does REALLY well, so it’d be such a good way to not only make money, but also reach so many new fans.
I’m sure the people who get paid top dollar to work out these decisions for Fox and UFC just won’t be able to come up with the right plan at all.