AJ v Pulev looks around 800k ppv buys

They are in a dilemma much like the music industry was with music piracy on platforms back with napster and others. It is now a new world with youtube, and they have had to accept they cant stop their music being shared online. Now the real money is instead made from live performances and merchandise and not sales of actual music.

I also think that PPV in general is a massive **** take. People who have sky sports and bt sports pay enough to not have to shell out extra for the best fights. PPV in recent years has been made for fights that used to be sky sports saturday night cards.

The economic reality coming our way, is that boxing needs to adjust now to lower income and boxers need to fight more times per year if they want to earn the same as they were pre covid. Alternative income streams need to be found, as the PPV boxing market isnt going to be with us in 10 years time for obvious reasons. For boxers and promoters, it is better to prepare now than go down in the titanic on slow motion.

 

If you look at the Hennessy channel 5 numbers they’re constantly in excess of a million for “lesser” fighters.
If Joshua v Fury was free to air surely it would do in excess of 4-5 million. Advertisements between rounds, on the ring, shorts, all the other equipment. Surely that could exceed £30x 2 million PPV buys.

 

If Joshua v Fury was free on a non-subscription channel, it would get about 20 million UK audience, I'd imagine.
Perhaps 30 million.

 

It's difficult to sell ads for Boxing though as most people will only tune in for the main fight which could be over in 10 seconds.

 

It is going to have to go that way. When you put it on terrestrial TV you are at the mercy of advertisers and sponsors, but with millions viewing the advertising money is high. I remember the Benn vs Eubank fight and that did 16.3 million.

When you look at the record viewing figures, surely these days 7-10 million is guaranteed if you put an AJ fight on terrestrial TV. Chisora would do 5 million easily, as would other household names

UK record viewing figures
Ali v Frazier 1971 BBC 27.3
McGuigan v Cabrera 1986 BBC 18.3
McGuigan v Pedroza 1985 BBC 18.0
Eubank v Benn 1993 ITV 16.3
Malinga v Eubank 1992 ITV 13.3
Benn v McClellan 1995 ITV 13.1
Rocchigiani v Eubank 1994 ITV 12.3
Eubank v Close 1993 ITV 11.5
Eubank v Thornton 1992 ITV 10.3
Eubank v Holmes 1993 ITV 10.1,
Bruno v Marin 1995 ITV 10.1

I dont see any other long term strategy for boxing to make money.

Once the spectators are allowed back the majority of revenue will be from live gate receipts, and TV advertising and sponsorship. Terrestrial TV is surely the way to go, and we can return to the glory years of the early to mid 1990s.

 

Incredible that Ali v Frazier attracted so many viewers on TV when it wasn't even a live broadcast. I don't know exactly but I suspect it was broadcast a day or several days later on actual TV.

 

Joshua Fury is more than likely to take place in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia). If the first fight takes place in June, how many fans do we realistically expect to be allowed?
Also, in June/July aren't the Euros taking place with some fights at Wembley?
All that combined will leave the fight to take place in Saudi, which is better than the US since we don't have to wake up at a silly time to watch the card.

 

Not even close, 10 million max.

I’m pretty sure some crap like Strictly is the biggest show on UK TV these days and the final of that got 13 million viewers last weekend. England winning the World Cup Final would max out at about 20 million.

All those huge viewing figures posted above are from when there were 3 or 4 TV channels to choose from and no internet and streaming services.

 

AJ Pulev did 15 million quid in PPV revenue. You’d get 20m viewers on terrestrial tv. Broadcast fees and advertising would top 15 million quid definitely and it reaches far more of the casual audience.

 

IF Fury-Joshua happens in 2021, I think Saudi Arabia is the likely location.
It was always the leading candidate, before all this coronavirus stuff. Saudi is most likely, USA second.

 

Okay. Less than watch Strictly Come Dancing then ? Really ?
I think Strictly is on every week, and the final happens at least once a year ?

Yeah, okay, maybe I do overestimate the potential popularity of boxing and of a one-in-a-lifetime unprecedented All-British unification to decide who the world's heavyweight champion is.
maybe the world has changed. 20 years or 30 years ago there's no question such an event would grab 20 million viewers at the very least.

I remember the days when featherweight Barry McGuigan had almost 20 million viewers against foreign fighters most people weren't familiar with, but I know the world has changed a lot since then.

If the Fury-Joshua fight is reduced to a mere 10 million on UK terrestrial platform that would indicate a serious slump in boxing's popularity from the 1980s, even accounting for the way the world has changed.

 

I would have thought so, 20 to 30 million seems correct.
England v Croatia in 2018 peaked at 26.5 million viewers. I think Fury v Joshua would attract similar viewership it it were on BBC/ITV.

 

On the AJ - Fury topic, I’d say it’s got zero chance of taking place in the UK in 2021 based on how things are currently, won’t be full crowds for another year I’d say - they’ll definitely be looking to do it abroad and have the perfect excuse.

 

Please no - will never get my boat in the river at that price.

 

Both multi-millionaires and will never have any money worries again - if they care about the fans it will be on ITV.