Showtime following HBO into Bolivian (discontinuing boxing programming in 2024)

Not sure of how true this is, they've said the same thing in the past,

Showtime will still have ppvs & I'm sure Haymon will find another spot for his roster, never know as they might even move into Dazn or other known networks.

 

Ahh, that sucks. They go as far back as the mid 1980's and defined what respectable, professional, high production value boxing coverage should be. I have a lot of fond memories of Showtime Boxing. Like many on here I got cable only to watch the fights and didn't care what other programming they had for the most part. Bernstein & Albert were quality back in the day. One person I couldn't stand was Bobby Cheese though, that guy sucked. The Holy - Tyson 1st fight should've been done by someone else. One thing I will not miss is when top fighters would choose a network (HBO or Showtime), then not fight each other and give the excuse that the fights couldn't be made because of different networks.

HBO & Showtime was what high class boxing coverage was all about. Both had a good run.

 

And to think those long winded piped monologues of Espinoza over praising themselves & patting his own back in the start & end of every presser never made a difference after all,

Always wondered who that 20 minutes of groveling was directed too as it wasn't for the fans.

 

ESPN & DAZN are horrible in terms of production, at least Showtime had that over everyone else but honestly even their last few All Access have been pretty bad overall including the narrator.

 

Showtime has always tried to be on the level of HBO from the early days by imitation but never came close up until HBO's demise & that included hiring the same personnel that HBO rejected which included Espinoza himself,

Showtime were so pleased when HBO packed bags & since then they did nothing but continued on with keeping things in house while insulting their fans with constant predictable bad mismatches with the occasional decent fight usually involving the less known fighters who were desperate for exposure,

Their poor module would be the actual reason for their departure not because of network executives.

 

We all knew this would happen after HBO bailed on boxing. It's a shame but if it doesn't make financial sense for Showtime to put money into boxing when they could get a greater return in something else.

I guess the end started with PBC, boxers being paid more is commendable but they failed to make a single crossover star with their business model and the money they pumped into boxing just drove up costs, so HBO bailed, then you had DAZN come in with a ton of money and make it even less financially viable for companies like Showtime.

What were seeing with boxing streaming is simply unsustainable, nobody making money as they try and out last the competition. Much like the main streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney + etc, we'll see a lot of companies drop out of boxing eventually and we'll be left with a few big players that will corner the market and charge a premium for their exclusive access.

 

change is good, right fellas? don't be afraid of change you evil bigots

 

And when you make everything PPV. People will watch beat downs, but they won't $75 for it.

They knew this. They knew boxing wasn't part of the future of Showtime, so they've been trying to cash out rather than grow the sport. ESPN will get into the same mode soon.

It was on thin ice, I suspect when Yerbossynuly was put into a medically induced coma (after a Showtime main event) boxing's fate was sealed. It showed them that someone will eventually die and their family will try to hold Showtime liable and the PR damage will be immense.

It just shrinks the pie. I suspect it helps DAZN more than ESPN, because Eddie is probably the only owner of a streaming service really committed to boxing. He may get some cheap talent out of this.

When was the last time Fox aired a card? The first one that comes to mind is New Year's Day, I can't remember one more recent.

Baseball is showing some signs of life actually. Attendance up everywhere (except Boston, but with Chaim Bloom gone we'll join the party next year)!

Then again, boxing was on a little upswing earlier this year.

 

Boxing was the only reason i had HBO and SHOWTIME. i cancelled HBO back in 2019, unfortunately it will be SHOWTIME that goes next. I feel like the two big battleships have been sunken, and now their are a few smaller, more fragile ships left.

 

Top Ranks deal with espn runs out in 2025.

What this news does do is give espn more leverage if they renegotiate with top rank. Top Rank have nowhere else to go.

 

Sad,a lot of nostalgia here just like with HBO.

This isnt only because of bad boxing related decisions but I feel also because of the worldwide and US recession.

 

great news for DAZN & Sergio Mora too!
Provided they can contract the Haymon Stable over to DAZN.

 

You really get turned on by @ellerbe and me don’t you? PBC deliver that’s for sure and I won’t be taking anybody’s word on Showtime until our brother Mr Stephen Espinoza speaks.

 

This is what Dana White has been waiting for. Like it or not, Zanfer boxing is going to take over.

 

Most of Japan's big fights are on Amazon prime (in Japan). Which is awesome. I hope you guys in the states end up with a similar deal. It's way cheaper and better than what the US has had to deal with for years. Plus it's very accessible, so lots of casual viewers.