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

Amazon is not "bidding" for PBC, they're "bidding" to host their PPVs, specifically Canelo's and Tank's (the latter of which they immediately have buyer's remorse). They aren't giving them a budget to run a bunch of shows of Boots Ennis vs a punching bag or marinate Caleb Plant vs Benavidez for 5 years for only 50000 buys/views/whatever. A gross misread of Amazon's actual involvement.

Them crawling with their tail between their legs to "Deadzone" as they called it would be absolutely hysterical, however.

 

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Wrong. Amazon Prime already televises MMA/Kickboxing fights on Prime Video. They signed One Championship. The shows are free to all subscribers. The next card is Nov. 3.

Amazon Prime is now looking to get into boxing and are bidding for the PBC. The cards will be shown to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Just like you can watch select NFL games (there's one on tomorrow) and select MLB games and NBA games on Amazon Prime for free.

Hate to burst your bubble.

For each streamer looking to get out of sports, there's another investing in them.

 

If they do move to DAZN which they called a dead app that no one would be seen fighting on LOL then they should book Ellerbre vs Hearn next.

The fight all the fans have been wanting for the longest & we finally get to find out for sure if Santa Claus is really about that life.

 

I'm happy to be wrong, but ONE championship's primary audience is Asian from what I understand, and while Asians DO watch MMA/boxing on Prime, in the West they don't. They barely watch football (10 million may seem like a lot but not when compared to the 100s of millions more). They're already losing money on the NFL deal.

So hate to burst your bubble, but you are wrong. It's a select expansion that's already showing signs of failure. Not giving them a budget to operate a full calendar year.

 

Looks like the Olympics are dumping boxing for the LA Olympics. Perhaps the final nail in a dying sports coffin

 

How am I wrong? They're bidding for PBC. Not just to show the PPVs, like you said. To televise PBC fights on Amazon Prime.

They're trying to outbid DAZN for the PBC.

Now it's a failure to you if 100 million people don't watch? A 100 million people don't watch boxing on any network showing boxing. WTF are you talking about?

Showtime is dropping PBC, and Amazon Prime and DAZN are trying to get them.

So, be happy you're wrong. I'm sure you'll still tune in and "hate watch" on whatever premium spot they end up on.

 

Because they don't want anything other than to host PPVs. That's how you are wrong.

And the only possible way DAZN could win a bidding war with ****ING AMAZON is if Amazon has particular demands that PBC isn't crazy about. Demands like, oh I don't know, "we're only interested in being a PPV distributor, not giving you hundreds of millions of dollars to overpay hype-jobs fighting bums"? Do you understand this point? I need you to understand this point.

This nonsense argument was the crux of the defense against people criticizing PBC's garbage numbers on Showtime. "Who cares if the majority of the subscribers are watching other stuff?" Evidently, the distributors do. Amazon has had complaints with the NFL over the lack of views compared to the expected number of views for Thursday night football games. ONE PPV's are watched primarily by Japanese audiences...which Amazon already had. If you have 100s of millions of subscribers you want more than less than 10 percent watching something you are paying big money to. I know that this is a difficult concept for you to grasp, but please let me assure you that this is true.

Now if the Amazon deal is just to host three or five pay-per-views a year, then yes that COULD be profitable with only a couple hundred thousand or just slightly over a million watching. Giving Al Haymon hundreds of millions of dollars to run weekly shows that barely anyone watches to put on fights no one wants to see between overpaid and overhyped fighters that fight between once or twice a year and get spanked anytime they actually step up in competition is a recipe for disaster. We know this, because it was the same recipe that got them kicked off of Spike, NBC, Fox, Fox Sports, Showtime, etc. etc. etc.

What, did you think Amazon isn't going to look at those network failures and have hard questions?

Showtime is dropping them because they couldn't even meet half of the 10% threshold of subscribed viewers, meaning 10% of subscribers are regularly watching. Nobody wanted to see them.

DAZN wants them because that means they get Canelo, Tank, and a stable of scrubs to host for Matchroom and Goldenboy and to send over to Top Rank in talent exchanges. As a sports network that got its start in boxing, the consolidation of boxing talent makes a lot of sense for them and could see immediate results.

Amazon is only interested in Canelo and Tank because of PPV numbers (or at least perceived numbers with Tank). They have no desire for the chuff and the chaffe, and if Al Haymon manages to convince them to sign his aging stable of not-that-talented-goofs to funding all their shows I will have no choice but to bow to his negotiating skills.

If anyone could be bothered to 'hate-watch' them, they'd still be on Showtime. Or Fox. Or Spike. Or NBC. Or ABC. Or...

 

You have no idea what they desire. You didn't even know they were already televising fights until I just told you.

You are assuming they just want Canelo and Tank, but they wouldn't be negotiating to air PBC fights if they just wanted Canelo because he's only signed up for three fights with PBC and he already fought one. They could wait out two fights.

So, again, you don't know what you're talking about.

Some networks are dropping boxing, others are just getting into it. Amazon Prime wants to televise boxing. They are bidding for the right to air PBC fights, as is DAZN.

PBC is fine. I know that pisses you off for some reason, but they're fine.

So, enjoy your misery. Be HAPPY. You said you'd be happy if you were wrong, and you are wrong.

 

Inoue's boxing success on Amazon Prime Japan was big news so that isn't even remotely true. Sorry I didn't specify between 'America' and 'Japan' because I thought that implication was readily apparent when discussing an American promotional outfit. I will be more pedantic in the future.

Which means his next two fights will be with...? C'mon...connect the dots, I know you can do it!

I do actually, and that's what's killing you.

No, they don't. They want to host big event PPVs. DAZN wants to 'televise' boxing because they are a sporting network that got its start in boxing. I hope they get the deal too, first for the delicious irony of Leonard Ellerbe having to sweet talk the app he denigrated, but mostly because I think there's an actual future there. Amazon will take one look at the disappointing Tank numbers and throw up their hands in disgust.

If they were fine, they would still be on any of the variety of networks they have been kicked off of for lack of viewership. This is the opposite of fine. It tickles me that idiots think the opposite, but I feel for the fighters who have been getting robbed of literal years of their careers where they made little to no money and only fought twice a year if that.

Sweetie-pie, the fact that this conversation is even happening is all the proof you should need that I'm right. Healthy, totally fine companies/promotional outfits that everyone loves and watches and rakes in money don't get tossed off of networks, especially if that network is restructuring for financial reasons. PBC is a money sink, one that waited until this year to put on fights people actually want to see. Showtime wasn't fooled, and they got the boot.

 

They started this venture PAYING NBC, CBS/Showtime, FOX and ESPN to televise their fights. THEY paid the networks to put their fights on the air.

They finish having two global streamers in a bidding war for their services.

They flipped the script, if you will.

And now NBC has changed course and is now trying to sign their own exclusive boxing promotion (BOXXER) because they no longer want out and want boxing for their streaming service (Peacock).

So go be angry somewhere else.

 

Al Haymon destroys yet another network

 

And then were told to kick rocks. Because no one was watching Lara fight stiff idiots in front of no people (literally how the Spike and I think NBC deals ended).

One is interested in their two biggest stars only, leaving all but a few opponents they can rotate against them out to dry, and the other (whom they have spent most of their existence mocking, btw) because it helps them corner and consolidate the boxing market.

Do you think this was some genius marketing move where they told Showtime they were leaving and are now demanding their wonderful product to be bought? Because...it isn't. It's the equivalent of a bankrupt company having an auction for physical assets, where Amazon wants these two specific pieces plus accessories, while DAZN wants the whole thing (probably at a discount).

And good luck to them. Though why NBC wanting nothing to do with PBC, only to want to get back into boxing years later with someone else is somehow this magical win for PBC makes sense only in crazy town. Population you.

Be delusional somewhere else.

 

Nothing to do with them?

Errol Spence fought on NBC against Bundu at the fight drew 6 million+ viewers. No boxing show on US television had drawn those types of ratings since the 1990s. NBC was happy with the deal. PBC actually opted not to keep paying all the networks they were involved with after the first year. (Arum and De La Hoya actually sued them because they were buying up all the channels and Top Rank and Golden Boy were being shut out.)

NBC signed a smaller deal THIS WEEK at a lower cost with a smaller promotional company that puts on shows in England because they want to televise boxing, too, but don't want to get into a bidding war with Amazon Prime and DAZN for PBC. (Nobody was bidding on the Boxxer promotional company.)

What you'd like to believe simply isn't true. You've been wrong in this thread about everything.

 

Yes, nothing to do with them. Because if it did, they would be jumping at the chance to get PBC, an American promotion, and not BOXXER, a British one. You buffoon.

And Caleb Plant kept getting over a million views for his fights on Fox with the likes of Truax. All this tells me is that boxing is not a dying sport and people want to watch it. It was Spence versus a solid contender on his way to a title shot that didn't happen for almost a full calendar year. The height of PBCs problems; a lot of buzz initially, wasted by inactivity and non-competitive fights. Again, not a win for PBC that NBC wants to get back into boxing, just not with them. Because they'll know they'll have to put on the audience repellent that is Danny Garcia vs Lara.

If PBC was so valuable they would absolutely be involved in a bidding war with Amazon and DAZN. They lose literally nothing doing it, especially with BOXXER in the back-pocket. They don't want to be involved with PBC, for better or worse. Again, someone not being interested in you is NOT a win for you.

I've actually been right in this thread about everything, because again; if I was even remotely wrong, they'd still be on Showtime. Which they are not. I'm sorry you are too dumb to realize this.