With last night’s event still fresh in the mind, I’m reminded that several people on this forum have been predicting that Sky are going to pull out of boxing and maybe go PPV only. It’s also been mentioned that Amazon are interested in a PPV only deal with the PBC. If these things happened, I’m guessing it can only lead to failure mainly because the PPV only model has been tried before, several times. Firstly there was PrimeTime which did hang around for a while before folding, which had a business model very similar to the one Fite TV has now ( Fite Tv does feature other combat sports, all sorts really, but is still a very small operation ). Then there was ITV Box Office, which featured some World Boxing Super Series fights then Eubank Jr. That’s gone. Then there was Trilla, using Fite TV, which dipped its toes in with Misfit type shows, bid hugely for Lopez v Kambosos Jr, couldn’t pay the purse and the fight went to Matchroom and DAZN. Finally, well not quite, there was Fox who pulled out of showing PBC except PPV which, I think, lasted one Wilder fight. There’s also been others, King showing Dubois Bryant on his website PPV ( huge flop ), when Crawford fought Avanesyan on a minor US network PPV ( massive flop ) and, of course, the Parker Hughie Fury fight on YouTube PPV ( so big a flop it almost cost Fat Mick his house ). So what I’m saying is that history says that it doesn’t appear to work but what do I know, these TV people are very very clever and never make mistakes. Ultimately, it would be like having no football on TV at all and then twice a year having Man Utd Liverpool live PPV. Other than a few diehards everyone would forget about football, move on in their lives and the sport would die. It’s madness but there are a lot of mad people around.
My own prediction is that ppv will die out. It's not the same as late 90s to 2000s where nobody could find another way to watch it. Nowadays people are just not prepared to pay it. Pubs and casinos still have to buy it but residential houses must be falling in ppv. The only exception is if someone throws a party and everyone chips in a tiny amount of money - so the host may as well just buy it as it's little more then loose change per skull. Always hated ppv model. Subscription is much better.
If anyone thinks PPV is dying out, explain why OnlyFans brings in $5 billion a year. It's just getting started. Subscriptions are more at risk than PPV as rights owners find it easier to distribute their content. At some point the only purpose for platforms like Sky or cable, will be to carry the data of streams in return for a % off the top. In the trade it's been called "OTT broadcasting" for at least 15 years and has always been coming.
I fear for the future of boxing. I think the greed and disrespect of fans from promoters, fighters, networks and sanctioning bodies is finally becoming detrimental to the sport. The whole system needs a revamp of it's to thrive again.
Despite the prevalence of online streams, didn't that PPV last week do 1.3 million buys and that's with a target demographic of youth that will have grown up with streaming legal and illegal
I always pay for PPVs and watch them on my Sky satellite boxes. I´m pleased that linear TV channels are still larger than streaming in several european countries - e.g. in Germany. Definitely prefer watching sports via satellite as it always works and the picture quality is much better than streaming.
I watched as normal on my Television and the picture quality was fantastic in HD except when it went down for everyone after the Bakole fight for 20 minutes.
My beef with PPV is that nearly any half decent competitive world title match up is now deemed as PPV in this country and the price is now nearing thirty quid in the UK.
That is why serious organised criminals have entered the broadcasting market with subscription figures in the low millions and growing by the week according to press reports. This includes many bars as well. You will not find many people willling to fork out for a plethora of susbcriptions; Sky Sports, BT Sports, Viaplay Sports UK, Amazon Sports, Fite TV and DAZN UK leading to people seeking other ways to view. Then there is Box Office on top for subscribers. Going to get worse through time as word spreads and the only way to reverse the growing trend it is to abolish Box Office and drop the subscription prices by 50%.
Happy to say I don't support ppv and very glad I didn't give a penny to last night's farce. Hope ppv dies and joins betamax
I wouldn't bother with any VPN either, what i do is my business and of no concern of anybody elses, if i click on something and it doesn't carry a warning that states by clicking on it i could be comitting a criminal offence then i will continue, end of. Gone are the days of the TV License brigade scaring people to death if they haven't got a license, if it is available i will watch it, just not live!!!
But clearly some fights can't be made under those budgets or PPV wouldn't exist. Just as some tickets are cheap and some extortionate. Last night wasn't even possible just with PPV, it needed government money just as the Rumble in the Jungle did nearly 50 years ago. Entertainment needs paid for somehow and PPV will be a way to do it for a long time yet; for big fights it may well be the default as people just won't pay multiple subscriptions.
I think there should be Box Office for non subscribers only whether it is Sky and/or BT Subscribers. It is a very sad day when one looks at DAZN UK subscription prices and the very poor UK based monthly content then they hit people with Box Office for non elite, non title fighters such as Whyte v Joshua and Benn V Eubank Jnr. They are virtually eating themselves from the inside with the greed.