Could this work?

For awhile now I've been mulling this idea over in my head. The recent local PPV announced for March got me thinking even harder. So I had to have a lay down.

I've noticed in the UK that when they have a big PPV from the States they usually precede it with a fight night of their own. Now, I'm not privy to details or numbers and havn't taken time out of my busy schedule (cough) so I don't know if their cards are seperate PPVs, included as part of a PPV package combining both cards or just free.
But whatever the case, our soap dodging cousins who had the foresight to send us to the worlds biggest island resort seem to have the right idea, ergo they get two cards full of boxing in the same night. Of course this is offset by the time differences, over there the UK times for a US card kick off anywhere from 2-5am.

Now obviously they have it over us in population and depth of boxers but is it feasible we could try something along the lines of this here?

Before we nut out the details how does this sound?

Most US PPVs start here around 11AM-1PM EST. (We wont bring Euro cards into this cos only the most commited or stupid [Kegsy & me for paying $40 to watch Klit-Rahman at 4am] are going to get up at 4/6am and then watch another fight card around lunch. But I digress)
So we have our US card. What usually happens when it finishes? In my experience pubs are ghost towns within 5 minutes as patrons chance their licenses in a fuzzy drive home. What if we were to have a local card commence directly after the US card finshes? At a rough guess this would be around 3PM EST/1PM WST.

Ok, its not the traditional time but lets look at a few things.

1. You already have a captive audience. Poeple have already watched a (hopefully) good fight and hopefully are primed for more. Of course this will depend on the quality of the card. Any half name Aussie vs Taxi driver just won't do. Take a gamble and import a name. Show the PPV to the local ticket paying crowd before the fight. Get some exposure. Build and they will come.

2. Price. **** right off now if you even consider a $50 price. What I could never understand is why snag 1000 buys at $50 when you can do 5000 at $10. But isn't that the same price Leon I hear you ask, and thanks for paying attention. What would you rather, 1000 viewers or 5000. Its a little simplistic I know but if you want to build a brand, get the bloody name out there.

3. Finishing time is around 6pm/4pm, just enough time to crash onto the couch or smile inanely through dinner with the inlaws. Hey, its Sunday and you've just watched two cards of boxing and had a few drinks, who wouldn't be happy?

Now obviously this is a simplified view of things but I hope you can see the idea and reasoning behind it. Of course you aren't running a show before every PPV, maybe only 3-4 a year but its still a chance to build local names and then perhaps get that healthy midweek PPV date all our boys would like. I know the details and the organisation would be a bit, but...whaddaya reckon?

 

TCW, I'm not adverse to paying on top of the original PPV, just not another $40-$50. As a package deal though I reckon it makes sense. Probably should have said that in the original post, got a little excited and missed that out.

I'm of that mindset but I really think its feasible. Surely by now 'they' are realising that most fans have no fear of downloading fights because of bull**** costs/time differences & copyright bull****.

Seriously, who here would have seen Adamek-Cunningham by following the letter of the law? Or Vazquez-Marquez? These idiots shoot themselves in the foot week after week over petty **** while we, the fans, would pay to see certain fights at any time of the day.

Its why I send and will continue to do as long as I can so many freebies cos to be a fan here takes commitment and a capacity to, at the moment, break the law. **** that, we just want an oppurtunity to watch fights from around the world and not have to sell the farm to do so.

 

< Is why I wrote this. The model of the UK versison differs in that the times are different, they have a traditional night card where I'm proposing an afternoon card. I'm not talking about selling to overseas, just to a local market.

Would you pay $10-$20 to see Lenny Zap or Willie K fight a ok to middling opponent with a 3 or 4 fight undercard after a US PPV? Thats what I'm angling at.

 

Sorry, but to use a one word local example, Mundine.

Building a name requires exposure, something that I'm trying to get across here from a different angle. Hands up who paid $50 to see Haumono-Couser?

 

Which quote that I used wasn't from you? The second quote was mine in the original post, what I should debate myself now, no I won't, I will, I won't , I will...

The model I'm proposing is not to sell anywhere else but here in Australia. I'm not under any assumption that local PPVs would sell anywhere else...atm. My proposal was a local card after a US PPV to retain LOCAL customers, nothing more. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough on that, on my 2nd bottle of vino.

 

Ok, so you paid $50 odd to see Haumono-Couser but you wouldn't be willing to part $10-$20 to see a local fighters take on a reasonable opponent as part of a package deal after a US PPV?

Has it been proposed already? Its what I'm asking, what people think. And sorry to TCW, but when people tell me 'Thats how it is, suck it up', thats when I begin to get fired up, as you've probably noticed. The Status Quo remains when people can't be bothered to change anything.

OT, A small victory I had was last year by actually talking to some-one from Sky Channel and explaining their Canvas Classics listings in the EPG might be better served if they included the word 'Boxing' in the title and the actual fight itself. 2 weeks later they did that so that people could then know what fight was upcoming and could access the details through the EPG. If I had sat there and scratched my nuts and said ****all you can bet the listings would still be the same today, 'An explosive bout from boxing history'. Now I know thats **** all in the grand scheme of things but now you can look up a week before the fight whos actually going to be on, where as before you got the generic description. And how hard was it? It took me two ****ing emails.

Change comes from a small step at a time, and this is something I really think can be done.

A local PPV after a US card is not a small step. It is hard. The numbers will be hard. But what I'm asking, what I'm saying is, do you really think it can work?

I honestly do, thats why I'm being such a belligerent *****.