ESPN Friday Night Fights (Channel 5)

will it not be on at more reasonable times with the new ESPN channel launching??

 

I would like it if ESPN didn't sell rights to Five and started showing their own shows on their ESPN UK channel. They have good bills worth seeing.

 

I read somewhere that Clouds' promoters are in charge of worldwide TV deals for this fight.

There is a chance of it being streamed online legally according to the article, but I'd very much doubt ESPN will show it over here.

Remember folks-what ESPN shows in the US has absolutely nothing to do with what they will show over here. International TV rights are very different to domestic ones. No matter how many times this is mentioned, people always forget it/don't understand it.

 

How much boxing, if any, can we expect from the ESPN channel?

Before I start throwing away £10 a month

 

Don't expect anything before its announced, and if you are only subscribing for Boxing, wait until its officially confirmed they will be showing stuff and judge on that.

For example, would you be happy paying £9 or £12 a month to see some US prospects on in the middle of the night?

But everybody seems to think its a given they'll show FNF, when it isn't. Just because its an ESPN show. Take the NBA for example, of which ESPN is a major rights holder in the states. As ESPN don't own the UK rights (as of now), they can't show it.

95% of TV sports rights are done with the respective governing body or promoter, not who shows it in whatever country. Thus its logical that they could show some Boxing from HBO or Showtime, providing a deal is done to show King/Top Rank/Golden Boy/Shaw etc. fights.

However with their recent announcement on what ESPN will be showing (European Football, DTM, some Rugby and Basketball etc.), along with their current portfolio of US sports rights it doesn't leave much time left to show Boxing. Saturday evenings will be filled with Premier League Football, College Gridiron and then MLB Baseball or Ice Hockey till 5/6am.

It's not totally out of the question that ESPN will show Boxing, far from it. I just can't see it being financially justifiable when they already have enough rights to show stuff throughout the night on a Friday and Saturday.

I'll wait and see with interest, but on a positive note, at least Sky seem to be increasing their Boxing coverage from September.

 

Nice one, I am half considering it for the football anyway but at least Setanta had some boxing coverage (& of course bunce) so it would be nice if the same sort of boxing can be agreed to compensate that. Sky is costing me a fortune (£42 a month with HD), add ppv fights and then an additional £10 for ESPN... it's a joke I will be forking out almost £700/year when all I want to watch is football & boxing!! I should have MUG tattooed on my forehead

And then you see Witter's fight not being broadcasted anywhere and after paying £15 to watch Khan v Kotelnik they couldn't stretch to an extra 15mins for Brook & Enzo fight highlights

To be honest, that would probably sway me to get it atsch

 

I just record it and watch it in the evening. Its a pisstake when they show the same fight as the previous week though.