I'd agree with that. The funny thing is, I would have actually paid for the Froch-Dirrell PPV but, as I'm not on Sky, I can't! I think this is the kind of thing that is excluding a potential fanbase. An interesting point, Gaz. This is definately where boxing comes up short: merchandise. You see dudes wearing UFC gear all the time, but boxing has nothing identifiable to fans and with that comes no extra revenue other than ticket sales. College American Football doesn't make much from merchandise, though, and they show games late at night. PPV is no doubt a way of making a quick buck but I just find it interesting how PPV is almost synonymous with boxing.
I think with the College Football they know, unlike possibly the NFL, there just is no PPV market for it in the UK so they have to show it free.
Have to admit I would like an explanation as to why boxing is on ppv. Mind you HBO in the States. OH YA ****ER $49.95 for some events OUCH!
I dont mind paying sometimes, I'll happily pay for Cotto - Pac if its PPV, some of the pay per views do take the **** though, bigtime. The yanks seem to have it really bad with all sorts of shite on at 49.95 dollars. I dunno why we put up with it, just because we love it I suppose, same with all the Liverpool supporters getting mugged paying £47 for a Chelsea ticket on sunday, its sport and the fans get the **** taken out of them.
To use the College football example, if you were a sports TV Exec with air space to fill what would you spend your £100,000 on? A Carl Froch fight that could be over in 2 minutes or a season of American Football games that you KNOW you will get an hours programming out of every week for 4 months?
Denmark is even worse- apparently they pay close to £50!:shock: That said, apart from Peter Schmeichel and Lars Ulrich, they have no other megastars. Gaz, I take your point but it is interesting how there is always some avenue or scheme to get boxing on PPV. The short and small of it is money is being made from PPV so it'll continue for the foreseeable future. I just find it interesting how it's continues to be on PPV even when figures are poor like the Khan-Kotelnik fight when there are other sports out there with small hardcore fanbases that don't pay PPV- like motorsports as well as American sports. Is a subscription not enough?:conf Ah well.
I can't defend it mate but, while you've got promoters looking for the quick buck and looking out of themselves rather than having an overall organization that can afford to take a long term view of the sport, I think its going to continue.
This has already been answered. It's on PPV because people want paying like rockstars even if they are only filling an 8000 capacity venue once every six months. The 'American sports' that you keep referring to are ****ing huge money making machines. The fact that they are minority sports in the UK is irrelevant - no-one is expecting their wages to be paid from the sale of the UK rights.
Boxing is huge in the states in comparison to over here. I think comparing American sports fanbases in the UK is a good comparision as many can argue that boxing is a minority sport in the UK as well:good.
Boxing is huge in the states compared to the UK? Since when? And your second sentence is the exact point. Boxing is a minority sport. Especially when it is taking place at 2am. If it was priced at the same level as other minority sports then there would be plenty of takers to show it.
boxing is not a minor sport, when an event or fight captures the worldwide publics imagination and is watched by more people worldwide than most other sports it is still regarded as a major sport, just because uk boxing coverage is **** on tv does not mean its a minor sport
Its the nature of the sport (the short career, obvious risks, no set salary, etc) means fighters and "promoters" want to make as much as possible when that opportunity comes around, unfortunitely this also leads to greediness, shortsightedness and crass decisions, sometimes its hard for them to look at the long term because NOTHING is guarenteed in this sport as you can go from being on top of the world to being discarded in just one fight, not to mention all the other "politrix" as LL would say. (thats one of the good things about this tourney, that fighters are guarenteed at least 3 fights and even if they lose can comeback and will have a bout/payday to look forward to) PPV is one of the major contributors to the flat lining of our beloved sweet science, but boxing ties in so well with the idea of PPV that it is hard to see it disappearing anytime soon (although it looks like there'll be less and less big PPV draws in the future, which ironically is caused by PPV so it could end up coming full circle as promoter might be left with no choice but to create stars because i don't think the PPV audience will be there for much longer as boxing fanbase starts to stagnate) don't get me wrong PPV can work in the right circumstances thats if fighters are promoted well, built up, gain a fellowing basically try and cross over before asking people to pay, thats better for the fighters and the sport in the long run, but these pee brained "promoters" are too dumb to see it, they need to start doing their job and actually start promoting. we put up with it because there's no choice and for us those big momentous occassions are few and far between unlike other sports who get there fix everyweek, with highlights packages thats why PPV would never work with football.