Bellator on Spike!

[Liquidrob]

.com that is

Spike.com to stream all Bellator preliminary-card fights beginning with Bellator 49
by Dann Stupp on Sep 06, 2011 at 11:05 am ET

In a welcomed move that's sure to spark lots of speculation, Bellator Fighting Championships today announced its preliminary-card fights now will stream live and for free on Spike.com.

The two-hour streams, which kick off each Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT), begin with this week's Bellator 49 event.

Spike TV officials today confirmed the plans with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"Fight fans have been coming to our site for years for great mixed martial arts clips and information," stated Erik Flannigan, Executive Vice President, Digital Entertainment, MTV Networks Entertainment Group. "Now we are thrilled to provide them with action-packed live fighting each week."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/25103/spike-com-to-stream-all-bellator-preliminary-card-fights-beginning-with-bellator-49.mma

Very good news, Bellators only shot is to get on Spike next season, hopefully this is the first step

[Warner2BruceTD]

As reported via tweet by Around The Cage last month, Bellator will be moved to Spike next season.

All 8 of my followers are ahead of the curve on this.

[Liquidrob]

They also went on a good spree of signing some really good prospects last week

Spike is do or die for Bellator, DO OR DIE

[Warner2BruceTD]

It will be interesting to see how many habit viewers will watch MMA on Spike regardless of brand name. Bellator brings a small but fairly loyal audience with them of around 100k or so, which by Spike standards and expectations is nothing. The key, as always, is creating stars, which they have failed to do on MTV2. Alvarez, Lomabrd, etc have done some of the lowest ratings.

[Liquidrob]

If they go to Spike, they must continue with the TUF style show, but for Bellator, Alvarez, Askren, Warren, etc...as coaches

Imagine Warren as a coach? Even Askren has personality, just showing fights isnt enough for the casual fan on Spike

[Warner2BruceTD]

Bjorn should consider breaking the bank on a proven ratings mover when he gets to Spike. Admittedly the options are slim but even feeding somebody like Jens Pulver or Arlovski to one of his champions would grab some attention.

[Warner2BruceTD]

If they go to Spike, they must continue with the TUF style show, but for Bellator, Alvarez, Askren, Warren, etc...as coaches

Imagine Warren as a coach? Even Askren has personality, just showing fights isnt enough for the casual fan on Spike

Yeah all of their champs aside from Korand have charisma, they just have no exposure.

[Liquidrob]

yeah, keep Konrad off the TV for a while

Lombard is a known prick in training, would love to see him roughing up the new guys in training

[EmpireWF]

Spike or die.

I don't think Bellator could become a PPV player within a year if they move to Spike but they could definitely up their image and draw in better #s on TV.

Plus, better exposure is the way to make guys like Askren, Lombard and Alvarez into stars.

[Liquidrob]

I don't think bellator will ever be on PPV and it shouldnt, that model is dying and there isnt any room for more, UFC sucks it all up and thats even going down

Network deals are the future on MMA, competing networks that is

[EmpireWF]

How will Bellator make money though? They are years away from ever being able to make major coin on any TV deal.

[Liquidrob]

How will Bellator make money though? They are years away from ever being able to make major coin on any TV deal.

if they move to spike they will get more money, that's step one, if they can get a nice rating going and if/when another newtwork wants to give MMA a shot they can get more money

if the UFC does really well on FOX, the other networks will come calling, CBS already has done it and can do it again, they just need to see Bellator do well on Spike and the UFC do well on FOX, it's just a spin off to them

[Warner2BruceTD]

How will Bellator make money though? They are years away from ever being able to make major coin on any TV deal.

Rights fees will be significantly higher on Spike, plus you draw better advertisers as you increase your profile and air on better networks. Pay attention to the commercials on MTV2 during Bellator, it's like the same 3 ads over and over. Usually a low profile movie and other lame shit.

Not to mention running bigger buildings down the line when they can draw more than 1,000 people, so they can stop losing money running the actual live show.

PPV is still the golden goose, but you can start to see signs that the landscape is changing. There have been hints for a couple of years now. Look at TNA, they focus almost 100% on tv ratings. WWE buyrates are taking that slow slide the last 5 years or so, and UFC PPV is starting the same trend. The future is internet PPV when streams become more reliable and internet ready TV's are the norm in every home. It's still 5 or more years off, but that's where we are headed. Network deals supplemented by iPPV, hosted by the promoters website with no middle man split.

[EmpireWF]

How UFC PPVs do the rest of this year will be perhaps as intriguing as the Fox rating. Between Bones/Rampage, GSP/Diaz, Brock/Overeem....the worst of those should do over 500k and the GSP/Brock shows should do over 800k at the worst.

Still won't make up for the paltry rest of the year, but it's a start.

[Warner2BruceTD]

How UFC PPVs do the rest of this year will be perhaps as intriguing as the Fox rating. Between Bones/Rampage, GSP/Diaz, Brock/Overeem....the worst of those should do over 500k and the GSP/Brock shows should do over 800k at the worst.

Still won't make up for the paltry rest of the year, but it's a start.

I would say that the FOX rating is what is keeping Zuffa up at night, not the PPV numbers for the rest of the year. The FOX number will potentially be the most important number in MMA history.

No worries with GSP. Some concern with Brock since TUF bombed and there is a bigger groundswell of people who think he's finished, but that show will do fine. I'd be concerned with the Bones number. He has not drawn well yet at all. If he can't get it done with Rampage, forget it.