TUF on FX Tanks

[Liquidrob]

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/3/12/2865692/the-ultimate-fighter-tuf-ufc-rating-premiere-draws-1-3-million-viewers-fx-episode-1

From meltzer

"The Ultimate Fighter on FX debut averaged 1.3 million viewers for its nearly three hours on Friday night. That's much lower than expected and worse news was the ratings pattern was terrible, constantly declining throughout the show."

[EmpireWF]

The FX PR guy spun it

Premiere of The Ultimate Fighter Live (9-11:38 PM ET) #TUFLive was up +58% in A18-49, +96% in M18-49 and +124% in M18-34 vs. year ago TP.

As long as the ratings are that much better for FX than last year, there's no issue with them.

However, this shows the concept is past its prime and no gimmicks can save it. Barring a Rampage/Rashad + Kimbo type cast, nothing else will boost ratings.

[Liquidrob]

Me and Dave see through the spin, crap show, crap ratings

[CrimsonGhost56]

TUF desperately needs some sort of new format, whatever that could be. I dont think you could pay me to watch it anymore.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Didnt watch last season. Didnt know when the hell this years started or channel etc.

[calgaryballer]

TUF desperately needs some sort of new format, whatever that could be. I dont think you could pay me to watch it anymore.

I didn't see it yet, but the reviews I read of the 16 one round fights were relatively positive and mostly seen as an exciting new way for the show. Whether FX can keep that kind of fresh thinking going through the series proper is a different story, but still

[Liquidrob]

Well, even with the 16 fights which was to get viewers the ratings still went down as the show went on, that's the death sentence, so they couldn't even keep viewers with 'live fights', they better hope the FX audience likes fighters jerking off in each others sushi for the next whatever number of weeks

[EmpireWF]

2.5 hours of no name guys fighting, you'd expect the # to go down late in the show. And people weren't staying with it to see what Cruz thought about the two guys he's trained with previously.

Can they make casuals stay for an hour?

[Warner2BruceTD]

Up and coming MMA scribe Joe Lanza was on top of this a long time ago, people should have listened.

Nothing can save TUF because of what that brilliant writer wrote about a long time ago...too many seasons of bad fighters have turned away viewers. You can not fool the people forever. People do not want to invest their time in fighters that have virtually no chance at becoming stars. Too many Andre Winner's and not enough Diego's. TUF was dying of cancer after Season 3.

LOL@live fights saving this sinking ship. Yeah, the prime UFC demo wants to spend Friday night watching local level fighters in shitty one rounders for three hours. Good luck with that, never saw this bomb coming.