Panic button for Bellator

[Warner2BruceTD]

132k. Lowest rating of the season.

Well, this makes no sense and there is almost no point analyzing it anymore. They don't go head to head with UFC for the rest of the run, so the timeslot will stay consistant now, so unless they bounce back and show significant growth as they finish up, there is no more excuses I can make for them.

Hopefully Rebney has deep pockets/investors and can keep paying these $100k purses for two more years.

 

[Liquidrob]

this cant be true, steel mamba told me Viacom is a promotional powerhouse!

anyway, this sucks and I have a theory they actually do better when going semi head to head with strikeforce and even do ok when the UFC is on, the theory is that Bellator at least gets some coverage when these bigger shows are on and people are getting ready to watch MMA (UFC or Strikeforce) so the fan tunes in to check out Bellator

When Strikeforce or the UFC isnt on that night even the semi hardcore fan don't even know it's on, I see it on the UG all the time, someone will make a Bellator post that day and all the replies will be 'There's a bellator on tonight?', if those guess jumping on the UG dodnt know, how will anyone else know? of course I will throw in my MMA media bias slant also, they dont cover Bellator at all so that doesnt help either

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

They did 150k the last time they moved for UFC. They do tend to pop higher on a SF night.

I'm searching for trends but no longer see any. Fans do not see it as appointment viewing. Clearly, people are skipping weeks in large numbers. Alvarez and Warren meant nothing, proving you can't build stars when nobody is watching the network, and thus, not watching the show. Warren & Askren have shown charisma, and Alvarez is viewed as a star by hardcores, so it isn't entirely their fault. I believe all three would be legit stars on a bigger stage.

 

[Liquidrob]

Strikeforce has shown to be the only non zuffa show (at the time) to draw the casual fans, but that took a big money signing (Fedor) and a HW GP, also big (for MMA) crossover stars like Gina and Walker, thats it

Non Zuffa shows can not survive in the current format and TV deals available, as much as fans have ripped showtime, there are/were the best non zuffa TV deal in the game easily

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

F/X would have changed the game for Bellator, but at the same time Dana would have put on a full fledged assault on them. Who knows if it was even a real possibility anyway.

 

[Liquidrob]

F/X would have changed the game for Bellator, but at the same time Dana would have put on a full fledged assault on them. Who knows if it was even a real possibility anyway.

it would have been big, but like I said, its not even a real TV deal at this point, that was bjorn being bjorn

 

[Liquidrob]

this saturday might break the new record low

Konrad vs Paul is off, I will be watching, but not sure who else will

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

this saturday might break the new record low

Konrad vs Paul is off, I will be watching, but not sure who else will

Logic says you are correct, but honestly, this show hasn't followed a single pattern or trend, and it seemingly doesn't matter who is fighting in terms of the upswings/downswings.

The only semblance of a pattern is the SF weeks. It seems as though people watch the first hour of Bellator, then watch SF live, then come back and watch the replay of Bellator. The highest ratings are SF nights, and the big replay numbers, too.

UFC weeks, nobody watches, probably due to the time switch, and also due to the fact that a lot of people go out to parties/bars to watch UFC. Its more of a social event. On SF nights, fans are generally home, and "in the mood" for MMA, so they watch both.

On the nights without either, its been hit or miss, and I can't explain it.

 

[Steel Mamba]

this cant be true, steel mamba told me Viacom is a promotional powerhouse!

I think the bigger problem is actually the setup and not the promo or network. I disagree that Bellator has the best format, maybe it's the most fair, but it sucks for building stars and creating hype. In the fight business you have to match make, you have to create matchups that fans want to see, and you have to create matchups that will make for interesting fights. You have to build your stars up, slowly progressing them through the ranks.

Tournaments only work when you have big names involved, no one wants to tune in every week to watch a 2nd tier tournament. There's no hype behind it and it's too hard to follow. So, the problem is Bellator, not MTV2.

Bellator = NIT of MMA