boxing and MMA Broadcasting undergo Seismic Shift as PPVโ Era wanes
London, UK – September 26, 2024 โ – The traditional pay-per-view (PPV) modelโ for combat sports is rapidlyโค losing ground as โฃstreaming services, free-to-air โขbroadcasters, and meaningful investment from Saudi arabia reshape the landscape of โคboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) โbroadcasting. A new hybrid โapproach, prioritizing wider accessibility and flexible platform strategies, is emerging, signaling a potential end toโข the era of โcostly, single-event purchases.
Forโ decades, PPV has โฃbeen โฃa cornerstone of revenue generation for โฃmajor boxing and MMA events. However,increasing subscription fatigue amongโ consumers and the rise of option viewing options are โคdriving change. The UFC, long a PPV stronghold, hasโ already begun to shift โits strategy, while boxingโ is experiencing a particularlyโข dramatic transformation fueled โby Saudi โฃArabia’s enterprisingโ entry into the sport.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of โSaudi Arabia’s General Entertainment authority, has quickly โขbecome a dominant โฃforce โinโฃ boxing, โฃbacking high-profile fights and establishing new partnerships. DAZN, the streaming service, has become a key broadcaster forโฃ saudi โขArabia’s boxing ventures, โฃbut is moving away from offering thes events at noโ additional cost. The company is launching ‘The Ring Pass’,a global monthly add-on subscription backedโ by Riyadh Season and The Ring โmagazine. Alalshikh has framed this as a “win-win” for all parties, assertingโ fans will pay “far less than they have in the past” to watch major โfights.
This shift reflectsโ a broader trend in combat โsportsโฃ broadcasting. “Streaming and โฃfree-to-airโ are playing a bigger role inโ building audiences, while PPV is becoming more selective,” says Ben Shalom, founderโ of Boxxer, a British boxing promotion.โ “We believe the future โฃis hybrid. It depends on โplatform strategy.โ With the amount of competing platforms with their various โcommercial โขmodels,this means boxing has to be flexible and cater toโข those opportunities.”
Shalom anticipates increased mainstream exposure through broadcasters like โฃthe BBC and a growing role for digital and direct-to-consumer platforms. “Our partnership withโข the โBBC โwill show how boxing has a lotโข ofโฃ room to grow when it’s openedโข up to the widest possible audience.”โ
Theโฃ evolving economics ofโข combat sports broadcasting are forcing promoters and broadcasters to adapt, โprioritizing accessibility and diverseโ commercial models โขto โฃcapture a wider audience and secure long-term growth.โ The traditional PPV model, once considered essential, is increasingly viewed as aโค restrictive barrier to entry โin a rapidly changing media landscape.
