With the ratings success for Premier Boxing Champions on NBC and Spike, ESPN is now cashing in. The sports channel powerhouse announced today the inking of a multi-year agreement that will air 12 two-hour shows annually.
Titled Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN (“PBC on ESPN”), the telecasts will air live in primetime on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (“Noche de Combates”), and on affiliate ABC during Saturday afternoons. In addition, cards will be available through “Watch ESPN” (tablets, smartphones, Apple TV, Xbox etc.).
“PBC on ESPN” signals the end of network’s 17-year Friday Night Fights brand, which airs for the final on May 22 with the “Boxcino 2015” tournament finals. However, Friday Night Fight commentators Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be retained for Premier Boxing Champions on both ESPN and ABC.
“ESPN has a long-standing history of carrying world-class boxing events and the new Premier Boxing Champions series continues our commitment to the sport with premier-level primetime fights previously only available on premium cable networks,” said ESPN president John Skipper.
Premier Boxing Champions debuts on ESPN July 11 at 9 p.m.
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It’s a good time to be a boxing fan…or is it? With Al Haymon having over 200 fighters under contract, he needs as many platforms as possible to keep all these guys happy. I do remain skeptical about ESPN getting consistent “premier-level” fights, though. ESPN has struggled mightily in that area and that was when they just had HBO and Showtime to worry about. Now with NBC, Spike and who knows how many other networks, ESPN might find themselves confined to “premier showcase fights” if they aren’t careful.
And let’s look at the numbers. Although FNF had an “off-season,” you could still count on them to air boxing nearly every Friday for more than half the year. Now with 12 shows that will be split with ABC, we’re looking at less boxing (roughly one card per month) and only Haymon-approved fighters.
There’s no opponents in place for the July 11 card. Once that gets confirmed, we’ll get a better idea of where this is headed
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 