Boxing and TV - Paying the Price
The resolve and pockets of British boxing fans will be sternly challenged in the coming months with three Sky box office pay-per-view events in quick succession. These come on the back of the highly forgettable November pay-per-view event when WBA heavyweight champion David Haye dispatched of Audley Harrison in less than three rounds during which Harrison barely threw a punch.
Bolton hero Amir Khan defends his WBA light-welterweight title against unbeaten European champion Paul McCloskey in Manchester on April 16th followed by two of the most eagerly awaited matches in recent years. British super-middleweight king James DeGale then squares off with arch rival and Commonwealth title holder George Groves in London on May 21st. The Greenwich 02 show also sees undefeated Welshman Nathan Cleverly challenge for the WBO light-heavyweight belt before David Haye finally faces dual heavyweight title holder Wladimir Klitschko in Germany (tbc), touted for July 2nd.
All three events are expected to sell out but will the masses that paid to view Haye and Harrison be persuaded again? Subscribers pay almost £40 per month for the full range of Sky’s four sports channels which also includes a compulsory basic entertainment package. In 2010, Sky broke the ten million subscription barrier for the UK and Ireland. But despite the network's success an already paying public may need heavy persuasion to part with yet more cash for these big one off events which could amount to about £45. In a time of great cut backs fight enthusiasts will now have to decide whether they are willing to continue paying the price or make a bold stand against further outlays.
Pay-per-view first came to these shores in 1996 when Frank Bruno defended his WBC heavyweight title against Mike Tyson and has since become the trend for major fighters to be screened. After 15 years the days of mass ‘free’ live boxing seem to be done and dusted unless one of the major terrestrial networks throws their financial clout into the ring once again. However a non-fee alternative is increasingly available in the shape of internet streams which carry the fights onto home computer screens, but there is mounting pressure for these freebies to be terminated.
While the likes of Khan and Haye are keen to ensure their careers bring the greatest financial rewards possible I suggest Sky should allow the marquee fights to be screened on one of the regular Sports channels rather than asking their customers to dig even deeper into their wallets. If their current budget for boxing won't cover this then maybe they can consider widening it. Sky as a whole are hardly feeling the pinch of the recession and with the recent launch of 3D programming continued growth in subscribers can be expected.
Somebody somewhere has to foot the bill. Promoter, fighter and broadcaster all want a profit but where do the paying public fit into the equation? What would happen if no one paid even further to view? Would the current trend towards pay-per-view continue or would the broadcasting network change their current stance? It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that if the public doesn’t pay, a profit becomes impossible.
Power to the people!
