WITH big revenue comes great expectations and ideally great responsibility. Ideally… Not a word that our government or its sister companies tend to honor, but I digress.
After Liam Smith’s stunning win over Chris Eubank Jnr, head of another pay-per-view event, it’s not a bad time to think about the ever-controversial platform, speculatively, perhaps. has driven more people away from boxing over the years than it has attracted.
Pay per view in boxing is like government policy, especially privatization. It is a purely profit-driven model, where the desire for revenue outweighs the value delivered. Naturally, it is enthusiastically supported by providers (television networks and promoters) and messaged to end users (fans) as the only way to deliver lucrative matches without they aspire to, this has some value, since money does not flow into boxing from corporate or blue-chip sponsorship. Like privatization, however, everyone knows that pay-per-view is largely undistributed and will continue to be.
Privatization as a concept and in fact has glaring flaws, many of which have been exposed by the current series of public sector strikes across the UK, but some of the most detrimental flaws to the way things work are higher costs; Private companies cannot be held responsible, so when they fail to deliver, the public has no right to interfere. Such companies do not allow a democratic voice and they tend to choose the lucrative part of a service or organization so that they can make as much money as possible. Not to mention your product or service getting worse. This is always the conflict between making money and spending time taking care of.
Apply this to boxing and the pay-per-view model and let it marinate. You’ll soon realize that it’s not too difficult to see the major hurdles boxing must overcome if it is to expand its reach and return to being a majority sport.
The line between what is deservedly offered by broadcasters and TV networks in the form of pay-per-view events and the prices at which they are sold, has been clear and indeed blurred. Profit is the main goal and what fans want to pay for will be pushed further down the list. The standard for what is considered acceptable has always been lowered, as are the expectations of fans, who continue to dig deep into their wallets to reach boxing’s brightest stars, maintaining this sport all the way. But for how long, when prices rise and socioeconomic pressures determine what they can and cannot pay for?
The prices of pay-per-view shows have always been controversial in the US because they are so high, but the UK is starting to get closer and they are doing it mostly with low-quality shows. historical amount or star payment. was once a necessity. Programs that once upon a time would not provide enough financial returns to justify charging them.
When PPV prices for the Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora trio were announced – to watch on BT Sport Box Office cost £26.95 – it appeared to be pending financial bleeding from the outside. Queensbury had a third match between the pair, which no one really wants to see, which will take place at a London stadium, in December, with all but one ending results spared. rank. The dots are not interconnected and only Fury’s star power can help it generate the numbers it needs to make it worthwhile.
There’s really no attempt to equip the card more than a quirky competitive fight. That obviously helped keep costs down, but brought little profit to viewers who paid for the event. Main event support was given to Daniel Dubois, who took on a little-known former cruiser who was nearly knocked out and confirmed to viewers that he will only go as far as he can. withstand his punches.
I doubt everyone involved knows it’s a substandard offer, but if it sells enough tickets and pay-per-view to pay everyone and get some profit, then I guess it’s ‘work done’. If there are losses then BT Sport has enough financial capacity to cover them, but will that lead to a better risk management platform and reduced commercial availability for future paid views? are not? Then we go to Saudi Arabia, where money is limitless and Fury and Usyk can negotiate for tens of millions to carry out their fight.
From a fan perspective, paying for a boxing event is a reluctant decision. It’s a necessary evil if you don’t want to resort to online battles, listen to the radio, or receive updates from social media. Decades of this platform hiding many of the world’s boxing champions and most talented performers behind paywalls has led fan bases to gradually accept almost anything that the networks and broadcasters want to make available to them. Well, that’s either that or the promoters’ overall overestimation of the value-for-money ratio of what they’re giving the audience.
While PPV is Sky’s proven and trusted method of delivering ‘big’ skirmishes, it’s certain that last weekend’s battle between Eubank Jnr and the former Smith will have power and value. star worthy of being a reliable PPV event, let alone charging £20. That is the type of match that will be placed on Anthony Joshua’s extra card during his time as UK PPV ruler.
Meaning there’s no disrespect to the men involved, as they are solid, good veterans, with Smith being the former belt holder, but a duel between two boxers who are martial arts masters. World-class martial arts is not something that comes to mind when one thinks of paying points for a war. Then again, for many who have found Eubank Jnr unattractive for years – and I’m not one of them – to see him lose so unequivocally is probably justified. when buying pay per view.
In contrast, it is Eubank Jnr’s growing popularity, not his notoriety, that may have contributed the most to making the fight so compelling. He came out of the slump after his fight with Conor Benn and the ensuing outrage was his image and brand in a good fight. His once cold and emotionless appearance and alienation from other fighters have been replaced by a fun, easygoing version who deploys sharp wits to counter and activate. Benn and Smith during their battle preparations.
As a former professional, I always expect fighters to be paid an amount commensurate with the physical and mental sacrifices they have to make, the potential risks they face inside the martial arts. stations and the entertainment they bring to the audience. However, I wonder if the bigger names or those with big enough profiles might have to adjust the amount they’re asking for. If what they want is a lot but within the budgets of the networks, then fans won’t be forced to pay a lot to watch. It will still depend on the networks passing the discount on to fans or keeping the surplus to themselves. My skepticism would bet on them doing the latter.
At this end of the spectrum, the sport works almost the same way as our government does with the richest people in society: it is committed to making the biggest and richest people even bigger and richer. than. To generate as much revenue as possible, heavyweight boxing fans are required to become die-hard fans, helping to raise the market share for the biggest stars. But you can only ask so much from loyalists before they get angry.
