Bellator MMA is betting that its new Showtime television deal will give it a fighting chance at drawing in combat sports fans. 

The 13-year-old Bellator — after working through several TV deals over the past decade with distributors such as as Spike TV (now Paramount Network), DAZN and CBS Sports Network — has secured a multiyear deal with Showtime that calls for at least two live monthly fight cards to air on the premium channel. 

Under the tutelage of president Scott Coker, ViacomCBS-owned Bellator has solidified its position as the second-largest mixed martial arts promotion behind UFC. The organization launched its Showtime deal last month with three consecutive weeks of live telecasts featuring such popular fighters as Patrício “Pitbull” Freire, Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida.

Coker spoke with B+C/Multichannel News about Bellator’s TV prospects, as well as how it worked through the pandemic. He also looked ahead at the future of televised sports during the interview, which was edited for space and clarity.  

B+C: How big is the Showtime deal, especially coming out of the pandemic? 

Scott Coker: We’re really excited to have a home. It’s been like a family reunion — I started my MMA career on TV at Showtime back in 2007. It’s been a good trip back down memory lane, but now we’re coming in with probably the greatest roster in the history of the company. There’s a lot of great things happening for us.

B+C: What does Showtime bring that’s different from other networks?

SC: When I think about Showtime, I think of premium networks, and I think of all the great fights we’ve watched over the years, whether it was from the Mike Tyson era of the ’80s to Floyd Mayweather. Showtime also had Strikeforce, the MMA company that I used to own before I sold to the UFC. Showtime brings continuity and consistency of our product to our fans, and that’s going to provide a good piece of business for us. Fans know that twice a month, they’ll be able to come to Showtime and watch Bellator MMA. We’re not asking subscribers to add another $69 to $89 to their cable bill to watch our product. For the fans, it’s a great value.

B+C: Is there potential for pay-per-view events?

SC: We talked about that, but right now the philosophy is to put all of our quality fights on Showtime. Subscribers to Showtime are not only getting 40-something [boxing and MMA] fights a year, but also the entertainment shows that the network is noted for. Those big fights that should be on pay-per-view are going to be offered free on Showtime. 

B+C: How were you able to navigate through the pandemic last year to bring Bellator to this point?

SC: We decided to come back last July when we felt it was safe. We got signoff from our corporate owner Viacom to create a bubble at [Connecticut’s] Mohegan Sun and to make sure that we were under the strictest guidelines possible. I think we accomplished that. I think after almost 12,000 tests now at the Mohegan Sun we’ve had a 0.05% positivity rate, which includes the officials, the fighters, the staff and the TV production staff. It was a different experience for everyone, including me.  

Now I think people can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re going to continue with this protocol until Viacom says we can make some changes: start opening up and traveling and doing flights in different arenas and buildings. We looked forward to it, but until they give us a green light, we’re going to stay inside and operate inside this bubble.

B+C: Do you think the interruptions experienced during the pandemic have enhanced viewer interest for live sports, particularly now as fans begin to return to arenas? 

SC: The reason why sports license fees are through the roof is because it’s live and people can consume it when it’s happening. I can’t wait to go back to a baseball game. I’m a big [Golden State] Warriors fan — I can’t wait to see them play. People are going to continue to sit at home and watch these events however they consume them because people love sports. When they get the green light to start going back to venues, I think it’s just going to heighten the electricity of sports events. This is how important sports is to our culture: when we can all finally walk into a baseball stadium or a fight is packed to the rafters, that’s when I know that things have turned the corner and things are OK.

 Showtime will step into the mixed martial arts octagon with Bellator MMA after reaching a long-term distribution deal with the fight company.

The premium network will launch Bellator in April with fight cards over three consecutive weeks beginning April 2 with the Patricio Freire-Emmanuel Sanchez featherweight championship bout, said the network. 

“Showtime is the preeminent home of premier combat sports in America,” said Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports and Event Programming president in a statement. “Today’s announcement not only unites two industry-leading brands, but it unites two teams of experienced event promoters and television producers with a common goal, to deliver the very best live combat sports experience in-arena and on television. We are excited to build on what Bellator MMA has created and to amplify the momentum they’ve gained over the last several years.”

For Bellator, which had been airing its major fights on CBS Sports Network, the deal gives the company up to two events on Showtime a month for the rest of the year. Preliminary matches will stream live on Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel and Showtime Sports’ YouTube Channel. 

“Everyone in this industry knows the history that I have with Showtime. We have done things together that have shaped the sport of mixed martial arts that you see today,” said Bellator MMA President Scott Coker. “But what’s really exciting about this news is that everything we have already accomplished is just the beginning. Today marks a new era for Bellator MMA. With our new teammates at Showtime, we are going to take this brand to a new level, and you are going to see us build upon the foundation set throughout my time with Bellator.”

CBS Sports Network will be the new home for live Bellator MMA mixed martial arts events beginning Oct. 1, the companies announced Friday.

Bellator MMA fights, which have aired on Paramount Network -- formerly Spike TV -- since 2013, will now air on CBS Sports Network, beginning with the Oct. 1 Bellator 247 event and including the Bellator Paris event on Oct. 10.  CBS Sports Network will also telecast the Oct. 15 Bellator 249 fight card, said the company.

Undercard fights from Bellator MMA events will stream on CBSSports.com and Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel.

“We’re excited to have CBS Sports Network serve as the new home of live Bellator MMA events. It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of the best events and biggest names in the sport,” said CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg in a statement. “Adding Bellator MMA to the CBS Sports portfolio will allow for greater promotion, engagement and exposure across all our platforms and assets including CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports HQ as well as our various social accounts.”

On Saturday (June 24) mixed marital arts organization Bellator MMA will step into the pay-per-view arena with its Chael Sonnen/Wanderlei Silva-headlined fight card.

TheBellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silvaevent, originating for New York City’s Madison Square Garden, will feature a rare 4K PPV feed for fight fans with a 4K-ready television. The 4K feed will cost $59.99, $10 higher than the fight’s suggested PPV retail price, said company officials.

I recently spoke to Spike TV senior vice president of sports and specials Jon Slusser about the upcoming PPV event as well as Bellator’s future PPV aspirations. And edited version of the interview appears below.

Thomas Umstead: Why did Bellator decide now was the right time to jump into the PPV arena?

Jon Slusser: Pay-per-view events at their core are about the fight, and when you have the fights that are good enough to support a pay per view then you can start down that path. Not only has Scott created an incredible card with title fights featuring some of the biggest names in the history of the sport, but also we're doing it in a place that is right down the street from our offices in the media capital of the world. This is our biggest show ever and we're bringing everything we got. We have fantastic pay-per-view partners in people like In Demand, DirecTV and Dish, and we have long-standing, multi-year relationships with these companies. This is one more way not just to build and develop our business but to strengthen our relationships with those PPV providers.

RTU: The Bellator event will be offered in 4K … how important is that for Bellator in its attempt to draw in viewers for the PPV event?

JS: We pride ourselves on our broadcast and our ability to entertain our fans both inside the cage and out. Sports fans always want things in the highest resolution that they can get it. The first adopters for new resolution technologies are people who watch sports. We want to give them the action in the highest resolution possible and to be on the cutting edge of providing the best experience possible for our fans and for our consumers. We always try to deliver as much as we can in and around our fights, so whether that's the entertainment in the arena or delivering something like 4K we try to do as much as we can to make the viewing experience great.

RTU: Will Bellator look to do more PPV events in the future?

JS: Absolutely. This isn’t just a one-off for us – it’s a new line of business. Like I said earlier the only way that's possible is to have a roster of talent so deep that you can support multiple pay-per-view events per year. So this is the start of a line of business; it's the start of this relationship with our great paper providers and partners, and its the start of what Scott Cocker's going to be providing to the fans.

RTU: Having said that, is there a possibility fans will see another PPV event before the end of the year?

JS: We have not announced what our next one will be but there is a next one coming soon.

Ultimate Fighting Championship’s $4 billion sale to talent company WME-IMG has delivered a powerful financial and brand-building punch to UFC as well as the wider mixed-martial-arts sports category, industry observers said.

The deal, the most expensive purchase of a sports franchise in history, completes a journey begun in 2001 when Zuffa LLC, owned by brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta as well as UFC president Dana White, purchased the then-struggling franchise from Semaphore Entertainment Group for $2 million. At the time, UFC was limited to pay-per-view distribution and was outlawed by many states that considered MMA fighting too violent, but the Fertittas and White slowly created a franchise that now is considered a legitimate pro sport alongside boxing and has strong appeal with millennials.

“Nobody involved in the UFC could have imagined that the franchise would be valued at $4 billion,” said Bas Rutten, UFC Hall of Fame fighter and co-host of AXS TV’s mixed-martial-arts series Inside MMA. “The sale will solidify the UFC, and more people will now be interested in the UFC because they heard about the deal and want to check it out.”

Currently, UFC is in the midst of a multiyear television deal with Fox Sports that expires in 2018. Live UFC events televised by Fox and FS1 have delivered knockout ratings for the networks — thus far in 2016, UFC on Fox fights have averaged a combat sports high of 2.6 million viewers, while Fight Night bouts on FS1 have averaged 1.1 million viewers.

“We’re happy that the hard work and value created by Lorenzo, Frank and Dana has been rewarded,” Fox Sports president and chief operating officer Eric Shanks said regarding UFC’s sale. “We have been thrilled to be a partner on the ride and are big believers in the sport and the stars that have been created. We’re looking forward to beginning the next chapter with [WME] and Dana.”

The deal was also celebrated by owners of other mixed-martial-arts franchises who believe the $4 billion UFC purchase price also builds more value for their franchises and the MMA sport itself.

“It just shows that this industry can be a very profitable one if done properly, and there are people that want to invest in MMA,” said Scott Coker, CEO of Bellator MMA, which is owned by Viacom and offers live MMA events on Spike TV. “To see a number like that is great because the credibility and respectability of MMA is finally coming to the forefront.”

Spike TV’s  Bellator MMA 143 telecast pinned down the most social media his in an otherwise light night of activity for TV shows on Twitter.

The live mixed martial arts fight card, which featured the Joe Warren vs. LC Davis bout as its headliner, drew 6,000 tweets reaching a unique audience of 367,000 users to finish first among all entertainment shows for the evening, according to Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings figures.

Bellator beat out broadcast network shows Shark Tank (ABC), The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS) and The Amazing Race (CBS) – as well as a Lifetime’s reality series Bring It! -- for Friday’s TV social media honors, according to Nielsen