Latest from Next TV in Chris-algieri

Back To The Future For PPV Events

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com (R. Thomas Umstead) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:00:00 +0000

This past Saturday featured two pay-per-view events that could help set the stage for an interesting 2015 in the PPV event category.

First, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s destruction of game but overmatched Chris Algieri has all but set the stage for a potential mega matchup between Pacquiao and the reigning pound-for-pound PPV champion Floyd Mayweather. The two fighters are arguably the biggest attractions in PPV boxing today, but neither fighter is getting any younger. The window of opportunity is shrinking for the 35-year old Pacquiao and the 37-year old Mayweather to mix it up while their skills are still intact and their appeal to boxing fans remains strong.

While there are attractive opponents for both fighters, no other bout could match the potential PPV revenue that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight could generate. Published reports recently quoted Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum as saying that talks have already begun to make the fight, which could set all PPV buy and revenue records.

For boxing fans, let’s hope 2015 is finally the year for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Another PPV event debuting that night with much less fanfare was the Lauryn Hill Live From Brooklyn Bowl concert, featuring one of the most popular female R&B/hip-hop artists over the past two decades.

The multi-Grammy winning Hill, who over the years has had her ups and downs but still has wide appeal within the urban music community, could bring with her to PPV a new generation of music fans that may not remember when music concerts drove the PPV category along with boxing and wrestling events during the 1990s. PPV music shows from the Rolling Stones, New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys, The Judds and others represented 15% of all PPV events and nearly $100 million in revenue during that decade, behind only boxing and wrestling.

The explosion of the Internet over the last two decades and the proliferation of free concert videos on websites like Youtube have all but silenced the PPV music category. Yet there may be room for special and unique performances like the Hill concert that could push young, urban music fans to pick up the remote and purchase a PPV music show.

Lauryn Hill fans who watched Pacquiao-Algieri live on Saturday night can still catch L Boogie’s performance via video on demand (VOD) or PPV for several more weeks.

PPV event distributors were pleasantly surprised by a 2012 Steve Harvey stand-up comedy concert that drew significantly more on demand purchases than expected in the weeks after it premiered. If Ms. Hill can do the same thing with her music concert, it may encourage other music performers to take a second look at the PPV category as a potentially viable distribution platform.

HBO Hopes Pacquiao Fight Packs Punch

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com (R. Thomas Umstead) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:00:00 +0000

As HBO gears up for its last big pay-per-view boxing event of the year, the network is already looking ahead to what could be a strong 2015 campaign.

The network’s Nov. 22 Manny Pacquiao- Chris Algieri fight will complete what has been a relatively good year for the boxing category. Heading into Pacquiao-Algieri, the category is on pace to draw about 3.8 million buys and $242 million in revenue, according to industry sources. That compares favorably to 2013, when the category drew about 3.9 million buys and $252 million in revenue, most of which was generated by the September 2013 Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight. That event drew about 2.2 million buys and more than $150 million in revenue, a PPV-bout record.

“In general if you look at the history of PPV, the category tends to be in the 3 million to 4 million buy range and $200 million to $250 million revenue range year in and year out, with not a lot of variation within that range,” HBO Sports senior vice president Mark Taffet said. “Consumers have shown to have a consistent, overall demand for PPV boxing.”

Taffet wouldn’t predict how many buys the China- based Pacquiao-Algieri PPV fight would generate. Pacquaio’s November 2013 fight from China against Brandon Rios drew approximately 475,000 buys.

Taffet said the network’s second foray into China has been better than last year’s in terms of maximizing promotion and publicity for the fight overseas. Pacquiao’s appeal and the growing recognition of the junior New York-based welterweight champion Algieri is driving the fight’s marketing engine, he added.

Every major New York newspaper as well as other prominent media outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and ESPN will have representatives in China during the week of the event.

“This fight will have media coverage that will be beamed back to the U.S. via television, newspaper and digitally well beyond what existed a year ago in China,” Taffet said.

Taffet said he’s “very encouraged” about the category going forward. He would not comment on a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in 2015 but said the category is in good shape to thrive next year given the ongoing appeal of veteran fighters and the emergence of new up-and-comers.

Indeed, Mayweather is expected to fight two times in 2015 to conclude his six-fight deal with Showtime, while Pacquiao, Alvarez and Miguel Cotto could also fight multiple times on pay-per-view. In addition, up-andcoming fighters like Adrien Broner, Gennady Golovkin and Timothy Bradley could also step into the PPV ring next year.

“I think there are a number of mega-fights that would capture the public’s imagination to the tune of a million buys or more in 2015, and we’re hopeful that they’ll come to fruition,” Taffet said.

HBO Lands Pacquiao-Algieri Boxing Special

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com (R. Thomas Umstead) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 12:30:00 +0000

HBO Sports next month will look to promote its Nov. 22 Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri fight with a new special, Under The Lights: Pacquiao-Algieri.

The special, premiering Nov. 15, will dig deep into the world welterweight championship fight between Pacquiao and Algieri, according to the network. Hosted by HBO Boxing commentator Max Kellerman, Under The Lights will feature analysis from welterweight boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. – who both beat and lost to Pacquiao -- and boxing trainer Virgil Hunter.

HBO has also scheduled a three-part 24/7 Pacquiao-Algieri documentary series leading up to the fight. The documentary debuts Nov. 8, said HBO.

The network also announced it will premiere a new episode of its boxing information series The Fight Game With Jim Lampley on Oct. 28.

HBO To Air ‘24/7’ Pacquiao-Algieri Special

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com (R. Thomas Umstead) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 14:15:00 +0000

HBO’s 24/7 sports documentary show will take a look at the upcoming Nov. 22 Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri pay-per-view fight, the network said Friday.

The one-episode 24/7 Pacquiao/Algieri show will air Nov.8 on the pay service and will explore the storyline for the fight and follow the fighters as they train for the big event, said the network.

The special will air after the network’s Nov. 8 World Championship Boxing telecast featuring the Bernard Hopkins-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight unification bout, said network officials.