HBO is getting out of the live boxing TV business after 45 years of televising some of the biggest events in the history of the sweet science.

With some 1,111 live boxing telecasts under its belt and one more fight telecast scheduled – the Oct. 27 Daniel Jacobs/Sergiy Derevyanchenko middleweight championship from New York – the pay TV service will walk away from the boxing ring at the end of the year. HBO and its pay-per-view arm TVKO/HBO PPV have been the home for some of the most memorable fights for nearly a half a century featuring some of the most iconic and successful fighters of all time, including Floyd Mayweather, Joe Frazier, Tommy Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao and Roy Jones Jr. 

The influx of new fight distributors including streaming services like ESPN+ and DAZN coupled with declining ratings for live fights – HBO boxing telecasts, which once attracted as much as one-third of HBO’s subscribers, drew about about 2% of the network’s audience according to the New York Times – factored into the network’s decision.

I had a chance to speak to HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson regarding the network’s departure from boxing as well as HBO’s future plans for sports programming.

Why has HBO decided to walk away from televising live boxing events?

We evaluate what we do consistently, and over period of time it's been indicated to us through our research that boxing is no longer a major factor for our subscribers. Our job is to take care of our viewers, and we listen to them. Storytelling is obviously intimately intertwined with our legacy in the sport and we'll never forget our roots. You're going to see a continued presence in boxing from a storytelling capacity, not least of which will be 2019's multipart series on Muhammad Ali directed by Antoine Fuqua that will come out in spring of 2019.

So when you say that it's no longer a factor for subscribers, is that based on ratings or are subscribers are actually telling you they don't want to see boxing on the network?

It's internal research that looks at a variety of metrics with a raft of different methodology in terms of approaching consumer habits and their interests. We've done a critical assessment of where we are and where we're heading into the future. As a caveat I should say that we still remain open to the idea that if there is a large-scale event that transcends the sport that we'd be open to having those conversations.

What role did the influx of new distributors of live boxing events like DAZN play in this decision?

I can tell you that it didn't inform our decision at all. Our decision was informed by where our viewers and our subscribers’ interests lie. We think it's great that there are other places for fans of the sport to find it, and if that creates more opportunities for fighters than we feel great about that.

Are you worried about losing some hardcore boxing fans as subscribers with this move?

From everything that we've seen in terms of our research department's understanding of the data we don't foresee that being the case. We believe that there's a great interest in storytelling in the categories of news and journalism like Real Sports; in reality like Hard Knocks, which is up double digits in viewership this season from last; like the Being Serena series on Serena Williams; in the conversation genre that has opened up for us with shows like The Shop featuring LeBron James; and of course in our documentaries that we produce entirely in-house.

Did the recent AT&T acquisition of Time Warner play a part in this decision?

All of our decisions from a programming standpoint have been made on the basis and the merit of how we feel best aligns with HBO. HBO Sports has made this decision and made the strategic shift based on what our own criteria is and our own definition of success.

You mentioned that HBO would be open to coming back to the sport for a big pay-per-view opportunity. Are there any matches in your mind that could prompt the network to step back into the live TV boxing ring?

I think we'd have to evaluate events on a case by case basis. Boxing is constantly shape shifting, and you can never predict based on what's happening in September what's going to be true in November. We're going to take it in stride and see what the future holds. We're obviously going to be continuing to have conversations; if there's a mega event to be had we would hope to be considered as one of the homes of it.

What is the legacy of HBO Boxing?

The legacy will continue to be defined as a living breathing part of what we've done and where we're going. I think the storytelling aspect of what HBO Sports has always been known for is intimately entwined with what we have done in the past in terms of humanizing fighters; in terms of allowing viewers to empathize not just with them but with the communities from which they have arrived on the scene from. As we look ahead that will continue to be true in the stories that we look to tell as we try to bring forth to our viewers stories that enrich their own lives and their view of the world. 

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HBO Sports in 2015 completed one of the most successful boxing campaigns in its history, led by the record-setting May 2 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view fight it co-promoted with Showtime. Leading the division’s charge into 2016 is recently named executive vice president Peter Nelson. He will set the strategic direction and oversee programming for the division, which along with boxing also produces the network’s long-running sports magazine show, Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, as well as its sports documentaries. He spoke with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the HBO Sports brand and its strategic outlook. Here are edited highlights of their conversation.

MCN:How would you define the HBO Sports brand?

Peter Nelson: We encapsulate a portion of the broader mosaic of HBO’s brand, which champions unique voices in their artistry and excellence, and that overarching vision is one we endeavor to meet and exceed every day within sports.

Ranging from live fights to the illegal hunting of African elephants chronicled on Real Sports, what encompasses our sports programming as a whole is depth and quality of storytelling. In capturing disparate and unimaginable worlds through the lens of sports, we hope the passions, sorrows and triumphs brought to light reflect back to sharpen the focus of our own humanity.

MCN:Boxing for years has been the staple of HBO Sports. How important is boxing to HBO Sports from your perspective?

PN: Boxing has been integral to HBO’s DNA nearly from its inception, and our work today is entwined with and a continuation of that legacy begun in 1973. In 2015, we saw double-digit percentage of increase in viewership, underscoring the sport’s appeal with our subscribers. As with any sport, as stars dim, others begin to glow brighter, and currently we have a generation forming a new constellation of superstars: Canelo Alvarez, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, Terence Crawford, Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward, Roman Gonzalez, among others. These fighters embody that historical commitment HBO has shown to exhibiting the best fighters in the world against the best possible competition.

MCN:HBO Sports has already scheduled two pay-per-view boxing matches this year. Coming off a record-setting 2015, how aggressive will the company be in PPV boxing?

PN: For pay-per-view, 2015 was an unprecedented year. We approach pay-per-view keeping in mind the various needs of all involved: of fighters, promoters, affiliate partners, and, above all, consumers. We’re excited to see where 2016 takes us.

MCN:Given the shifts in how viewers watch television, how important is live sports programming in general and to HBO in particular?

PN: Live sports programming is by definition destination programming, a key component in a VOD landscape for networks looking to maximize appeal and audience. For four decades, we’ve had live boxing on HBO, a property that our subscribers are passionate about. We strive each year to be known as the network to turn to for the biggest names, the best fights and the highest quality presentation in the sport. We look every day to meet and exceed those expectations in curating that experience.

MCN:HBO Sports is also known for its documentaries. What role will they play in HBO Sports’s future, and what should viewers expect to see from the genre in 2016?

PN: Sports documentaries are part of our sports culture, ever since our first doc back in 1991 through last year’s biographies of Greg Louganis and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As we look to the future, we seek to continue with stories that dovetail with a brand known for prismatic, compelling, and innovative narratives. We have the privilege of unrivaled documentarians working with and reaching out to us. When the right projects come together, it is our job to ensure these filmmakers wish to call HBO Sports home.

MCN:How will new technologies such as 4K and virtual reality affect the future of sports television, and will HBO look to implement such technologies in its telecasts?

PN: Technology enhancements are the lifeblood of live sports production telecasts. We actively look to test new technology and are poised to incorporate them as they make sense for us. Live sports are an incredibly exciting space in which to see the future of tech flourish.

MCN:Are there any other sports that HBO Sports will look to add to its portfolio?

PN: We keep an eye on the landscape, always having the optionality of being flexible and opportunistic. Right now, however, it’s unlikely that we would add another live sport to our slate. We’re excited to play the hand we’re playing.

HBO has tapped Peter Nelson to lead the network’s sports department, upping him to executive VP of HBO Sports. He will report to Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming.

Nelson joined HBO Sports in 2011 and served as VP of programming for HBO Sports since 2013.

He will oversee the HBO Sports portfolio, which includes HBO pay-per-view boxing, the documentary team and the series Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, The Fight Game With Jim Lampley, Hard Knocks and 24/7.

“Peter Nelson is the ideal choice to spearhead our groundbreaking programming initiatives as well as our commitment to world class boxing, which have made HBO Sports an acclaimed franchise for the network,” Lombardo said.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.