Pay-per-view content aggregator In Demand will look to serve fight fans online seeking to purchase DAZN’s May 7 Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol fight with its new, interactive-based PPV.com website that the company hopes will grow as more viewers look to access big events digitally. 

The site, which the Cox Communications, Charter Communications and Comcast-owned In Demand launched this past December in partnership with interactive video company Kiswe, offers online users the opportunity to purchase PPV events like Avarez-Bivol outside of the company’s traditional linear PPV offering. PPV.com has already distributed 10 to 15 sports-themed events and has another three events scheduled through the month of May, according to In Demand senior VP of programming and marketing Mark Boccardi.

In Demand will launch a PPV.com app and hopes to have deals soon for mobile platforms Apple iOS and Android, as well as deals with connected TV platforms such as Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV by the end of the year. Boccardi recently outlined In Demand’s business plan for PPV.com with Multichannel News. Here's an edited transcript of that conversation. 

Also: Fite to Distribute Floyd Mayweather PPV Exhibition Bout 

Multichannel News: How does PPV.com fit into In Demand’s overall strategy of distributing major pay-per-view events to consumers? 

Mark Boccardi: In Demand along with our owners decided to launch a direct to consumer streaming platform because the pay-per-view business has become splintered. For every event, it’s become very confusing for the customer as to where they need to go to buy it – is it on Showtime? Is it Fox Sports? Is it DAZN? Is it Fite? Is it Triller? We already have relationships with all of these programmers and we’re carrying their content already via traditional PPV, so we thought we would consolidate all forms of pay-per-view distribution under one roof. We want it to be easy to find an event without having to subscribe to a whole new service. The beauty of PPV.com is that you just buy what you want.

MCN: Are you finding that more consumers are turning to the digital platform to purchase PPV events? 

MB: Absolutely. I think what we've recognized is that in order to be successful in this distribution environment, you have to be where the customers are. Clearly what we have seen happening across the entire TV landscape is a shift to digital as an option, and pay-per-view is a big part of that. It’s really just about customer options and being where customers are going to be. Having said that, the traditional pay-per-view platform with cable, satellite and telco distributors still represent the majority of pay-per-view buys for any one event. So what we're doing is really complimentary to the core business that we've always done. Now that we're in both, we can track and see how they move with each other, but the important thing for us is to be in both places.

MCN: What are some of the bells and whistles that PPV.com offers beyond the traditional event feed? 

MB: We offer a hosted chat where we bring in industry experts to guide the discussion between consumers on different subjects throughout the event. For [Alvarez-Bivol] we’re going to offer a bilingual chat. We also have an option for viewers to post video selfies to allow them to be part of the community. What we’ve heard from fans is that they love this more communal way to watch a pay-per-view event – you’re not just sitting alone at home but instead you’re part of this larger community. 

MCN: Will you look to expand PPV.com’s lineup beyond predominately ring sports events?

MB: I think everything is on the table. One of the nice things about having this new service is that we have a lot of programmers coming to us saying, ‘I have this concert or this sporting event.’ I’m confident that we’ll be carrying content outside of boxing, wrestling and soccer events. 

PPV.com May Event Schedule 

(Dates, Events and PPV Purchase Price)

May 7 – Boxing: Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol ($79.99)

May 14 – Boxing: Sergey Kovalev vs. Tervel Pulev ($29.99)

May 28 – Boxing: Gervonta Davis vs. Rolando Romero ($74.99)

May 29 – Pro Wrestling: AEW: Double or Nothing Price ($39.99)

Live sports event streamer FITE will add an exclusive Metallica concert to its pay-per-view offering of event producer Triller's Nov. 27 Triad Combat event, one of many perks the PPV event aggregator hopes to score from its new parent company.

The event from Triller -- which purchased FITE this past April -- will debut the company's Triad Combat franchise, in which participants fight under boxing and MMA rules within a triangular ring. The legendary rock band will perform several songs as part of the main Triad Combat event, as well as play an exclusive concert featured only on FITE, according to FITE COO Mike Weber. The event retails at a suggested PPV price of $19.99. 

“You have some boxers and MMA fighters involved as part of the Triad Combat event -- and Triller is marketing the heck out of the event -- so we’ll see how it goes,” Weber said. “Metallica is a major hook to bring people in to see something that they’ve never seen before.”

Weber added that Triller brings additional resources to the FITE TV brand, which offers as many as 20 PPV events a week from around the world. In addition to the new Triad Combat franchise, Triller produces PPV boxing events such as last year’s Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight as well as high-profile events such as the VERZUZ franchise, which pits music performers against each other in a battle format.

“While we’ve been a successful company, Triller brings deeper resources to us which will help us on some projects that we’re working on,” Weber said, although he would not provide specific details. ■

Showtime will continue its busy 2021 pay-per-view boxing campaign in November with the distribution of the Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant super middleweight unification fight.

The Nov. 6 fight from Las Vegas will pit arguably the PPV boxing category’s biggest draw in WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Alvarez against IBF super middleweight champion Plant.  

The event -- Alvarez’s first appearance on Showtime in nearly nine years --  will mark the latest PPV boxing event the premium service has distributed this year following its June 6 Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul bout, its July 3 Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios fight and its Aug. 29 Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley event. 

“2021 has been a phenomenal year for Showtime Boxing,” said Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza during the event’s Sept. 21 press conference.. “It’s one of our most prolific years in recent memory … we are proud to welcome Canelo Alvarez back to Showtime and we also welcome Caleb Plant for his Showtime debut.”  

The fight joins the ESPN/Fox Sports-distributed Oct. 9 Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder trilogy fight as well as Triller’s Oct. 4 Teófimo López-George Kambosos Jr. boxing event on the Fall PPV boxing card. 

Fresh off its Sept. 11 Evander Holyfield-Vitor Belfort pay-per-view event, event distribution company Triller will now turn its attention to its Oct. 4 Teófimo López-George Kambosos Jr. boxing event.

The PPV fight, for López’s undisputed lightweight titles, will take place on a rare Monday night after being rescheduled several times from its original June 19 date. In June López was diagnosed with COVID, initially postponing the fight to Aug. 14 before eventually settling on the Oct. 4 date at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The PPV event will retail at $49.99 and will feature several undercard fights as well as a number of musical performances which will be announced at a later date, according to the distribution company. In Demand will distribute the fight along with digital streaming service FITE.TV.

The López-Kambosos fight follows Triller’s Holyfield-Belfort event in which Belfort, a former UFC mixed martial arts champ, scored a technical knockout of the 58-year old Holyfield, who replaced COVID-19 stricken Oscar De La Hoya a week before the event. It's unclear how many PPV buys the fight generated. 

The event also featured commentary from former President Donald Trump, who provided color commentary through the event's multiple secondary audio programming (SAP) offering.  

 Add former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya to the growing number of retired boxers stepping back into the ring this summer.

The former 11-time, multi-division world champion will fight a Sept. 11 exhibition match against former UFC fighter Vitor Belfort as part of a Triller-distributed fight card which will also feature musical performances, according to the social media company. De La Hoya hasn’t fought in the ring since losing to Manny Pacquiao in 2008.

The fight is part of a weekend music festival dubbed TrillerVerz that will feature a number of musical acts that will be announced at a later date. It’s unclear whether the weekend’s events, including the De La Hoya-Belfort fight, will be part offered as one singular event or separate PPV events.

Read Also: Triller Postpones June 19 Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Fight

De La Hoya is the latest retired boxer to announce his return to the PPV ring. This Saturday Julio Cesar Chavez will fight in an exhibition boxing match against Hector Camacho Jr., marking his first ring appearance in more than15 years. Earlier this month Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring after a four-year absence to fight YouTube star Logan Paul in an eight-round exhibition bout. Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is also expected to step back in the ring later this year in an exhibition bout. 

Triller distributed last November’s Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight, which drew more than 1.6 million PPV buys. 

Read Also: PPV boxing's Summer Bonanza 

Boxing promotion company Triller on Tuesday postponed its June 19 Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos pay-per-view fight card after Lopez was diagnosed with COVID-19. 

The fight, for Lopez’s lightweight championship belt, is now set for Aug. 14 at a location to be determined, according to Triller executives. The move marks the second for the event after being rescheduled to June 16 from its original date of June 5, avoiding any conflicts with Showtime’s June 6 Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul PPV event. 

Read Also: Triller Looking to Shake Up PPV Event Category

"We send our best to Teofimo and his family and hope they get well soon, and look forward to seeing this epic battle on August 14, 2021,” said Triller Fight Club co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh in a statement.

Boxing fans will still have several fights to watch on Saturday as Showtime airs a tripleheader fight card headlined by the Jermall Charlo-Juan Macias Montiel middleweight championship fight. ESPN will also feature a bantamweight title bout between titleholder Naoya Inoue and Michael Dasmarinas. On PPV, legendary boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez will return to the ring to fight an exhibition fight against Hector Camacho Jr.

Read Also: Boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez to Fight in PPV Exhibition Bout 

Fox Sports’ Andy Ruiz Jr.-Chris Arreola heavyweight pay-per-view boxing event this past Saturday night ushered in what is shaping up to be a busy -- and hopefully lucrative -- spring and early summer period for the PPV boxing category. 

After a relatively quiet 2020 -- mostly due to the crippling effects of the pandemic on live sports events -- 2021 is already shaping up to be a comeback year for the PPV boxing category. It’s too early to tell how many PPV buys were generated from Saturday’s event -- in which Ruiz Jr. won in a majority decision over the veteran Arreola -- but the event serves as a launching pad for at least four PPV flights over the next three months. 

This Saturday, arguably PPV boxing’s current pound-for-pound champion Canelo Alvarez fights Billy Joe Saunders in a super-middleweight unification championship fight that will also stream on the DAZN sports service. 

Showtime will step into the PPV ring June 6 with an exhibition bout featuring retired PPV boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and  YouTube star Logan Paul, according to sources. Showtime will follow that fight up with a more conventional PPV fight card June 27 headlined by its Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios super lightweight championship fight.

Read Also: Showtime Sets Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios PPV Boxing Event 

The company having arguably the biggest influence on the PPV boxing genre this year is social media company Triller. Fresh off its April 17 Jake Paul-Ben Askren event that featured a mix of boxing matches and musical performances -- and still giddy over the success of last November's Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition boxing/concert event which drew north of 1.6 million PPV buys -- the company will offer via PPV a June 5 fight card featuring the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Jr. lightweight championship fight. The card will also feature the return of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to the ring against journeyman Kevin McBride.  

The company is also reportedly working on a July 3 fight that would mark the ring return of former six division champion Oscar De La Hoya. 

Read Also: Triller Looking to Shake Up PPV Event Category

The industry is hoping that the success and appeal of these events could help build momentum for some potentially lucrative Fall PPV boxing events that could feature such PPV draws as Manny Pacquiao, welterweight champion Errol Spence, heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as a second Tyson event. 

 Multi-media company Triller is throwing its hat back into the pay-per-view event  ring Saturday, working with PPV event purveyor In Demand to distribute via traditional linear TV a boxing and music event headlined by YouTube personality Jake Paul’s boxing match against former mixed martial arts fighter Ben Askren. The event, which retails at a suggested price of $49.95, also features musical performances from such artists as Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Snoop Dog and Ice Cube. 

The event follows Triller’s successful Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. PPV fight/entertainment event this past November, which drew a reported 1.6 million PPV buys. Triller also recently announced a June 5 PPV fight card which will feature the return of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to the ring against Kevin McBride, as well as a lightweight title fight between champion Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr. 

I recently spoke to In Demand senior VP, programming and marketing Mark Boccardi about Triller’s influence within the PPV event category and how the company’s new boxing/entertainment strategy will affect traditional PPV boxing events going forward. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: What is your take on Triller’s approach to pay-per-view boxing events? 

Mark Boccardi: Boxing promoters have been forced to look at events differently, and that's a good thing. There is a tried and true way of doing things that still works, but I think when you look at the mix of sports and entertainment that Triller is doing, they are featuring legitimate pro boxers along with retired athletes and social media stars, as well as major music acts including Snoop Dog. That’s not to say that the traditional boxing way doesn't work, but when you have some opportunistic entrepreneurs who mix boxing and entertainment, it’s a combination that really does work. So when we look at this weekend, it’s a great way for us to leverage our decades of pay-per-view expertise and experience with what Triller brings to the table and grow an even broader fan base for the sport.

PT: You mention broadening the fan base -- are the viewers purchasing Triller events a new generation of PPV boxing consumers?

MB: Absolutely. We saw that with the Tyson event back in November. What we had was a huge pay-per-view number -- it was the eighth best pay-per-view event of all time. It was a remarkable number that wasn’t just made up of your traditional boxing fan base, nor was it  just a young, new fan base who wanted to watch the Jake Paul fight; it was a combination of the two. It was a perfect storm of attractiveness that turned it into a mega event. So with respect to this weekend and what Triller is doing, they are absolutely tapping into a new fan base, but I wouldn't say that they're not picking up the older fan base. I definitely think that there's widespread appeal for it,   but bringing in the new audience is really such a key point here. 

PT: Can this event generate a million PPV buys without the added appeal of a Mike Tyson or another marquee boxer? 

MB: We’ll see --  there are a number of boxing matches, and they have some big name musical acts from Justin Bieber to Snoop Dog to Doja Cat. I think that helps draw in a different fan base that would otherwise not be interested in a boxing event. We have everything aligning on our end in terms of distributor marketing support, Triller marketing support and social media support. The whole marketing machine is cranking. 

PT: Do events like this diminish the value and appeal of traditional PPV boxing events that don’t feature musical entertainment or social media celebrities?

MB: No, not at all. I really do believe that both scenarios can work. We’ve been busy over the last few months planning multiple pay-per-view events this year with several major fighters including Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis. These are the names that represent the future of boxing. I think we’re going to have a really busy summer and fall for boxing, and we really feel good about the future of PPV boxing. There’s a lot of pent up demand because there hasn’t been a lot of those big events lately. 

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the ring for the first time in 15 years in a September pay-per-view exhibition fight against former champion Roy Jones Jr.

The eight-round fight will be the first for the one-time PPV boxing champion Tyson, 54, since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride. Jones, himself a former heavyweight champion and PPV draw, last fought in 2018.

The fight will be distributed by multi-media company Triller on social media and by In Demand via linear PPV, although no details were released on a suggested retail PPV price for the event. Along with the Tyson-Jones fight, the event will also feature undercard fights and musical performances, according to Triller.

The fight is the first event of a series produced under Tyson’s "Legends Only League," a sports venture owned by Tyson and Eros Innovations which has partnered with Triller on all future boxing events, according to Triller. 

The Tyson-Jones Jr. fight comes on the heels of the announcement of two other PPV boxing matches this fall from Showtime, including a Sept. 26 card featuring world champion brothers Jermall and Jermell Charlo in separate bouts,and an Oct. 24 event featuring a Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz championship unification bout.