Weekend PPV-Fight Performances Poor

Neither Showtime Event Television nor Home Box Office Pay-Per-View's competing Oct. 4 PPV-boxing events was able to stir up significant interest or business among cable and satellite fight fans.

SET's Evander Holyfield-James Toney fight drew a disappointing 150,000-175,000 buys, according to network estimates. The fight -- in which Toney stopped former four-time heavyweight champion Holyfield in the ninth round -- started at 8 p.m. EST, one hour earlier than traditional PPV-boxing events, so as not to overlap HBO's midnight start for its Erik Morales-Guty Espadas fight card.

That event -- in which Morales knocked out Espades in the third round -- garnered an anemic 50,000-55,000 buys, according to network sources.

SET’s and HBO PPV's fights retailed at suggested prices of $44.95 and $39.95, respectively.

The two fights combined fell well short of the 975,000 buys generated by the Sept. 13 Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosely bout.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.