Tony
19-05-2009, 17:04
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Company president Dana White tells “CNBC Reports (http://www.cnbc.com/id/30815577)” that “business was up 20 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the first quarter of 2008.”
Here’s his explanation for the success:
“… baseball is suffering…. Baseball is too slow. I mean, I bet on the Red Sox game the other night and couldn’t even watch it…. The Indiana Pacers lost something like $30 million last year? How long can these numbers bleed? I’ve been there and done that and trust me, you can’t do it for too long … the NFL has a great business model. There are only 16 games. Of course, their only problem is that no one wants to see the game outside this country…. Look our ratings in the 18-34’s. We outrated Monday Night Football in that demo four times last year…. The price of an NFL sponsorship is so high and we hit the same market at a lower price.”
Keep in mind that the promotion is reportedly coming off another record year in 2008, earning somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 to $300 million in pay-per-view (PPV) profits alone. White is currently in New York City on a major public relations push looking to add to that bankroll, promoting the “UFC 2009 Undisputed” video game by making high-profile media appearances, which includes a guest spot on the Jimmy Fallon Show later on this evening, as well as closing the bell with THQ executives at the NASDAQ stock market. He’s also more than likely in town to convince skeptical politicians that the sport is good for the economy and that they should sanction it sooner rather than later. Cha-ching …
Company president Dana White tells “CNBC Reports (http://www.cnbc.com/id/30815577)” that “business was up 20 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the first quarter of 2008.”
Here’s his explanation for the success:
“… baseball is suffering…. Baseball is too slow. I mean, I bet on the Red Sox game the other night and couldn’t even watch it…. The Indiana Pacers lost something like $30 million last year? How long can these numbers bleed? I’ve been there and done that and trust me, you can’t do it for too long … the NFL has a great business model. There are only 16 games. Of course, their only problem is that no one wants to see the game outside this country…. Look our ratings in the 18-34’s. We outrated Monday Night Football in that demo four times last year…. The price of an NFL sponsorship is so high and we hit the same market at a lower price.”
Keep in mind that the promotion is reportedly coming off another record year in 2008, earning somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 to $300 million in pay-per-view (PPV) profits alone. White is currently in New York City on a major public relations push looking to add to that bankroll, promoting the “UFC 2009 Undisputed” video game by making high-profile media appearances, which includes a guest spot on the Jimmy Fallon Show later on this evening, as well as closing the bell with THQ executives at the NASDAQ stock market. He’s also more than likely in town to convince skeptical politicians that the sport is good for the economy and that they should sanction it sooner rather than later. Cha-ching …