Premier Boxing Champions debut on NBC in primetime a mixed bag in ratings

[t***@gmail.com]

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/premier-boxing-champions-debut-nbc-primetime-mixed-bag-ratings.html

Posted by Matt Yoder on Mar 9, 2015 10:45

NBC is pouring a lot of resources into making the Premier Boxing Champions a success and resurrecting the sport on the national scene. Not only resources in money and airtime, but resources in announcers as well. The peacock assembled an all-star roster of Al Michaels, Marv Albert, and Sugar Ray Leonard for the broadcasts. Needless to say, NBC was betting big on boxing, which considering how the sport has drifted away from the mainstream, is a significant risk.

The PBC on NBC made its primetime debut on Saturday night and the preliminary numbers have to be encouraging for the network. The card headlined by Keith Thurman vs Robert Guerrero and Adrian Broner vs John Molina Jr registered a 2.5 overnight rating.

To put that 2.5 overnight number in perspective, the NHL scored just a 1.0 overnight rating a couple weeks ago in a rare NBC primetime appearance. So in that respect, it could be worse for NBC. Of course, that's not a rating that's going to set the world alight, but it's an ok start considering boxing has been absent from network television primetime for so long.

NBC cites a victory in the 18-49 demo, which is where UFC has also found success on network television with Fox. However, the network never rose above #3 in the half hour splits throughout Saturday night according to TV Media Insights in terms of total viewership. Boxing was bested by 20/20, 48 Hours, Battle Creek, and CSI Cyber as NBC was firmly behind ABC and CBS.

The sweet science isn't suddenly going to become a major sport in just a day. If NBC is truly invested in Premier Boxing Champions, they are going to have to be incredibly patient. The debut was a start, but it'll be interesting to see whether or not NBC can actually grow an audience here, or if boxing continues to drift off into the margins.

[SkippyPB]

Post by t***@gmail.com
http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/premier-boxing-champions-debut-nbc-primetime-mixed-bag-ratings.html
Posted by Matt Yoder on Mar 9, 2015 10:45
NBC is pouring a lot of resources into making the Premier Boxing Champions a success and resurrecting the sport on the national scene. Not only resources in money and airtime, but resources in announcers as well. The peacock assembled an all-star roster of Al Michaels, Marv Albert, and Sugar Ray Leonard for the broadcasts. Needless to say, NBC was betting big on boxing, which considering how the sport has drifted away from the mainstream, is a significant risk.
The PBC on NBC made its primetime debut on Saturday night and the preliminary numbers have to be encouraging for the network. The card headlined by Keith Thurman vs Robert Guerrero and Adrian Broner vs John Molina Jr registered a 2.5 overnight rating.
To put that 2.5 overnight number in perspective, the NHL scored just a 1.0 overnight rating a couple weeks ago in a rare NBC primetime appearance. So in that respect, it could be worse for NBC. Of course, that's not a rating that's going to set the world alight, but it's an ok start considering boxing has been absent from network television primetime for so long.
NBC cites a victory in the 18-49 demo, which is where UFC has also found success on network television with Fox. However, the network never rose above #3 in the half hour splits throughout Saturday night according to TV Media Insights in terms of total viewership. Boxing was bested by 20/20, 48 Hours, Battle Creek, and CSI Cyber as NBC was firmly behind ABC and CBS.
The sweet science isn't suddenly going to become a major sport in just a day. If NBC is truly invested in Premier Boxing Champions, they are going to have to be incredibly patient. The debut was a start, but it'll be interesting to see whether or not NBC can actually grow an audience here, or if boxing continues to drift off into the margins.

Perhaps this week's matchups will help. Shawn Porter and Andre Berto,
the headliners in each man's respective bout, are both known and very
good fighters. Their opponents are no slouches either.

I would expect boxing to have a wider audience than hockey so it
doesn't surprise me that the rating was higher than it was for the NHL
primtetime match.

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[Juan Anonly]

Post by SkippyPB

Post by t***@gmail.com
The sweet science isn't suddenly going to become a major sport in just
a day. If NBC is truly invested in Premier Boxing Champions, they are
going to have to be incredibly patient. The debut was a start, but
it'll be interesting to see whether or not NBC can actually grow an
audience here, or if boxing continues to drift off into the margins.

Perhaps this week's matchups will help. Shawn Porter and Andre Berto,
the headliners in each man's respective bout, are both known and very
good fighters. Their opponents are no slouches either.
I would expect boxing to have a wider audience than hockey so it
doesn't surprise me that the rating was higher than it was for the NHL
primtetime match.

If it lingers long enough, it will gain steam, and they purportedly
have 20 shows planned for 2015. It's certainly not going to *lose*
fans over the long run, but it's not going to turn into some kind of
SNL cash-cow or anything.

I hope this next week's matches are better. Last time, Andre Broner
was thoroughly intolerable. I am really offended by such poor
sportsmanship. At one time I just wanted to see him well-beaten and
Maidana helped me out with that. I watched that loss at least three
times. But now I don't even want to see the guy; he just puts me in
such a bad mood. Sadly Molina didn't hardly come up to his own levels
of skill in the fight. They seem to be nursing Broner along with guys
like Molina who had lost his last two fights and 4 of the previous 7.
I can't imagine who his next no-name will be, but I don't think Broner
is going to be getting his shot at major talent soon. I understand his
next fight in June will be in Cincinnati, his home town. Hopefully
he'll have at least a few people who don't boo at him from beginning to
end. Maybe they can have a rematch with Ilido Julio, (40 and 19!) who
he KO'd in the first round: the guy had lost 4 of his last 5. That
would be fun.

I was somewhat dissapointed with Sugar Ray Leonard who is knowledgeable
and capable, but frankly a little slow. And between Marv Albert and Al
Michaels, the crew looked and sounded like a retirement community.
Thurman/Guerrero was better entertainment, I suppose, but again the
challenger was completely stymied, in this case Guerrero. Both fights
were semi-clinkers.

They juked up the pre-fight with the fighters, alone, coming down a
long ramp without any stage costumer or mask or silliness which was
interesting I suppose, and thankfully a little less time consuming. I
note also that there only allow a total of about 5 people into the ring
prior to the fight, so it didn't look like Times Square on New Year's
the way it usually does.

I didn't rewind but I was surprised they didn't introduce the referee
and give him a close up at the beginning of the match. I suppose all
these things are to "streamline" and "hippify" the performance;
avoiding the sprawl and chaos for the fight and give it a more sterile
UFC look. Big deal.

All in all, it was fine. Boxing on the TV--sometimes it's good, some
times it sucks. I didn't find much for the energy between Albert and
Leonard and hope in time they can come up with more
entertaining/knowledgeable and *quicker* ringside blabber, but it's not
critical. Good matches and competent officiating or the ideal.

[Juan Anonly]

Oops. Forgot to add another NBC "beautification" touch: During the
early part of the show, with the classic pictures of the boxers who are
on the card, rather than them being shirtless and posing they are
wearing sports jackets and ties! Clearly attire some of them have
never and will never again wear. Pretty funny.