Elite XC Hits Prime Time on Network TV
Published by on March 3rd, 2008 in History

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By MMAMemories.com

The last frontier in television is being conquered, it would seem, in the world of mixed martial arts. Elite XC has inked a deal with CBS that will call for it to produce four two-hour shows starting in April. And Kimbo Slice, the street fighter-turned-mixed martial arts who has appeared twice on Elite XC’s Showtime programs, could be the first headliner.

Insiders say the company feels the CBS deal will be a great “equalizer” or sorts as it competes in the marketplace with the more firmly-established UFC.

Of course, Elite XC has somnething of an advantage because Showtime is one of the investors in the compnay, and both Showtime and CBS are owned by the Viacom conglomerate.

What’s significant is not that the Elite XC deal brings the sport of MMA to broadcast network television, but that it does so in prime time; the shows are slated to air on Saturday nights, an evening the MMA viewing audience is conditioned to stay home and watch when pay-per-view events are presented.

Within the culture of network television, this is rather valuable real estate. Any way one slices it, it is a pretty significant deal.

International Management Group (IMG), a leading agency in representing athletes, which is also engaged in television packaging, is said to have been highly instrumental in making the deal happen. Chris Albrecht, who is currently president of IMG Media, which includes the TV division, was formerly the chaimrna of HBO, and was very much in favor of bringing the UFC to that premium channel, a transaction that was never consummated.