NBC Makes Deal With Strikeforce
Published by on March 16th, 2008 in History

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By MMAMemories.com

Mixed martial arts is making further inroads into network television. NBC has given a time slot to Strikeforce, which will put MMA programming on the network starting in April. This comes on the heels of Elite XC’s deal with CBS, which is slated to start in April. That means Strikeforce’s first date on NBC will come before Elite XC’s debut on CBS.

The programs would air on Saturday nights, and may come immediately after NBC’s airing of “Saturday Night Live.”

Word is that some of the shows will be composed of “highlights” from past Strikeforce promotions, and there will also be tape-delayed shows featuring current Strikeforce fighters. Live shows could also work during a 12:30 AM ET slot, since Strikeforce, which is headquartered near San Jose, concentrates the vast majority of its promotions on the west coast anyway.

If SNL serves as the lead-in for Strikeforce presentations, that may turn out to be better than the prime-time slot CBS is earmarking Elite XC for, both in terms of the size of the audience itself and the demographics. Interestingly, Eilte XC and Strikeforce, which operate under separate ownership, will be doing their next major promotion together, as on March 29, Frank Shamrock will defend the Strikefore middleweight title against Cung Le on Showtime.

NBC was not desirous of a deal with the UFC; speculation is that there were personality conflicts that arose out of discussions. Reportedly the IFL and M-1 Global were also considered. UFC has earlier been in heavy negotiations with HBO, but refused to give over control of its productions, wanted instead to keep them in-house. It is not known whether Strikeforce will seek to control its own telecasts on NBC, or whether they will be wholly produced by the network.

Obviously the deal can’t help but bolster the popularity of Strikeforce, which was at one time a kickboxing organization, then moved into MMA a few years ago. In fact, it was a pioneering mixed martial arts promotion in the state of California. And if there is a steady weekly slot, the highlight shows could be used to promote the live telecasts that will be sought to pull in the most viewers and sponsors.