Spike unwilling to pay $325 million; UFC considers buying G4 television network
Two of the people with knowledge of the NBCUniversal talks said that UFC, which is privately held, could take ownership…
Two of the people with knowledge of the NBCUniversal talks said that UFC, which is privately held, could take ownership of 60 percent or more of G4, which is one of the lowest-rated cable channels in Comcast’s portfolio. Its target audience of men ages 18 to 34 overlaps nicely with UFC’s audience on Spike, a unit of Viacom, which has carried a fighting reality show for the last six years.
Spike’s $170 million-a-year deal with UFC for the show, The Ultimate Fighter, and for live fights expires in six months. Negotiations between Spike and UFC for a new deal started almost one year ago, one of the people said, but broke down after UFC proposed a $325 million-a-year fee, a price that was far steeper than Spike was willing to pay.
Spike executives, meanwhile, are said to be eyeing an alternative for fights: MTV2, another unit of Viacom, recently started showing fights produced by Bellator, a smaller mixed martial arts league, and those fights could be moved over to Spike.
In a blockbuster development, the UFC is in talks to buy an ownership stake in the G4 cable channel, according to published reports.
On Wednesday, New York Times TV reporter Brian Stelter tweeted that a source had confirmed that “Comcast is meeting with UFC today about possible sale of a stake in G4.” Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal furthered the developing story, saying the UFC is in discussions to “buy control” of the network.
In recent days, sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told MMA Fighting that Spike, which has been the home of the UFC since 2005, is essentially preparing for life without UFC, and that it will move the Bellator promotion on to the channel in 2012.