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there will be new blood absorbing those shares. Of course, we'll have our pull backs and consolidations. Once this CD selling is done, we should rise 25% a week.
make 20 calls tommorrow thinman, and report back after lunch. Also, has anyone thought of an online petition? 10,000 signatures would get us a presence on Comcast. IMO FWIW IIRC
Worth a repost..thanks to ShaneTx
In time, UFC may TKO boxing's audience
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Charles Jay / BoxingScene.com
Posted: 9 hours ago
The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is developing a substantial following, but is it cultivating any of boxing's mainstream audience?
Zuffa LLC, the Nevada company which controls the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is thus the sport's dominant player in the U.S., has attempted to reach more avid boxing fans by courting the boxing media.
Also...
UFC on verge of explosion
What's it like being an Ultimate Fighter?
At last year's Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) dinner in Las Vegas, UFC had a substantial presence. Kevin Iole, the boxing beat writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has covered every UFC event held in the city and thinks the barriers to acceptance by the mainstream boxing press and public have more to do with the limitations imposed on the major media than the quality of the UFC product.
"In newspapers, space is at a premium, even for boxing," says Iole, who says he's grown to appreciate the UFC as he's seen more of it. "To go to MMA, that requires the writers taking the time to understand the difference and to search out the demographic, and the writers aren't going to do that. They're going to try to get more space for what they already know and are comfortable with, and that's boxing."
One of the reasons newspapers aren't clamoring to cover the UFC is that mixed martial arts fans are not their customers. UFC's demographics skew younger, and young people are reading newspapers less and less these days. According to a study done by the Online Publishers Association, for only nine percent of adults aged 18-34 is the newspaper the first or second medium of choice.
Also, mixed martial arts has still yet to be sanctioned in many states. Fewer than half of state athletic commissions, which were formed for the purposes of regulating boxing, allow it; among those who do are influential states such as Nevada, New Jersey, Florida, and California, with an MMA-only commission having been recently been established in North Dakota. Because of that, UFC is still working to combat its "outlaw" perception — not the least of which is a confusion with Toughman contests, with which it has no affiliation — that is not often compatible with mainstream media coverage.
Generally, the safety aspects of the UFC, the result of a restructuring of the rules in the late 1990s, stand up favorably to those of boxing, but commissions have been slow to catch on, principally due to a lack of understanding of the disciplines the sport encompasses.
Larry Hazzard, commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, was the first commissioner to give MMA his stamp of approval. But Hazzard brought plenty of background to his decision; he has black belts in Karate and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and has taught close-quarter combat at a number of law-enforcement academies.
"Yes, this is a combat sport, but it's still a totally different animal," Hazzard said. "People are used to boxing, and they know what they're looking for. And it seems this (MMA) loses a lot of people once it gets to the ground. They don't understand the wrestling and the submission holds. If you put together a highlight clip of MMA action, it seems more brutal, and that's probably turned some people off."
Younger viewers are as likely to know UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes as they are the big names in boxing. (John Gichigi / Getty Images)
"It's still more a spectacle than a sport in many people's minds," says Tim Graham, boxing writer for the Buffalo News, who was recently elected president of the BWAA. "But I'm a fan of it. I see it as a very pure and worthwhile sport that's a worthy competitor to boxing."
Graham looks upon the fact that the UFC is both the promoter and the sanctioning body as a positive for the fans. "They basically control their product, and they can put on the very best matchups possible and give the fans what they want on a very structured basis. So from a business standpoint, it's everything boxing isn't."
Iole echoes that, making the point that not only does the UFC seem to be more responsive to public demand than most boxing promoters, it has the business model necessary to do something about it: "If there's a big matchup in a division, they get that fight made right away."
Old-line boxing people have expressed little interest in the UFC or mixed martial arts in general, and that prospect is not likely to change. International matchmaker and agent Don Majeski points out that there was more commonality between boxing and wrestling fans in the 1950s and '60s, but he doesn't see it happening with boxing and MMA.
"Years ago there used to be wrestling and boxing in the same place, where you'd see a wrestling match one night and boxing the next night, or vice versa," Majeski said. "And often the boxing promoter and the wrestling promoter were one in the same, or they had a great rivalry between the two of them, where each disdained the sport of the other, and they went after each other's fans. (With MMA) I haven't seen much crossover promotion."
Younger boxing promoters, however, may be more accepting of MMA events. Scott Wagner, 37, who promotes his regular "Ballroom Boxing" series out of Glen Burnie, Md., says that if the sport was sanctioned and regulated in his state (it is not), he wouldn't hesitate to put on shows. "I'd do it in a minute," he says. "Actually, it wouldn't even take me that long."
Wagner recognizes something in the UFC's approach that boxing doesn't have a hold on. "People who don't like it are basing their judgments on something they don't know about," he says. "What I see about the sport is that the demographic, as far as sponsors go, is a bonanza. It's male, 18-25. I went to one of those events. They sold 16,000 tickets or however many that joint held. You couldn't get in that place. How many boxing matches do you go to and see that many people?"
There is little question that mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in America. "By the end of this fiscal year," says Hazzard, "we will have sanctioned more MMA shows than pro boxing shows in this state, which is a first."
It likely won't be the last time we'll hear that. MMA promoters, specifically the UFC, seem to possess more marketing savvy than their boxing brethren. They may not be capturing the boxing audience now, but they're latching on to a generation of customers who will eventually make up more and more of the demographic pool. And as its dyed-in-the-wool loyalists become fewer in number, boxing may in time have problems arousing the interest of fans who have been weaned on MMA.
Good post. I get the sense that there are quite a few rookies on this board. Remember this, your first 10 bagger is always the toughest. Why?? Because it is an emotional rolller coaster. Fear and impatience are the thieves of success in this game. Remember why you bought the stock in the first place. MMA is getting bigger by the day. TFN is gaining exposure. They have aligned themselves with quality business partners who will enable them to rapidly gain market share in the US and potentially on a global scale.
Just relax, this a quiet period for the company. Insiders are likely accumulating at this time and when they are ready, they will release a steady stream of strong PR's that will move the PPS in a positive direction.
No, TFN can become the exclusive network for IFL just like UFC and Spike.
TFN and IFL==a match made in heaven. Let's hope Garrow can close the deal on this.
actually, MMA is bigger than you can imagine. New mma academies are popping up all over SoCal.
7M subcribers by '07???? Uhhhh, yeah!
people are letting emotions get in the way of making intelligent business decisions.
If they can actually collect the judgement it would be great.
IMO, they are both going to have huge run ups. It's all a matter of timing and when a big PR is released. For PHBT its patent news that will trigger a huge run, and for BKMP its US Carrier news. PHBT has a much lower float and will take less to move.
hey phish, well we've been playing around with the numbers and they look REALLY good. At 7M subscribers at 2.99 a pop, things start to get exciting.
RULIQUID mentioned the possibility of The LAW radio show going to Sirius or XM radio.
Fight fans are salivating about the idea of a 24 hour fight network. I posted info about TFN on a couple of MMA message boards and people were in shock when I told them about it.
They can't imagine having a 24 hour fight network. This is going to big, phish, REALLY big.
its a buy under .0006---Patent news could come in July.
try labor day instead.
Think big, fo. Imagine PPS when we have a subscriber base of 5M people. That's a solid residual revenue stream. MMA is only going to get bigger. Patience.
Well Atlantic City is close enough to NYC. I'm sure they will want in on the action.
Does Vegas take bets on UFC fights? That would help PPV numbers as well.
California just passed legislation allowing ultimate fighting. NY, NJ and MD will soon follow after seeing the 20k sellout crowds in CA.
The IFL appears to be very well financed--backed by Galeb Shamus. If TFN can get exlusive broadcasting rights, it would be huge.
UFC VS IFL
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=4054
LAS VEGAS, March 2 — Judge Valerie Adair of the Nevada District Court issued a ruling extending the temporary restraining order against the International Fight League (IFL) pending the resolution of a narrowly crafted order between counsel for the plaintiff, Zuffa LLC, and attorneys for the IFL.
Unless both parties can come to a satisfactory arrangement regarding said order prior to March 15, both parties could be back in the Eighth Judicial District Court for a status check on the order.
UFC President Dana White and UFC Chief Operating Officer/general council Kirk Hendrick attended Thursday’s hearing on the plaintiff’s side, while IFL founders Gareb Shamus and Kurt Otto, as well as former Zuffa employees Keith Evans and Steven Tornabene, sat on the defendant’s side of the aisle
We need to get to about .003 before US carrier news comes out. The PR's will have to be written in a way that each one builds to another future event--just like TNOG was able to do. This way, you dont' have one huge spike, but rather a steady buildup of 20% increase in PPS each week.
They probably have a 90 day window. Vince McMahon has deep enough pockets to create something if he wanted to. I'm sure he sees the writing on the wall.
"All indications are that California is becoming a hotbed for the sport. The first UFC show in the state, UFC 59 on April 15, sold out the 18,000-seat Pond in Anaheim in two days before a single fight was announced — and that's with the cheapest ticket at $50 and no seats in the lower bowl priced under $200. An independently promoted show in San Jose headlined by Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie on March 10 is expected to draw more than 10,000 fans."
What cable companies are in SoCal? They should be the first target.
Is that the senior ciruit?? Those guys are all in their 50's.
send a telegram. Security would probably drag you out of there if you were an unexpected visitor.
some guys need money to pay the electric bill while others are plannning for a vacation home!
I look at like this..
There are 70M cable subscribers in Cananda and the US. If TFN can capture just 2% of that audience that would equal 1.4M. At 1.99 per sub that would be 2.7M in revenue a month or 33M a year. 20% of that would be about 7M in annual revenue. It looks the pps is very undervalued at this point.
Cable a la cart...
This is the new trend that customers are demanding, the ability to choose which stations they receive.
With 60M cable subscribers in the US and 6M in Canada, The Fight Network has the potential for 2M subscribers a month. At 1.99 a pop, thats signigicant revenue.
what are you doing here, you lil rascal! I remember you from BKMP. Seriously though, I have kept PHBT on radar. The first patent is expected around June or July and I expect a nice run leading up to that announcement.
more sells than buys
exactly, mike--just the unexperienced. How many 10 baggers did we do in '05, Mike, was it 2 or 3??
MSEP< TNOG<
This Saturday in Columbus, OH MMA EVENT
Team Gracie vs. Team Hammer House
http://www.arnoldmartialarts.com/
This one of the biggest events of the year and its put on by Arnold Schwarznegger. I hope BKMP has a presence there.
"It's Team Gracie vs. Team Hammer House Friday, March 3, 2006. It's so big we had to move it to Nationwide Arena. Get your tickets while you can at ticketmaster.
You can call it what you want. Some people have suggested it's the "Buckeyes Battle Brazil." Others have suggested it's a northern hemisphere vs. southern hemisphere kind of thing. Some have even suggested its the perfect opportunity to watch Mark Coleman's team battle a Gracie in an American venue. It really doesn't matter what they call it. You just have be there.
Think this: Gracies, Team Hammerhouse, Nationwide Arena , celebrities, huge crowd, lots of noise and an extreme evening.
Did I mention Arnold!?"
that's ok..now start making calls and sending emails to your cable company demanding TFN. Report back after lunch!!
Good idea-that would be comcastic!!
It's going to take a series of well thought out PR's that gradually build off each other. Each one should announce a new revenue stream, or cable provider spaced about 10 days apart to keep momentum building.
Dish Network HQ's.
4:36pm
OT: The law of forgiveness outweighs karma.
"for there are none righteous, no, not one..."
BEV
Bell ExpressVu
Bell ExpressVu is the division of Bell Canada that sells digital television services in Canada. Launched on September 10, 1997, ExpressVu has traditionally offered satellite TV services, and as of summer 2004 began offering digital TV via VDSL to select condos and MDUs (multiple-dwelling units) in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Bell ExpressVu provides over 300 digital video and audio channels to over 1.5 million subscribers. Its major competitors include satellite service StarChoice, as well as various cable and communications companies across Canada.
http://www.answers.com/topic/bell-expressvu
come on, bob, everyone here knows you aren't married.
Give it a rest.
sounds like you have been listening to rookies.
Thats the type of article that will attract new investors.