This article says that S.Winick is a co-founder of TFN so I'm assuming he personally has a larger interest IMO
Neil Davidson
Canadian Press
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Fight Network founders Sandy Winick (left) and Mike Garrow are shown in this undated handout photo. (CP PHOTO/HO/The Fight Network)
TORONTO (CP) - The Fight Network celebrates its first anniversary Friday, living proof that there is an audience 24-7 for punching, kicking, choking and wrestling.
All fighting all the time has found its niche.
"I think we're probably further ahead than what we thought we'd be at this point in time," network chairman and co-founder Sandy Winick said happily
The network is doing so well that it has pushed up plans to provide content to mobile phone providers. Fight Mobile is available on Singular, Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. and Telus in Canada, with hopes to add Bell and Rogers at home - and take the product overseas.
The service delivers news on boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts. For a big fight, for example, it offers a round-by-round live text commentary. It also provides fight listings and odds.
On the Sprint system, Fight Mobile currently ranks second in popularity to ESPN among the nine sports offerings.
"Not bad for less than a year for two Canadian guys," said network president-COO and co-founder Mike Garrow.
Big plans cost big money, pushing back the network breakeven point. But Garrow and Winick don't seem concerned.
"We anticipate that we would probably be in a positive cash flow probably by '08 at the latest," Winick said.
The Fight Network currently ranks as Canada's most successful digital sports channel, ranking ahead of several others bankrolled by major industry players.
Its Saturday night airings of mixed martial arts shows from the Pride Fighting Championship library have pulled in some 55,000 viewers, which is huge in the digital world.
A more average figure for network viewing would be 4,000, but the number is growing. And while they are not Dancing With the Stars numbers, it's not bad in the fragmented digital universe where interests range from pets to hunting.
The digital network is currently available in 80 per cent of Canada, with Western Canada the lone black hole. Garrow and Winick hope to fill that gap soon by bringing Shaw Cable into the fold.
What started with two employees now has 30. All are fight fans of some kind, according to Garrow. And fight aficionados are demanding, the 35-year-old Ottawa native adds. The Fight Network knows it has to constantly "feed the monster."
You can only go so far with canned programming from second-tier fights series, of interest only to the hardcore fans. With top boxing and MMA cards attracting pay-per-view buy rates in the high six figures, the Fight Network is looking to piggyback on that interest.
So in recent days, it has sent camera crews to Las Vegas to do pre-and post-fight shows for major fight events.
It is also building its own fight news service, going where only speciality Internet sites have gone before.
"If you're a fight fan, this is definitely the service for you," Garrow said. "So when we conceived of this from the get-go, it was always about making this service not just a digi (digital channel) but a new specialty service. Because ultimately our plan is to take this service into America. And if you're going to bring a service into America, you've got to step up. It's the old saying 'With America go big or go home.' That's what we've got to do."
They expect to be south of the border "in some capacity" in 2007, which would be a first for one of the Canadian digital networks.
They have been planning the move for some time. Some 70 per cent of the programming currently shown is cleared for use in both the Canadian and U.S. market.
Neither Garrow and Winick had real TV roots. Ask them what background they brought to the channel and they both say "none."
Garrow, who had been involved in interactive gaming and web TV, started thinking about a fight channel in 2001 during the initial launch of digital channels.
He sat through CRTC hearings and the idea percolated, leading him to mention it to Winick, a financier with whom he had worked in the past. As the story goes, the idea for a fight network was raised over beer and wings after playing hockey. Garrow asked his teammates what they thought of a network that was fights all the time.
"They all said 'Garrow, that would rock. Good luck to you."'
Winick said he would work on the business end if Garrow could get the licence.
The licence came in January 2004 and the network went to air in September 2005.
Garrow and Winick are the majority owners of the networks, although there are other investors. Today, the Fight Network is housed in a warehouse-like office on the third floor of a downtown building. The network just moved into a bigger space, with plans to build a set for its own programming. Fight posters adorn the industrial chic space.
There is plenty of room to grow, and Garrow and Winick have big plans.
On the ground floor, an outfit named Channel Zero looks after the technical end of putting the programming on air in a control centre that looks like a fancy security console with laptops and monitors. Channel Zero's menu also includes an old-movie channel and several adult channels.
With the Fight Network encompassing boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts, Garrow says it can ride out the peaks and valleys in each sport. MMA is red-hot right now with newcomers like the WFA and IFL springing up in territory that previously was the domain of the UFC.
The Fight Network hopes all succeed.
"We cover everything," said Winick, a 48-year-old Toronto native. "We're like Switzerland, we're neutral. Anything that come along in the combatant sports world, we'll cover it."
The network is also looking to add to current programming and recently signed a deal to show boxing shows run by Montreal promoter Yvon Michel.
Other boxing shows include Showtime boxing, Shobox, Guilty Boxing, Ballroom Boxing and Broadway Boxing.
MMA and kick-boxing content includes Pride, K-1 and Superleague.
On the wrestling front, the menu includes TNA, Ring of Honor, Noah and FMW from Japan with Mexican and classic wrestling shows waiting in the wings.
The network has also bought an interest in Live Audio Wrestling, a popular radio show in Toronto which is now syndicated in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
The outcome of wrestling shows may be pre-determined but Garrow says the insider nature of LAW has been a hit.
"People want to know more about what goes on behind the curtain," he said.
A TV simulcast of Live Audio Wrestling is planned for Sunday nights, probably launching by November.
The Fight Network also airs fight movies and documentaries.
There is more studio programming planning. The network had hired Pride commentator Mauro Ranallo, a Vancouver native, to host a weekly news show called The Fight Zone. He will also provide hourly news hits between programs.
A fight sports ticker is also in the works. During the week, the network also plans to segments on fight training and tips from the pros.
The news coverage will come a variety of sources including Live Audio Wrestling. They have hired Jason Abelson to follow boxing and are adding Loretta Hunt, former managing editor of Full Contact Fighter, to cover mixed martial arts. Former UFC champion Randy Couture and fighter-commentator Frank Trigg will provide MMA analysis.
They hope to air two live events a month on the network.
© The Canadian Press 2006
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