EliteXC Expected to Announce Deal with CBS

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>— MMAjunkie.com Exclusive

ProElite Inc., the parent company of Elite Xtreme Combat, is expected to announce a deal with CBS that will put MMA on major network television for the first time.

Sources close to the deal tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that an agreement has been reached between CBS and the Los Angeles-based ProElite. However, officials could not publicly comment on the matter.

EliteXC was founded as a partnership with Showtime Networks Inc. in 2006. The organization’s events, which are held under the EliteXC and ShowXC banners, currently air on Showtime.

Showtime is owned by CBS.

A source who spoke exclusively to MMAjunkie.com said that CBS will broadcast live EliteXC events in prime-time slots. The events will likely take place every other month.

An official announcement with additional details of the deal is expected to be announced in the next few days. A broadcast schedule and debut date could be included.

The announcement will come just weeks after EliteXC’s successful “Street Certified” event in Miami, Fla. In addition to drawing a sold-out crowd and setting a live gate record at the BankUnited Center, the event reportedly drew more than half a million Showtime viewers.

The fact that EliteXC — and not the UFC, the worldwide MMA leader — landed the first network-television deal is a bit of a surprise.

Beginning in October, UFC president Dana White stated that he was confident the organization would reach a deal with a major TV network, most notably CBS or NBC. In November MediaPost Publications reported that the UFC and CBS were in “advanced negotiations” and that the announcement of an official partnership was expected to happen at any time. UFC 81, which took place earlier this month, was expected to be the first UFC event to air on CBS.

However, the deal eventually fell apart — reportedly over issues with the creative control of the events. Those same issues kept a deal between the UFC and HBO from coming together last year, as well.

ProElite has been on a shopping spree during the past year, purchasing organizations such as ICON Sport, Cage Rage, King of the Cage, and Spirit MC. Additionally, the organization has recently signed long-term deals with notables such as Nick Diaz, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Gina Carano.</div>

a HUGE coupe for elite XC, the UFC's and Dana stoubbourness working against them once again.

 

Here's hoping Dreams ends up on NA american TV. PPV or otherwise.


now if it ended up on the Fight Network.. whooo boy

 

Great move for EliteXC, the exposure they'll get now will be huge. Add on the fact that a certain Tito Ortiz is about to end his run in the UFC and is looking for a new company to be with and there could be even bigger things coming for them.

I truly believe Ortiz would go to Elite because of the exposure the company will be getting plus he'd be placed right at the top of the company as their poster-boy with Kimbo (as long as Kimbo sticks around of course). And we all know that all Tito needs is a big contract and his name/face on every company promotion and he'll be happy.

 

yeah and then Randy will most likely join him too.
Perhaps AA and Tim Sylvia could jump ship too, Elite could grow very quick if the money starts to flow.


p.s. Knicksfan, you should be visiting this thread before Saturday
http://sportstwo.com/forums/UFC-82-Pride-C...75#entry1571275

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Celtic Fan @ Feb 27 2008, 04:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>p.s. Knicksfan, you should be visiting this thread before Saturday
http://sportstwo.com/forums/UFC-82-Pride-C...75#entry1571275</div>

Done and done, cool idea doing the fight picks.

I do agree with Arlovski heading to Elite, they could use the heavyweight help. Couture I could really see head to somewhere like Mark Cuban's MMA deal (Cuban and him are good friends and Cuban is the one trying to make the Fedor/Couture fight happen on his network). Sylvia would be interesting, it seems like he wants to stay with the UFC but who knows what he really wants to do.

 

loads or more details, looks like Dana screwed up by insisting the UFC handles the production. Elite has handed over some or most of the control to CBS and that will mean changes in the announcers etc and less stripper/dancers and rappers for sure.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Earlier today MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) broke the news that ProElite, Inc., the parent company of Elite Xtreme Combat, appears to be on the verge of signing a landmark deal with CBS that will put MMA on major network television for the first time.

Thanks to Kevin Iole of MMAjunkie.com’s partner site Yahoo! Sports, we now have a few additional details.

According to his report, the official announcement of the deal will come tomorrow. In it, EliteXC and CBS will confirm a four-fight deal that begins with an event in April.

Additionally, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, the YouTube brawler who earned a lucrative long-term deal with EliteXC in late 2007, will likely headline the first CBS event — either in Atlantic City, N.J. or at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Iole reports.

Ferguson, a former bodyguard in the pornography business who now trains with MMA legend Bas Rutten, most recently defeated veteran slugger David “Tank” Abbott in the main event of the organization’s Feb. 16 “Street Certified” show. The event, which drew a sold-out crowd of 6,187, set a record live gate for the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center.

Ferguson, who hails from Miami, was the primary draw for the event. As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, he earned an event-best base salary of $175,000, according to the Florida State Boxing Commission. Additionally, since our initial report, MMAjunkie.com has been informed that EliteXC officials, including EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw, and Ferguson have met and discussed a possible contract extension.

According to Iole, CBS is expected to air the EliteXC events on Saturdays as live two-hour broadcasts, most likely from 9 to 11 p.m. ET.

EliteXC, which was formed as a partnership with Showtime Networks Inc. in 2006, had previously aired almost all of its events on the subscription-cable channel. Earlier today Sam Caplan of fiveouncesofpain.com passed along a report that stated Showtime subscription totals rose 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. A highly publicized October “ShoXC” event and a major November EliteXC show likely played a role in the increase.

Showtime is owned by CBS, which is an investor in ProElite. As Caplan reported on fiveouncesofpain.com, CBS recently increased its ownership stake in the company, possibly injecting the fight promotion with some much-needed funds.</div>


and there's this too

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports! gives us more details on the EliteXC deal with CBS. Iole states the following in his article:

* The official announcement will come tomorrow, February 28th
* It’s believed to be a four fight deal that begins in April
* Kimbo Slice is expected to headline the first card either in Atlantic City, NJ or Newark, NJ at the brand new Prudential Center
* The CBS cards are expected to be two hours specials on Saturday nights, presumably from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

We’ll have as much detail as possible on any developments that take place regarding this historic event in mixed martial arts history.</div>


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Did CBS increase its investment in ProElite?

February 27, 2008 By: Sam Caplan Category: EliteXC

I can’t tell you whether the television deal between CBS and EliteXC that MMAjunkie.com broke today is a done deal or not.

What I can tell you is that it appears CBS recently increased its ownership stake in ProElite, according to SEC filing information on ProElite’s corporate web site.

CLICK HERE to see the online document.

It’s all public record. The filing was made on February 25, 2008. The description of the document reads: “Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities.”

I think the term “beneficial ownership” could be an understatement.

Unless I am reading the documents incorrectly, it looks like ProElite just received a major infusion of additional funding.

If a deal between CBS and EliteXC is real, it looks like the partners could be attached to the hip and that EliteXC will enter the deal with additional ammunition.</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Reported deal between CBS and EliteXC could be landmark event for MMA

February 27, 2008 By: Sam Caplan Category: CBS, EliteXC

A quote from IFL President and CEO Jay Larkin during an interview I conducted with him earlier this month for CBSSports.com:

The sport needs to be on traditional broadcast television or widely-viewed free cable television. It’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. Now that the writer’s strike is settled, the fear of panic thing is over but there are still holes in programming that need to be filled and MMA is a good product to fill that hole with. One day soon we’re going to hear CBS, or NBC, or ESPN, or FOX is carrying live MMA. When that happens the dam will break and everyone will jump on it just like in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s (when) all three major networks carried boxing.

When Jay Larkin speaks, I listen. The sport is lucky to have someone like him affiliated with it. And if MMAjunkie.com’s report about EliteXC and CBS signing an agreement is indeed correct, then the dam may have in fact just been broken. The entertainment business is not a place where originality is encouraged.

If one company does something unique that happens to be successful, everyone else tries to copy it. Call it the Britney Spears or Boy Band effect — once Britney and the Backstreet Boys came onto the scene, how many copycats did we see? How many “Survivor” and “American Idol” ripoffs have come down the pike?

I’m not sure if it’s going to happen tomorrow or several months from now, but you better believe that another network will strike a deal to televise MMA. A potential deal between CBS and EliteXC could be a landmark development for the entire industry, for obvious reasons. You know that the UFC will be in the mix and this development could change the way they’ve negotiated with prospective television partners thus far. I’ve got to believe that Zuffa is somehow going to try and up the ante (which is what they should do).

Also, don’t rule out HBO. Whether you believe EliteXC is a big reason for SHOWTIME’s recent 11% subscriber increase or not, the fact remains that SHOWTIME is surging ahead while HBO is trending downward. HBO needs to develop new properties in order to retain current subscribers while also attracting new ones. MMA has to be one of the properties that will receive consideration and any bias that may exists towards the sport within the company will have to be challenged. Business is business. Attitudes towards MMA will change once key executives start feeling the pressure.

The big key though is for EliteXC and CBS to make sure the right producer is involved with the project. Getting on TV is not enough. It’s what you do with your allotted amount of time that counts. Unfortunately, the IFL learned that lesson the hard way. Landing a deal with MyNetworkTV was a huge coup for them. However, the vision set forth by the original production company did more harm than good for the IFL.

A producer who understands the needs of the hardcore MMA fan but also the casual fan is essential. If the sport is presented in an overly technical manner, hardcore fans will be pleased but the telecast will fail to resonate with casual fans. However, if an attempt is made to appeal only to casual fans and we end up with a product that is essentially “American Gladiators” but for MMA, it’s going to be a total bomb. Hopefully the corporate synergy that exists between CBS, SHOWTIME, and ProElite will be utilized. I’m biased, but I think SHOWTIME has done a strong job with how it has presented MMA. I hope the key principals involved with SHOWTIME’s production for MMA also become key principals of CBS’ production for MMA.

I had been quoted on the record in the past as saying that I believed the sport’s growth had plateaued, but it looks like I may have been incorrect. I’m starting to get the feeling that MMA is about to undergo another major growth spurt.

It should be fun.</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Report: EliteXC Inks Network Deal With CBS

February 27, 2008 By: Ram Maramba Category: Ram Maramba, CBS, Gary Shaw, EliteXC, Dana White

The race to a network deal has a clear winner. In an exclusive, MMAJunkie is reporting a deal between the fledgling promotion’s parent company and network giant CBS:

ProElite Inc., the parent company of Elite Xtreme Combat, is expected to announce a deal with CBS that will put MMA on major network television for the first time.

Sources close to the deal tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that an agreement has been reached between CBS and the Los Angeles-based ProElite. However, officials could not publicly comment on the matter.

The details are still a bit dim at the moment, but the report does state the events are slated for prime time every other month. No further details have been made public.

Considering EliteXC currently has a deal with Showtime, a CBS network, it was a natural fit for the promotion to graduate to the big time after the huge success that was EliteXC: Street Certified. What is surprising is that the UFC, far and away the MMA juggernaut promotion, went home with nothing. UFC president Dana White has talked about CBS negotiations numerous times and even recently announced a road trip where he guaranteed a deal with a major network. Two-timing is nothing new in sports programming, so having EliteXC events on one channel and a competing promotion like the UFC on another wouldn’t have been too conspicuous for CBS to do if they could come to a deal. For ProElite to score clean sweep of two high-profile channels from the UFC is astounding.

Having the UFC in the driver’s seat is a much more comfortable visual, but they lost this battle and the hope lies with EXC to do the right thing. Creative control was a huge sticking point in the negotiations between White and numerous network suitors. Hopefully production responsibilities are part of this deal. Judging from EXC’s events’ production values, handing over the reigns to CBS and its team would be a step up.

My personal hopes are for EliteXC president and stereotypical tracksuit scumbag Gary Shaw to up the ante and focus on matchups that showcase the sport. Whether they know it or not, whether we like it or not, this puts EliteXC as the torch-bearer for the image of MMA in the public eye. No more Krazy Horse bail shenanigans, no more double-birds from its contenders and no more bearded ladies-esque attractions like Slice vs. Abbott. EXC has a robust enough roster to show casual fans and critics alike to demonstrate how exciting MMA and its athletes are — if Shaw will allow it. Gina Carano is a somewhat known commodity, Jake Shields‘ and Robbie Lawler’s skills and styles can build a fanbase and Kimbo Slice is Kimbo Slice. He can garner the attention, let’s hope Shaw focuses that cashcow in a direction that’s not only good for his flimsy, windproof frontpockets but also good for the portrayal of the sport. This deal does not legitimize MMA, it’s merely a very large step on that path. The near-future of MMA, ranging from fighter salaries and merchandising to state sanctioning and big-time advertisers, hinges on decisions big and small EliteXC and CBS will have to make on a daily basis. Let’s hope they make the right choices.

Or maybe I’m just bitter at seeing Bas Rutten in a f’ing ‘Reality Kings’ t-shirt again…</div>

 

and there's this too

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports! gives us more details on the EliteXC deal with CBS. Iole states the following in his article:

* The official announcement will come tomorrow, February 28th
* It’s believed to be a four fight deal that begins in April
* Kimbo Slice is expected to headline the first card either in Atlantic City, NJ or Newark, NJ at the brand new Prudential Center
* The CBS cards are expected to be two hours specials on Saturday nights, presumably from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

We’ll have as much detail as possible on any developments that take place regarding this historic event in mixed martial arts history.</div>


Oh man I hope the first card is in Newark, I'll be there in a heartbeat. I was there for UFC 78 and the arena did a great job with the event and you know that with it being the first CBS card, EliteXC will go all out making it a must-see event. Guess its wait-and-see at this point, but I'm very happy with the aggression EliteXC has shown in making their brand be known to more than just knowledgeable MMA fans.

 

Now they just have to up the quality of fighters they have. They're still pretty thin talent wise IMO.
They could end up putting out some real stinkers on National TV.

The rumor is NJ for the first televised event and it's 4 fight cards/year over several years is the deal...
with only 4 fights/year, it may be hard to keep an audience IMO.