The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts league, has experienced large growth in popularity and economic success in recent years. UFC has achieved this success by marketing to fans who attend live fighting events and who purchase Pay Per View (PPV) options to watch UFC events on television. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has found that fans’ interest in the sport and, thus, their desire to spend money differs based on the venue. Nicholas Watanabe, an assistant professor of sport management in the , says this could provide important marketing and economic information to UFC and other sports leagues dependent on PPV.
“We found that fans who attend live events tend to be more interested in bouts between fighters of all weight classes, while PPV audiences are more interested in bouts between heavyweights,” Watanabe said. “It is important for UFC administrators, as well as officials of other PPV-dependent sports leagues, to understand these audience trends in order to maximize their profits and improve their economic standing.”
In his study, Watanabe found that the number of ticket sales and size of live audiences of UFC events does not differ based on which fighters are performing at the event. On the other hand, Watanabe found that PPV audiences are drastically larger for events that feature fighters in the heavier weight classes. Watanabe says this trend is important for UFC when deciding which events they promote for PPV compared to events they show on broadcast television.
Reviewed 2015-03-30