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Let me classify that. CBS’s second primetime Elite XC showcase on Saturday night saw their viewership down almost 50%, with an overnight rating of 1.9, averaging out to about 2.62 million viewers. That’s according to www.f4wonline.com. But the broadcast itself was an overwhelming success in my books, with many positive corrections in comparison to the first effort featuring Kimbo Slice.
The abscence of the “big name” in Kimbo was going to mean a hit to the ratings, and CBS knew that. But 2.62 million viewers for a Saturday night sporting event in the summer is still respectable in the TV business. This outing was geared directly at the hardcore MMA fan, however it still catered to the fledgling fan trying to learn the sport and why it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. But the most important thing is CBS and Elite XC have the blueprint for a successful, entertaining and slick presentation for their next really hyped show, featuring Kimbo, in October.
The first part of that is timing. The show was pretty much on time, and there were far fewer breaks and lulls in the action. The card progressed along at a very good pace, and the video packages didn’t drag nearly as much as they did last time. The first outing, they went over rather significantly, simply because they tried to cram far too many fights into a short period of time. This time, the undercard had a few fights on The Fight Network, and the main card on CBS had 4 fights on it, which is perfect for a 2 hour time slot, which is what they had last night.
Second, the commentary was much better this time around. That’s no knock on the first effort, as I thought Gus, Mauro and Frank did a great job the first time around. But this time, they were more familiar with eachothers broadcasting styles, and they were all more comfortable in their roles. Gus Johnson upped his knowledge, and save for one blunder (Anderson Silva is the UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT champ, not Light Heavyweight), was very good. Mauro Ranallo was lights out as always, and Frank Shamrock was able to be the experienced guy who could break down the mindset of fighters inside the cage. There were barely any missed cues, and the information passed along was top notch.
And finally, the focus this time around was on the fights, not the spectacle surrounding the fights. The video packages were well done, gave you a personal side of the fighters, but it wasn’t over done. Once the guys were in the cage, we were hearing much more about passing guards, circling and the clinch than we were about how popular guys are on the internet and how fast MMA is growing. Not to say either side is wrong…the first SNF, the goal was to educate the new MMA fans, the same way the one in October most likely will be. What I liked about the second outing, though, was the fact the broadcast crew was passing along tons of tidbits for the hardcore enthusiast, yet, they weren’t talking over the heads of newer fans. It was very, very well done.
All in all, the blueprint is there, and the next big event on CBS has the potential to really blow the doors off this thing for both CBS and Elite XC. There will be more viewers with Kimbo on the card, so there is a real opportunity to hit one out of the park. Here’s hoping it happens!
