UFC signs Japanese TV deal
By Admin October 14th, 2008The UFC is back on Japanese TV:
After more than a year with little television exposure in the country, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Japanese airwaves after striking a deal with WOWOW.
WOWOW, a Japanese pay outlet that features a variety of American programming, had broadcast UFC events from 2001-2007.
The UFC announced the two-year deal on Monday.
Beginning with this weekend’s UFC 89 event, WOWOW will broadcast UFC events on a short delay (much like how overseas UFC events air via delay on Spike TV in the U.S.).
“The Japanese market has always been important to the UFC, and we want to bring MMA and all of its biggest stars back to Japan,” UFC President Dana White stated in a press release. “We are thrilled to be back with WOWOW.”
October 15th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I think this is a smart move.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I think this is a smart move.
I don’t know how serious the UFC is about Japan–from what I understand WOWOW is somewhere on the level of Fox SportsNet here in the US. Plus, as his PRIDE experience proved Dana is sort of tone deaf about how to deal with the Japanese fans, media and promoters. In other words, don’t hold your breath for BJ Penn vs. Takanori Gomi……
There’s some speculation that a lot of the problems that the UFC had after the PRIDE purchase were related to the whole tone that Dana took when the deal was announced–remember the press conferences they showed where Dana was talking about how the UFC “was going to kick PRIDE’s ass”? I think they were originally wanting to do something of a NWO type “invasion” angle but a lot of the PRIDE staffers and Japanese media was offended by Dana’s tone.