Strikeforce To Air On NBC
by Robert Sargent
In the wake of EliteXC's deal with CBS, the California-based Strikeforce promotion has reportedly finalised a deal with NBC to air Strikeforce programming on the network on Saturday nights, with live events soon to follow.
An official announcement is expected within the week, but the deal is reportedly done, and could have been completed as early as this past January during the writers' strike.
Initial Strikeforce events on NBC will be "highlight" packages of past Strikeforce cards, much the way past PRIDE events are still shown on Fox Sports Net. As a result, Strikeforce may actually beat EliteXC to mainstream television, albeit in a previously recorded format.
The rumoured timeslot for Strikeforce events is Saturday nights, likely immediately following Saturday Night Live, which could be construed as a poor airing time. However, with the strong network audience tuning in to SNL, it is probable that Strikeforce will see an immediate interest from many viewers.
While the UFC continues to be without a major network deal, and remains on the more sparsely-available SpikeTV, two of the UFC's biggest competitors in the United States now have deals with two of the four largest American television networks.
While Strikeforce is still a growing promotion, having been involved in MMA since 2006 and having only produced nine standalone events to date, this could be exactly what it needs to gain exposure across North America. It is not yet known whether the partnership will be an exclusive deal or not, which leaves open the possibility of other promotions airing on NBC in the future.
Strikeforce's debut event in 2006 was the first mixed martial arts event to be sanctioned by the state of California, drawing 18,000 fans for the main event of Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie. Since then, they have continued to produce and co-promote events, including a September 2007 show at the infamous Playboy Mansion. That show was streamed live on Yahoo! Sports.
Unlike other promotions, many of which have immediately tried to gain a worldwide audience, Strikeforce has grown from the inside out, focusing largely on California by promoting Californians such as Shamrock, Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson. They recently branched out and held an event in Tacoma, Washington.
Strikeforce's next event is on March 29th in San Jose, California. It is headlined by a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout between champion Frank Shamrock and challenger Cung Le. The undercard of the event, which is co-promoted with EliteXC, features a battle between veterans Drew Fickett and Jake Shields for the newly-created EliteXC Welterweight Championship. Also on the card is a Strikeforce Lightweight Championship bout between champion Gilbert Melendez and challenger Gabe Lemley. That event will air on Showtime.
This marks two strikes for the UFC, who must now pick up their efforts in finding a mainstream television home, or risk having their competitors draw attention to their own promotions.
