I haven't had the chance to talk much about Bellator in this space. Given the opportunity cost of posting on it as I've been manning this ship solo, it didn't make much sense. But I received an interesting press release a few moments ago. According to officials at MTV, Bellator 44 posted the highest ratings numbers this season. To wit:
Bellator Ratings: Bellator 44 Posts Highest Ratings Of Season
MTV2's live telecast of Bellator 44 on Saturday, May 14 (9:00-11:20pm) drew 325,000 viewers, making it the largest audience of the season for the mixed martial arts league. The telecast also delivered the network's highest Men 18-49 rating in the time period and the second largest average audience (behind an airing of 8 Mile in April '06). Compared to the season average, Bellator 44 was up +90% in P18-49, +23% in M18-34, and +77% in overall viewership. The encore telecast at 11:20 p.m. also delivered an impressive 145,000 viewers.
I can’t possibly speculate as to what caused these numbers. There wasn’t much competition, but that’s historically failed to matter much. Perhaps it’s been the continuity week-over-week at 9 p.m. ET that brought viewers back.
As for what this means for Bellator, I don’t want to read into one event as a tipping point even if it’s a high-water mark. I can say this is the first time MTV has reached out to me to inform me of the ratings. Take that for whatever it’s worth. I’ve heard rumors the organization is on the verge of taking UFC’s slot at Spike as well as suggestions the organization is hemorrhaging money. You figure it out.
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