The New York Times is reporting the UFC is looking to take a 60 percent “controlling interest” of the G4 network. Like the Wall Street Journal it is not known what the cost of this deal might be. It is also not known now close the two sides (UFC and NBC Universal/Comcast) are in the negotiating process. The New York Times reports:
Report: UFC Seeking A 60 Percent ‘Controlling Interest’ Of G4
Comcast is in talks to sell a controlling interest in the G4 cable channel to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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Last fall, the president of UFC, Dana White, predicted in an interview with Broadcasting & Cable that the league would start its own network “within the next couple years.” At the time he also expressed an eagerness to bring UFC fights to broadcast television in the U.S. for the first time. Presumably a deal with Comcast could also include specials on the NBC broadcast network, which Comcast also controls.
Representatives for Comcast, G4 and UFC declined to comment Wednesday night. The talks were first reported by the Web site of The Wall Street Journal.
Two of the people with knowledge of the NBCUniversal talks said that UFC, which is privately held, could take ownership of 60 percent or more of G4, which is one of the lowest-rated cable channels in Comcast’s portfolio. Its target audience of men ages 18 to 34 overlaps nicely with UFC’s audience on Spike, a unit of Viacom, which has carried a fighting reality show for the last six years.
Be sure to follow this StoryStream as we continue to report on this situation.
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