CBS: Second EliteXC Event Likely for Late Summer/Fall
A second EliteXC event is looking probable for CBS after a strong
debut on broadcast television, says the network's Primetime Senior
Executive Vice President Kelly Kahl.
Preliminary ratings data for CBS's Saturday Night Fights featuring EliteXC were released by Showtime on Sunday, and the numbers were promising. (CBS and Showtime, which also broadcasts EliteXC and ShoXC on its pay premium cable channel, are both owned by Viacom.)
EliteXC "Primetime" scored a 2.7 rating in its 9-11 p.m. slot, with data still pending for the card's Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson-James Thompson (Pictures) main event, after the show ran one hour past its scheduled slot.
According to a Showtime press release, CBS enjoyed first place ratings in adults 25-54 (1.9), adults 18-49 (1.9), adults 18-34 (1.9), men 25-54 (2.6), men 18-49 (2.5) and men 18-34 (2.6).
The network also saw substantial gains in the Saturday primetime slot with the coveted young male demographics, including a 127% rise in men 18-49 and a whopping +271% jump in men 18-34.
The clash between Internet legend "Slice" Ferguson and British bomber Thompson aired at 11:30 p.m., and is expected to boost the ratings even higher.
Calculations from 54 local markets indicate that EliteXC's audience increased throughout the evening, beginning with a 2.4 its first half hour and peaking at a 4.7 from 11:30-11:45 p.m., when a grounded "Slice" rebounded from his back to earn a TKO stoppage in the third.
"We haven't seen numbers like that on Saturday night in quite a while," said Kahl.
CBS had hoped to net three to four million viewers for the sport's debut on broadcast television. Industry insiders are predicting that number could be as high as seven-and-a-half million viewers, which would establish a new U.S. record.
A Spike TV telecast of UFC 75 "Champion vs. Champion" drew 4.7 million viewers and peaked at 5.6 million during its main event bout between Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in Sept. of last year.
CBS also tapped into fresh advertisers that the network had previously done without, including Miller Lite and video game magnates Capcom, said Kahl.
Despite the boom, a tentatively announced return date for July 26 will be postponed to allow for more preparation time. Kahl said the decision to delay a sophomore effort was made prior to Saturday's "Primetime" airing.
"We do know when we put these shows on CBS they have to be a really high quality and I think the feeling was July 26 we we're really going to have to rush to put a card together and it probably wouldn't have been the quality we we're looking for," said Kahl.
Kahl expects the follow-up event to be re-scheduled for the late summer or early fall.
Final ratings for "Primetime," including an overall viewer tally for the entire event, are expected on Tuesday morning.
Preliminary ratings data for CBS's Saturday Night Fights featuring EliteXC were released by Showtime on Sunday, and the numbers were promising. (CBS and Showtime, which also broadcasts EliteXC and ShoXC on its pay premium cable channel, are both owned by Viacom.)
EliteXC "Primetime" scored a 2.7 rating in its 9-11 p.m. slot, with data still pending for the card's Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson-James Thompson (Pictures) main event, after the show ran one hour past its scheduled slot.
According to a Showtime press release, CBS enjoyed first place ratings in adults 25-54 (1.9), adults 18-49 (1.9), adults 18-34 (1.9), men 25-54 (2.6), men 18-49 (2.5) and men 18-34 (2.6).
The network also saw substantial gains in the Saturday primetime slot with the coveted young male demographics, including a 127% rise in men 18-49 and a whopping +271% jump in men 18-34.
The clash between Internet legend "Slice" Ferguson and British bomber Thompson aired at 11:30 p.m., and is expected to boost the ratings even higher.
Calculations from 54 local markets indicate that EliteXC's audience increased throughout the evening, beginning with a 2.4 its first half hour and peaking at a 4.7 from 11:30-11:45 p.m., when a grounded "Slice" rebounded from his back to earn a TKO stoppage in the third.
"We haven't seen numbers like that on Saturday night in quite a while," said Kahl.
CBS had hoped to net three to four million viewers for the sport's debut on broadcast television. Industry insiders are predicting that number could be as high as seven-and-a-half million viewers, which would establish a new U.S. record.
A Spike TV telecast of UFC 75 "Champion vs. Champion" drew 4.7 million viewers and peaked at 5.6 million during its main event bout between Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in Sept. of last year.
CBS also tapped into fresh advertisers that the network had previously done without, including Miller Lite and video game magnates Capcom, said Kahl.
Despite the boom, a tentatively announced return date for July 26 will be postponed to allow for more preparation time. Kahl said the decision to delay a sophomore effort was made prior to Saturday's "Primetime" airing.
"We do know when we put these shows on CBS they have to be a really high quality and I think the feeling was July 26 we we're really going to have to rush to put a card together and it probably wouldn't have been the quality we we're looking for," said Kahl.
Kahl expects the follow-up event to be re-scheduled for the late summer or early fall.
Final ratings for "Primetime," including an overall viewer tally for the entire event, are expected on Tuesday morning.
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