HBO and UFC Won't Meet in the Cage
A deal between mixed martial arts giant UFC and highly acclaimed
premium cable network HBO has been choked unconscious.
In a statement issued Friday, HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said after more than a year's worth of negotiations, which Multichannel News reported had intensified over the past two months, "it became apparent that the business model doesn't make sense for either one of us. So we agreed to go our separate ways."
UFC president Dana White has repeatedly declared that his company would come to terms with HBO on a deal in 2007, and he continues to believe a deal will get done even after Greenburg's comments.
"We'll come to a deal with HBO, I'm 100 percent confident of that," White told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "Ross is probably pretty happy now, but we'll get a deal done with them. Believe me, we will. They want the deal, I want the deal -- and when two sides want the deal, it gets done."
For that to happen, the two sides will need to reconcile differences regarding which group controls broadcast production. While the UFC produces its telecasts on SpikeTV and pay-per-view, HBO apparently refused the Las Vegas-based fight promotion from doing the same on its network.
Despite the impasse, Greenburg would not rule a deal with UFC regaining consciousness.
"You never know what the future holds," said the HBO Sports president. "We have enormous respect and admiration for the executives we dealt with at the UFC. We wish them well."
In a statement issued Friday, HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said after more than a year's worth of negotiations, which Multichannel News reported had intensified over the past two months, "it became apparent that the business model doesn't make sense for either one of us. So we agreed to go our separate ways."
UFC president Dana White has repeatedly declared that his company would come to terms with HBO on a deal in 2007, and he continues to believe a deal will get done even after Greenburg's comments.
"We'll come to a deal with HBO, I'm 100 percent confident of that," White told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "Ross is probably pretty happy now, but we'll get a deal done with them. Believe me, we will. They want the deal, I want the deal -- and when two sides want the deal, it gets done."
For that to happen, the two sides will need to reconcile differences regarding which group controls broadcast production. While the UFC produces its telecasts on SpikeTV and pay-per-view, HBO apparently refused the Las Vegas-based fight promotion from doing the same on its network.
Despite the impasse, Greenburg would not rule a deal with UFC regaining consciousness.
"You never know what the future holds," said the HBO Sports president. "We have enormous respect and admiration for the executives we dealt with at the UFC. We wish them well."
