or


[03/22/06 - 12:00 AM]
Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) Brand Announce a Continued Strategic Partnership for 2007 and 2008

[via press release from Spike TV]

Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) Brand Announce a Continued Strategic Partnership for 2007 and 2008

Exclusive Deal Establishes Spike TV as the Official Home of the UFC on Cable Television

Includes Three New Seasons of 'The Ultimate Fighter(TM),' Live Fights, and New Episodes of 'UFC Unleashed'

NEW YORK, March 22 -- Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) organization have agreed to a new, two-year extension of their strategic partnership, it was announced jointly today by Doug Herzog, President, Spike TV and Dana White, President, Zuffa, LLC d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship(R). The deal positions Spike TV as the exclusive cable home of one of the fastest growing brands in sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, through 2008. The deal was brokered by the Endeavor Agency.

The main components of the deal are four new seasons of the hit reality series, The Ultimate Fighter(TM), ten Ultimate Fight Night Live fight cards, and 26 episodes of UFC Unleashed.

"We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the hottest brand in sports, The UFC," said Herzog. "The deal is a testament to the incredible passion and foresight that Dana White brings to the sport of mixed martial arts."

"In Spike TV, we have found a television partner that understands and embraces our sport that is on the verge of overtaking boxing as the #1 combat sport in America," noted White.

In 2005, 95.7 million viewers saw at least 1 minute of UFC programming on Spike TV (The Ultimate Fighter/UFC Unleashed/Ultimate Knockouts/UFC Fight Previews/Ultimate Fight Nights/UFC All Access), which translates to 34.4% of the U.S. population or 1 in 3 Americans.*

The new Spike TV deal includes the following:

* Seasons 5 through 7 of the highly successful reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. (5 and 6 will run in 2007 and season 7 will run in 2008).

* Ten live fight cards, Ultimate Fight Night Live, hosted by Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, featuring many of the biggest names in the sport. Four will be in '07 and four in '08. The deal also includes two more live fights this year.

* 26 one-hour episodes of UFC Unleashed, hosted by Mike Goldberg, featuring the greatest fights in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, many of them never seen before on basic cable. The series features the biggest names in the sport including Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Ken Shamrock, Rich Franklin, Tank Abbott, Andrei Arlovski, Royce Gracie and Tito Ortiz. Spike TV will run 13 in 2007 and 13 in 2008.

Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter kicks off Thursday, April 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT with UFC legends and bitter rivals Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz serving as coaches. Season 4 will premiere later this year.

Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike TV are the show's executive producers. Brian J. Diamond is Vice President, Sports & Specials, Spike TV and Co-Executive Producer. Peter V. Symuleski serves as Executive in Charge of Production for Spike TV.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC(R) organization produces approximately eight live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship(R), Ultimate Fighting(R), UFC(R), The Ultimate Fighter(R), Submission(R), As Real As It Gets(R), The Octagon(TM) and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

* 1 minute qualifier, Spike TV research

SOURCE Spike TV
Web Site: http://www.spiketv.com





  [march 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· ULTIMATE FIGHTER, THE (ESPN)





[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:37 PM]
BET+ Sets October 23 Premiere for "Carl Weber's The Family Business" Season 6
The 10-episode season will premiere with two episodes, followed by one episode weekly, with the finale on Thursday, December 18.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/03/25 - 10:57 AM]
Legends, Champions and Icons of October Highlight FOX Sports' Postseason Broadcaster Lineup
FOX Sports begins its Postseason coverage Saturday, October 4 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One as the New York Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays.

[10/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
All-New Season of "Gold Rush" Returns with High-Stake Risks and Land Fury on Friday, November 7 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery
With only a few short months to mine, top bosses and rising underdogs collide in a race to claim new ground, move more dirt, and strike it rich.

[10/03/25 - 09:12 AM]
FOX Nation Secures Exclusive U.S. Rights to Docuseries "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar"
The acclaimed series will make its anticipated U.S. debut on FOX Nation on Monday, October 6.

[10/03/25 - 08:02 AM]
TNT Sports to Be Exclusive Home of 2025 NLDS & NLCS
Both best-of-five NLDS series begin Saturday, October 4.

[10/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
TNT Sports Sets BIG EAST Men's College Basketball Schedule for Inaugural 2025-26 Season
TNT Sports' regular season BIG EAST men's basketball schedule will feature 40 appearances by St. John's, UConn, Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette, programs that each clinched berths in last season's NCAA Men's Tournament.

[10/03/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "27 Nights" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is admitted by her daughters to a psychiatric clinic for her carefree ways, an expert must judge if she is ill or simply wants to enjoy life.

[10/03/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Steve" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
Over one intense day, the devoted head teacher of a last-chance reform school strives to keep his students in line while facing pressures of his own.

[10/03/25 - 03:02 AM]
Miguel Herran Will Play Poli Diaz in "El Porto the Vallecas," the New Film by Daniel Calparsoro for Netflix
Inspired by true events, the film follows the life of Policarpo "Poli" Díaz (Miguel Herrán), a young man from Vallecas who, despite a childhood marked by poverty and family violence, became a boxing legend in 1980s Spain, even fighting for the world lightweight title.

[10/03/25 - 03:01 AM]
Netflix Honors Jane Goodall with Posthumous Release of "Famous Last Words" Docuseries Following Her Passing
The series showcases reflective interviews with some of the world's most influential cultural figures, who agreed to sit down and discuss their legacy, and give their final words, with the understanding that it would only be shared with the world after they passed.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Twisted Wonderland" - Trailer - Disney+
Your favorite villains reimagined in ways you've never dared to dream.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.