CBS, ProElite Team To Bring Four MMA Events A Year To Major Net

CBS and L.A.-based mixed martial arts (MMA) production company ProElite have signed a multi-year deal to bring MMA to broadcast TV for the first time. CBS will air four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite's EliteXC fight division, as two-hour live primetime specials on Saturday nights. ProElite began broadcasting its EliteXC live MMA events on Showtime last year. EliteXC events will continue to air on Showtime. CBS Interactive and ProElite.com will collaborate on generating interactive content which could include streaming of events and clips syndicated across the CBS Audience Network (CBS). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole reported the time slot for the broadcasts is unknown, though it is "likely to be" around 9:00-11:00pm ET. Street fighter Kimbo Slice is "expected to headline the first fight card" from either Atlantic City or the Prudential Center in Newark (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/27). A CBS spokesperson said that the deal is "not a time buy by ProElite" (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 2/28).