NBC will air its first MMA bout in July as part of a multiyear deal with the World Series of Fighting (WSF) that runs through '17. The move signifies a change in strategy for the Comcast-owned company. When NBC Sports Group passed on a UFC deal in '11, its execs said MMA was off-brand and was difficult to get advertisers to support. Soon after, the WSF bought time on NBCSN, which ran two cards in '12 and six in '13. NBC and NBCSN VP/Programming Gary Quinn said, “We dipped our toe in the water back in 2012. (NBC and NBCSN President of Programming Jon Miller) needed proof that it would deliver.” NBC execs decided the WSF’s performance was good enough ratings-wise for an extension. In '13, the six WSF telecasts averaged 198,000 viewers. For '14 to date, two telecasts have averaged 228,000 viewers. The new, four-year extension is not a time-buy, but it does not involve a rights fee either. Rather, NBC has committed to cover some of the production costs. The deal calls for NBC to carry live 14 WSF events this year -- 12 on NBCSN and two on NBC. More events will be added in the next few years. The events will be held Friday and Saturday nights in the 9:00pm ET slot. NBC’s two live cards this year will air on July 5 and Dec. 27. The deal includes a big digital component. NBC will stream the undercard on its website, making it available to anyone with a broadband connection. It will stream the bigger matches on an authenticated TV Everywhere basis. Quinn said NBC also has committed to have its RSNs re-air some of the cards, and it plans to hold bouts in markets where it operates RSNs. Quinn: "Partnering up with our RSNs makes sense from a programming perspective." NBC will use Todd Harris on play-by-play and Bas Rutten as an analyst on the telecasts.
