K2 Promotions Managing Dir Tom Loeffler said that Gennady Golovkin's win against Daniel Jacobs on March 18 "generated about 170,000 buys on HBO PPV." ESPN.com's Dan Rafael noted in his second fight as a PPV headliner, Golovkin saw "improvement from his first foray." His October '15 fight against David Lemieux "garnered 153,000 buys." However, Golovkin "probably did not pull in the kind of number against Jacobs ... that figures to make putting together a much anticipated" PPV fight with Canelo Alvarez "any easier" (ESPN.com, 3/27).
KNOCKING DOWN WALLS: The AFL has hired ViewLift as its lead digital platform partner. ViewLift already has relaunched the indoor league’s website and plans to develop over-the-top coverage, plus live and on-demand streaming functions. “This is a league with sophisticated owners,” said ViewLift CEO Rick Allen. “They’re very interested in being innovators in the sports field” (John Ourand, Staff Writer)
WHAT'S THE SKINNY? VARIETY's Todd Spangler cited sources as saying that Comcast is "rebranding its broadband-delivered 'skinny bundle' service as Xfinity Instant TV" and "plans to roll out the service across its U.S. footprint" in Q3. Comcast also will sell "bigger bundles for Xfinity Instant TV that include cable networks like ESPN priced at up to $40 per month," and is "looking to offer optional genre-channels packs." But the service "isn't an over-the-top play" like Dish's Sling TV or DirecTV Now. Rather, Xfinity Instant TV will be "available only to Comcast's broadband subscribers" in metro areas including Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Seattle and S.F. (VARIETY.com, 3/28).
