In Demand officials said that the company has "found its footing in an evolving PPV events ring and is poised for a breakout year" in '20, despite losing monthly UFC events to ESPN+ in March, according to R. Thomas Umstead of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. In Demand has "reached multi-event distribution deals" with PBC and All Elite Wrestling that will "provide at least eight PPV events for its cable affiliates, representing more than 60 million subscribers." With negotiations for other high-profile events currently ongoing, In Demand execs said that the "reports of the PPV industry's death at the hands of growing sports streaming services is highly exaggerated." The Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz fight on Nov. 23 was the "sixth major PPV boxing event In Demand distributed" in '19, with four of those fights "coming from PBC and Fox Sports." Integrated Sports Marketing President Bruce Binkow, whose company reps PBC, said that the company is "bullish about In Demand and the PPV event category." For In Demand, its deal with PBC/Fox Sports "solidifies a lineup of marquee PPV fights" in '20 that "offer revenue opportunities for affiliates." One of next year's first major events "could be a potential Feb. 22 heavyweight title rematch between Wilder and Tyson Fury." In Demand's PPV event prospects for '20 "look a lot more promising than they did" in early '19 (MULTICHANNEL.com, 12/2).
