Bellator president Scott Coker isn’t worried about ratings.
Since Spike made the transition to The Paramount Network, there has been an adjustment period. While Bellator had been enjoying decent ratings sometimes raking in between 800,000 to over one million viewers, it hasn’t been smooth sailing since the transition.
Take a look at ratings for Bellator 198. That card was headlined by a Heavyweight Grand Prix match between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir. The Paramount Network broadcast drew 581,000, while the CMT airing took in 169,000 viewers. While the number makes for 750,000 in total, Spike used to draw higher numbers than the two broadcasts combined.
Scott Coker told MMAJunkie.com that Belaltor isn’t immune to the highs and lows of cable television:
“Ratings are tricky, because you’re going to go through peaks and valleys. The Fedor fight obviously did amazing; the (Quinton) ‘Rampage’ (Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen) fight did amazing. But it’s no different than pro wrestling was for the last 15 years. It’s going to go (up and down). This is the type of business that has that type of fluctuation. We’re not going to be immune to that. We’re just going to be part of that process. When you talk about combat sports in the middle of NBA Finals and hockey and all this sports clutter, we’re doing well.”
Bellator 199 drew 453,000 viewers on The Paramount Network and 152,000 on CMT. That event was going up against UFC 224 and a highly anticipated boxing match on ESPN featuring Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jorge Linares.
Next up for the promotion is Bellator 200 on May 25. That card will be aired via tape delay. Headlining the card will be heavyweights Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson. Gegard Mousasi will also challenge Rafael Carvalho for the middleweight title. Stick with MMANews.com as we’ll be providing coverage of the card.
Can Bellator’s ratings get back on track?
