NBCSports.com officially announced today a partnership with Strikeforce to broadcast the first weekly Mixed Martial Arts show on major network television in the US.
The weekly show will be called “Strikeforce on NBC” and will debut on April 12 in the 2am EST timeslot.
“Mixed martial arts has exploded onto the sports scene. Its athletes are tremendous competitors and the sport is one of the fastest growing in the world,” said Jerry Petry (NBC Universal Executive Vice President). “As a leader in this arena, Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of the finest and most intense action ever seen on broadcast TV.”
“It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce mixed martial arts product to one of the longest-standing and most well-respected national television platforms,” said Strikeforce Chief Executive Officer Scott Coker.
“NBC has a history of popular late Saturday TV and in the 80’s NBC’s ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ show helped catapult the popularity of professional wrestling. Strikeforce is looking to follow in suit and establish a legacy of its own on the network.”
The weekly show will feature past Strikeforce fights as well as fighter profile pieces.
While the International Fight League was the first to be on network television with their “IFL Battleground” show on MyNetwork TV, the Strikeforce-NBC deal is the first time a weekly MMA show will appear on one of the four major USA television networks. While the Strikeforce show isn’t in the most ideal timeslot, its just another step for MMA creeping into the “mainstream” world.
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Stop!!!
I had to get off my couch and go into another room to send you this e-mail.
Stop talking. I feel like I’m on a date with a beautiful girl that won’t stop yakking. I can think for myself — stop telling me what each fighter should be doing, what they’re not doing, and what you think they will be doing. Shut up and let me enjoy the fight. Otherwise, I’ll walk out, not pay the dinner bill, and never call you.
Another point, stop shrinking my screen and putting up the crappy, high-tech-looking graphics. I have a large screen for a reason, and it’s not for you. Always display the round and the time — in the CORNER of the screen, not over the fighter’s feet. Keep it small and dsiscrete.
You guys have a lot to learn.
Lol… you feel the same way about football, cause basically THATS WHAT COMMENTATORS DO.. THEY COMMENT… course i agree with the distraction of screen graphics.. those get silly… and opening each UFC event with that silly music and gaay gladiator gets old too… but hey.. go Strikeforce right.. lol
Remember that UFC event where the sound dropped out and all we could hear were the fight corners for the first round. Oh man, it was like 5 min in heaven hehe.