BELLATOR MMA GOES GLOBAL IN 2016
Fast-Rising Mixed Martial Arts Promotion To Hold Events In London, Tel Aviv, and Italy in 2016
Marks The First Time Bellator MMA Will Hold LIVE Events Outside of North America
New York, NY - November 17, 2015 - Bellator MMA, the emerging mixed martial arts promotion, will hold its first three events outside of North America in 2016, with stops planned in London, Tel Aviv, and Italy. The announcement was made today by Scott Coker, President, Bellator MMA.
The event in London will be held at the O2 Arena with the main card broadcast LIVE on Channel 5 in the UK and on tape-delay on Spike TV in the U.S. Also, Spike UK will broadcast the prelims LIVE in the United Kingdom.
"We are thrilled to bring the incredible excitement of hard-hitting Bellator action featuring some of the best athletes in the world to our new global partners in the UK, Israel, and Italy," said Coker. "The London event is especially encouraging as we will broadcast the main card in the UK on one of the country's most-distributed broadcast channels, Channel 5."
In Israel, the Bellator MMA broadcast will air locally on Ego Total.
Details on all three international fight cards will be announced in the coming months.
Bellator MMA's action-packed fight cards can be seen in 135 countries and territories worldwide. In the U.S. on Spike, LIVE Bellator events are averaging 872,000 viewers in 2015 with a +17% increase in the key demographic of Men 18-49 versus last year. In June, the Kimbo Slice-Ken Shamrock fight delivered 2.8 million viewers, the most-watched MMA fight on television in the U.S. since January.
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 93.1 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com.
About Channel 5
Channel 5 launched as Britain's fifth public service channel in March 1997. It reaches 4 in 5 of the UK viewing public each month with a broad mix of popular content. Sister channels 5*, 5USA and Spike UK complement Channel 5 with a mix of original commissions, and acquired entertainment and U.S. drama, while Demand 5 is a free catch up service available across multiple platforms and devices. In 2014, Channel 5 was the only major commercial free-to-air network to grow audience share across the most valuable TV audiences. Since September 2014, Channel 5 has been owned by Viacom International Media Networks.
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