http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=A ... iao_010412
Top 10 PPV shows of 2011 (estimated figures for Dec. 30 Lesnar vs. Overeem are not available)
1. Boxing: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, Nov. 12; 1,410,000 buys
2. Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz, Sept. 19; 1,250,000 buys
3. Boxing: Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley, May 7; 1,100,000 buys
4. UFC 129: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields, April 30; 800,000 buys
5. UFC 126: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, Feb. 5; 725,000 buys
6. WWE WrestleMania 27: Headliners John Cena, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Miz, April 3; 680,000 buys
7. Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito, Dec. 3; 600,000 buys
8. UFC 133: Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson, Sept. 24; 520,000 buys
9. UFC 128: Jon Jones vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, March 19; 490,000 buys
10. UFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, Dec. 10; 480,000 buys.
Manny Pacquiao became the third fighter ever to headline two shows in one year that topped one million buys, establishing himself as the pay-per-view king of 2011.
In drawing 1.41 million buys for his Nov. 12 fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, coming on the heels of 1.10 million buys for his May 7 fight with Shane Mosley, Pacquiao joins Mike Tyson and Brock Lesnar in the select group.
Tyson headlined three shows in 1996 that topped the one million mark: against Evander Holyfield, Bruce Seldon and Frank Bruno. Lesnar, as UFC heavyweight champion, did so twice in 2010, with his title defense against Shane Carwin and title loss to Cain Velasquez.
While boxing had the top three marks of 2011, the injury-plagued UFC remained the most consistent producer of pay-per-view numbers for the sixth straight year. Of its 16 events in 2011, it had five of the top 10 and 12 of the top 17 shows for the year.
While no early estimates are in for the Dec. 30 fight between Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, it is likely to have been the company’s biggest or second-biggest show of the year. Through 15 events, UFC, which does not publicly release its numbers so it’s figures are derived from a number of industry sources, is estimated at 5.95 million total buys, or an average of 397,000 per event. Even factoring in what would be expected for Lesnar-Overeem, UFC, which had shown consistent growth from 2005 to 2010, would end up with its lowest numbers since 2007, a year when it produced only 10 PPV shows.
The number was a steep decline from 2010, when Zuffa set the all-time record for any promotional company with an estimated 9.15 million buys on 15 UFC-brand shows and one WEC-brand show.
Boxing is star-driven by comparison. Its success isn’t based on the promotional organization, championship titles or name of the event, but almost all falls on the shoulders of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of boxing’s 13 biggest PPV shows in 2011, eight were believed to have done fewer than 50,000 buys. But the recent Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito fight, doing 600,000 buys, was a strong sign because it was the first fight since the Tyson era to put up numbers that high that didn’t involve Pacquiao, Mayweather Jr. or Oscar De La Hoya.
A lot of quotes, but I thought it was a really interesting piece. I'd recommend everyone go read it, as there's plenty more. I left out most of the WWE talk, but for those who are interested, there's some of that in the article.
What jumped out at me is boxing's comeback, with 4 of the top 10 events and all of the top 3. Most importantly, one in the top 10 that didn't feature either Pacquiao or Mayweather. While it's not exactly "creating new stars" as both guys are over 30 and won't be carrying the torch after Mayweather and Pacman bow out, it's still got to be a nice thing to see for boxing fans.
The author suggests that the UFCs decline is largely due to injuries, which I agree with to some extent, but I think there's an element of over-saturation as well. Their 16 shows drew less total viewers than years past with fewer shows. Dana White is quoted as saying they are planning 13 PPVs next year, down from 16 this year, but with all the Fox/FX/Fuel shows, each event is still taking a big hit in quality.
