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Despite a significantly reduced budget in recent years despite maintaining the facade as a destination for boxing on high-end cable, HBO announced Thursday that it would leave the sector of combat after 2018 after 45 years.
A HBO Sports press release confirmed the initial report of The New York Times, which ended an era where the network was bringing class value and high production value to the sport, which included several of the biggest pay-per-view events in history and a groundbreaking documentary combat documentary lineup that debuted in 2007.
"In 2019, we will turn away from live boxing programming on HBO," the statement said. "As always, we will remain open to events that fit our schedule, which could include boxing, but not in the foreseeable future.We are deeply grateful to the many brave fighters we have had the chance to cover the career.
"We are a storytelling platform, and the future will see unscripted series, long-form documentaries, reality shows, sports journalism, special events and more exceptional content from HBO Sports."
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HBO debuted in boxing with the knockout stages of George Foreman in his heavyweight championship game on Jan. 22, 1973 and recently produced the much-anticipated match between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight title. Currently, the only remaining show scheduled for HBO is a 27 October card at Madison Square Garden in New York, titled by an IBF middleweight title bout between Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
The reason for the departure of the sports network is centered on a decrease in the number of viewers. Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports, told The New York Times that boxing shows in 2018 averaged 820,000 viewers for HBO, representing just 2% of the total audience.
"Boxing has been part of our legacy for decades," the HBO statement said. "Meanwhile, the sport has undergone a transformation and is now widely available on a multitude of networks and streaming services.There is more boxing than ever televised and distributed.In some cases, this programming is very good. entertainment point of view, it's not unique. "
Although Showtime has emerged as a viable competitor over the past 25 years, there is no doubt that HBO Sports has gained the majority of its reputation as a boxing broadcaster, particularly after the transition from networked television. HBO was also the undisputed king of TVC events until Showtime, after the acquisition of Floyd Mayweather in 2013, began to level the playing field.
Over the last five years, Showtime has evened and eventually overshadowed HBO as the premier boxing network, thanks largely to its relationship with Premier Boxing Champions founder, Al Haymon. Last month, Showtime announced a three-year extension with PBC.
The release of HBO also comes in a calendar year that has seen the broadcasting landscape evolve dramatically within the sport. Fox joined Showtime by announcing deals with PBC while Top Rank let HBO sign with ESPN, which included a recent seven-year extension covering the ESPN + streaming platform. Matchroom Sport's Eddie Hearn also caused a stir by signing a $ 1 billion, eight-year, exclusive deal to promote US fighting on the DAZN app, which held its first card last Saturday. with heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
The New York Times reported that the boxing team announced by HBO, which includes Max Kellerman, Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Ward, should remain in the network only with Jim Lampley. It's unclear if HBO will continue to produce its monthly boxing show called "The Fight Game with Jim Lampley".
The only boxing schedule scheduled for 2019 to date on HBO is the multi-part documentary titled "What's My Name?" Muhammad Ali "lists NBA star LeBron James as executive producer.
The news is also expected to create an intense bidding war between the two biggest names in the network, Alvarez and Golovkin, who both saw their exclusive HBO contracts expire with their revenge in September and face off for the third time in 2019.
Earlier this month, HBO declined the option of televising a return match between Eleider Alvarez and former champion Sergey Kovalev, just months after Alvarez returned to the network. The bout was then signed by ESPN and the HBO decision was seen as a harbinger of Thursday's announcement.
In terms of statistics, HBO aired a total of 1,111 fights over 45 years and launched its "Boxing After Dark" series on February 3, 1996, with a memorable action bout between Marco Antonio Barrera and Kennedy McKinney. Overall, Jones and Oscar De La Hoya are tied with the largest number of HBO fighters with 32 while Mayweather and Shane Mosley are tied with 27. Manny Pacquiao (24), Miguel Cotto (24) ), Lennox Lewis (23), Bernard Hopkins (23), Wladimir Klitschko (22) and Arturo Gatti (21) complete the top 10.
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