With Bellator Fighting Championships' fifth season in full swing, many things are going right for the promotion.
Bellator's tournament format continues to produce intrigue, some major title fights are just weeks away, and the organization is reaching more viewers thanks to broadcast/streaming deals with the high-definition EPIX channel and Spike.com.
But as CEO and chairman Bjorn Rebney recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), those Saturday-night time slots remain a constant source of discussion.
Bellator, which has promoted 54 shows since its 2009 debut, now airs on MTV2 on Saturday nights. But those events frequently face competition from the UFC, Strikeforce and other weekend-loving promotions. And though it's hard to determine if it's solely that competition that's affecting ratings – season-five Bellator events have peaked with up to 269,000 viewers and recently bottomed out with 103,000 – MMA fans often are forced to make a choice.
Rebney, of course, knows that.
"We've had some consistent amount of investigation and due diligence into what's the best time, the best day," he told MMAjunkie.com soon after the organization announced its preliminary-card streaming deal with Spike.com. "Where can we reach the largest number of consumers with the Bellator product we've been putting out there?
"Those conversation are always happening, we're always talking about it, always thinking there might be a better fit and looking at every single piece of information ... to find the best day to reach the largest number of people."
Saturday events obviously make it easier to sell tickets, and Rebney said the remaining five season-five events will stay in their Saturday slots.
But next season?
"In season six when we kick off in the first quarter of 2012, it remains to be seen," he said. "We're not dead set on any specific [time slot] when we determine what's best.
"We try to consistently evolve. We consistently try to move the bar forward and move the bar up."
Of course, that decision ultimately could be the byproduct of another situation. As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, Spike TV and Bellator finds itself in precarious position. The UFC moves to the FOX TV family in 2012, and "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show and UFC Fight Night event series both move from Spike TV to FX. Viacom officials have told MMAjunkie.com the company has every intention of putting Bellator on Spike TV, but they can't do so right away. Spike TV owns the UFC's library rights until 2013, and as long as that's the case, a competing organization's live shows can't air on the cable station.
The problem could be alleviated if the UFC buys back those rights, but UFC president Dana White said that's unlikely to happen. And if that's the case, Bellator is likely to remain on MTV2, a sister station with far fewer viewers, through next year.
But whatever ultimately happens with Bellator and whatever night it eventually moves to, don't expect cut-throat counter-programming tactics from the UFC and White. While the UFC's head honcho has celebrated the downfall of organizations such as EliteXC and Affliction, he doesn't hold the same animosity for Bellator.
And besides, Bellator chose its Saturday-night time slots knowing full well it'd be going head to head with the UFC. Some Bellator event start times have been moved up a few hours to lessen the impact, but especially this fall, nearly every Saturday night features a UFC/Bellator twin billing.
"You've never heard me say anything about [Bellator]," White recently told MMAjunkie.com. "I have no beef with them whatsoever. We're doing our thing, and they're doing their thing.
"I know you guys want me to say, 'Yeah, [expletive] them.' But if you look back throughout history, all these guys that people say, 'Oh, he goes out to hurt and kill all these other promotions,' I've gone after the promotions that have come after me. When you come out and talk a bunch of [expletive] about our company and how we're doing business and how you're going to take us down and beat us, now you've picked a fight. And now we're going to fight until somebody wins and somebody loses. That's the way it's traditionally gone with these other companies out there.
"The people from Bellator, they've never said anything about us or our business or the way we do business. And I have nothing (bad) to say about them either. They're out there doing their thing, and good for them."
Source: Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney says events could move to new night in sixth season