This is the full press release from Josh Hedges at Zuffa.ÿ Zuffa has teamed up with the company that created Survivor, to develop a reality MMA show to be pitched to media moguls very, very soon.ÿ Read More for the full press release…
Contact:ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
ÿJack Taylor, 702-221-4790; or, 702-349-0176, Ultimate Fighting Championship
ÿRachel Barney, 818 380 8000, LMNO Productions
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ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP, LMNO PRODUCTIONS
READY TO “GET IT ON” IN PRIMETIMEÿ
Leading mixed martial arts sports company to expand brand into mainstream TV
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ LAS VEGAS, April 24, 2002..Officials of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and LMNO Productions of Los Angeles, Calif., today announced they have signed an agreement to bring UFC to broadcast television.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the worlds pre-eminent fight promotion that brings together world-class, mixed martial artists (MMA) from disciplines such as karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, sumo and others in a quest to become an ultimate fighting champion.
“The UFC is the only real fighting sport that is available to fans on every pay-per-view television platform in the United States. Presently UFC events air in over 52 million households on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, the Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. With our amazing success in pay-per-view the timing is prefect to develop a weekly program based on the only original brand. We have the premier fighters, the experience and credibility, ” said Dana F. White, UFC president.
LMNO `s CEO Eric Schotz said his company will develop multiple ideas for broadcasters including a weekly program as well as a large scale network reality series. “Ultimate Fighting is a quality brand name sport that until now was virtually untapped onÿ network or cable TV.” Schotz said, “Ultimate Fighting Championship is a rare blend,” he added. “It has all the entertainment value of WWF, but it is completely real. There is nothing like it on the air.”
UFC/LMNO Productions – add one
The UFC was purchased in January 2001 by Zuffa LLC ofÿ Las Vegas, Nev. The new owners, Frank J. III and Lorenzo J. Fertitta designed a marketing strategy to take the UFC to pay-per-view television prominence and into the mainstream of sports in the U.S. and internationally.
The once “no holds barred” sport has made a dramatic transformation since Zuffa took over in 2001. In addition to new rules and new fighters, the sport is now officially sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the New Jersey Athletic Control Board.
Now the fans cant get enough . After two sellouts in New Jersey at the Trump Taj Mahal and Meadowlands Arena, the UFC held two fight events in Las Vegas,ÿ September 28 at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino and November 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Both ranked in the top 10 list of fight gate receipts for 2001 published by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. On March 22, 2002, UFC enjoyed another sell-out at the MGM Grand, which is the highest-grossing fight gate receipt in 2002 in Nevada.
LMNO (Leave My Name Off) Productions is one of the foremost providers of reality-based programming for network, cable and syndicated television.ÿ Some of its high-profile credits include the FOX series, “Boot Camp”; the CBS series “Kids Say The Darndest Things,” hosted by Bill Cosby; the FOX series, “Guinness World Records: Primetime”; and “Behind Closed Doors With Joan Lunden.”ÿ Currently, LMNO is producing the series “I Want A Husband: Alaska” for FOX; the new primetime series, “Sidelines,” for ESPN; the third season of “Behind Closed Doors With Joan Lunden” for A&E; “Final Justice” for Lifetime; “Intuition” for the Game Show Network; “Cold Clues” for Court TV; “Travel Channel Secrets,” “Best of” and “Destination Earth” for the Travel Channel as well as several hours of programming for Discovery Health Channel.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ (more)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the worlds leading mixed martial arts (MMA) fight promotion.ÿ It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has distribution agreements with WOWOW, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan; British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in London, England, and Globosat Programadora LTDA and Sportv in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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