UFC
UFC on Fox 3 overnight ratings show 2.25 million viewers, top mark in UFC's key demographic
May 6, 2012 - 10:00:50 PM

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The overnight ratings are out for last night's UFC on Fox 3 event from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford New Jersey, and the numbers are down significantly from the first two UFC events on the network.

Last November's debut event, while it featured just one fight, peaked with 8.8 million viewers and averaged nearly six million viewers for the hour long broadcast. January's overnight rating was a 2.0 among 18-49 year olds with 3.8 million viewers for the first hour and 4.77 million for the second.

The UFC on Fox 3 event was the top rated event in its timeslot in the adults 18-49 demographic, drawing a 1.0, but it drew just 2.25 million average viewers overall, according to TVByTheNumbers.com. The number will increase when the full ratings come in, but it will still come in as the least watched event of the three on Fox.

For its timeslot, Fox was the third most watched network in total viewers on Saturday night, behind CBS and ABC.

Penick's Analysis: This isn't surprising in the least. The name value of fighters decreased significantly for this event from the previous two, and while the UFC's brand does draw some viewers in regardless, it's names that bring in big numbers in viewership. That should be the clear sign of this to the UFC. The number was also hurt by being the same night as Floyd Mayweather's big bout with Miguel Cotto, regardless of the sentiment from the UFC that viewers would tune in for their event, then tune in to the pay-per-view afterward. It was also Cinco de Mayo, a night many in the UFC's key demographic would be spending out of the house. It's something they'll need to look into moving forward with their Fox events, and they'll need to figure out a balance between relevant fights and big names to draw a wider audience.