Today the organization got another boost as the final DVR numbers came in, raising the average viewer number from 488,000 to 517,000. The figure makes it the third-most viewed GLORY broadcast on Spike TV since the broadcasts started with GLORY 11 CHICAGO.
The number of males aged 18-34 using their DVR to record GLORY 21 has particularly excited the promotion as there was a 245% uplift vs. the amount who DVR’d the preceding show, last month’s GLORY 20 DUBAI.
For people, male or female, aged 18-49 the overall uplift from the last show was 60%, rising to 69% for males aged 18-49.
“I think the big takeaway from the increased DVR numbers is that they indicate the continual growth of a core fan base in the US which does not want to miss the action and is recording the show if they are unable to watch the live broadcast,” says GLORY CEO Jon Franklin.
“GLORY 21 also benefited from being the first show with Bill Goldberg on the team I think; he has brought real energy to the show and of course has a big following of his own. This show started at 11pm ET, later than our usual, and while initially we wondered what impact that would have, it seems now that it could be beneficial because it meant not going head-to-head with other sports programming.
“It is also worth noting that two of GLORY’s three most viewed shows on Spike TV have been this year. GLORY 19 comes in at #2 with 542,000 viewers and GLORY 21 at #3 with 517,000. The #1 slot is occupied by GLORY 13 which came at the end of 2013.
“So that’s interesting; last year we had some show cancellations and some inconsistencies whereas this year things have run according to schedule. I think that consistency is a key part in building the viewer base.”
According to Franklin the minute-by-minute breakdowns show that audience numbers peaked in the final part of the live broadcast. That is also being read as an encouraging sign as it can be an indicator that viewers are impressed with what they are watching and are messaging friends and family to tune in while the broadcast is still underway.
GLORY’s next event takes place in France on June 5. The show is selling well in terms of live audience, with 2,000 tickets sold in the first week of being on sale, but as it is taking place in Europe it will air in the US on tape-delay, and that traditionally has posed issues for sports broadcasters.
“That is true, traditionally,” acknowledges Franklin. “But GLORY is an international organization and there has been a lot of demand for a show in Northern Europe for some time now, so we couldn’t really ignore that any longer.
“We’re hopeful the momentum continues although we are of course aware that a certain percentage of fans may well use the internet to follow the event in real-time rather than wait for the tape-delay broadcast on Spike TV. Such is the nature of international sports event programming. It’s a factor in every sport, not just ours.”
GLORY 22 FRANCE is headlined by Rico Verhoeven defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Romanian contender Benjamin Adegbuyi and also features a strong four-man Lightweight Contender Tournament (Davit Kiria, Sittichai, Josh Jauncey, Niclas Larsen) plus the return of Zack Mwekassa.
About the author
