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« | Home | »

TMZ: Albrecht gone from HBO

By Zach Arnold | May 9, 2007

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In a story sure to raise the stakes between UFC & HBO, HBO CEO Chris Albrecht is now gone from the network. More information at the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Reuters. (Hat tip: MMAonTap.com.)

Albrecht was alluded to as a UFC backer according to boxing writer Charles Jay on Fight Opinion Radio (time – 58 minute mark).

Five Ounces of Pain: UFC TV stuff (about HBO & Spike TV)

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but the UFC’s response is very telling. Instead of coming up with a response that is vague, they showed no hesitation in throwing Spike TV under the bus. After reading their responses I can’t help but feel like it’s an attempt by the UFC to get people to write to Spike TV and complain.

Spike TV once dealt with a promoter who drew great ratings (Vince McMahon) and told him to hit the road.

Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

16 Responses to “TMZ: Albrecht gone from HBO”

  1. Euthyphro says:

    Did Spike throw Vince under the bus? I remember them wanting to keep Raw, but Vince getting a better cross-promotional deal from USA/NBC Universal

  2. Zach Arnold says:

    If memory serves me correct, Spike TV was paying a very high price per RAW show and with ratings declining, they offered less. WWE then went to USA Networks, but USA is supposedly paying way less than Spike TV was per show. In the end, it was reportedly personality conflicts that ended the Spike relationship.

  3. Body_Shots says:

    This is what annoys me about the folks we have covering MMA (referring to the five ounces of pain article). Not only can they conclude anything they want, but off those many baseless conclusions they then can create a number of doomsday scenarios. What about just waiting to see what happens? How about finding something concrete before you report that the sky is falling?

    “Ross Greenburg, the head of HBO Sports is an old-school boxing fan and is no friend of MMA. Without Albrecht around to prod him, I can’t envision a scenario where he takes on the initative of finalizing a deal. Until HBO names a new president, I don’t see any kind of deal getting done anytime soon.”

    Really? This would indicate that he knows where the HBO deal stands (and he doesn’t), keep in mind this is the same guy who ran around reporting that the deal was “signed, sealed and delivered.” Now it’s never going to get done.

    “Instead of coming up with a response that is vague, they showed no hesitation in throwing Spike TV under the bus.”

    They threw Spike TV under the bus? How so? By telling enquiring fans via email that they chose not cover it?

    Is it possible that the HBO deal could fall through now that Albrecht has resigned? Of course, but has there been any indication that deal is further along or has halted since Dana first proclaimed that the UFC would be on HBO in the summer? No.

    Will Spikes choice not air UFC 72 create a Great Valley like rift between UFC and Spike? Possibly, I’d doubt it but is there any indication there relationship is any different now than it was a week ago? No.

    Less hyperboles and specualtion, more facts and substance please.

  4. Rollo the Cat says:

    I think it fair to speculate about the future of the HBO negotiations but I see your point about taking it too far. What we need to know is if there is someone else at HBO who supports the UFC. From the beginning it was the higher ups at HBO against the sports department. We know the sports guys don’t want it, but they can be overuled. They are irrelevant. So, who is in charge and what are their tastes in sports and entertainment?

  5. Mr. Roadblock says:

    If I recall correctly Vince was getting $500k per episode of Raw to produce the show under his Spike TV deal. .

  6. Grape Knee High says:

    “Not only can they conclude anything they want, but off those many baseless conclusions they then can create a number of doomsday scenarios. What about just waiting to see what happens? How about finding something concrete before you report that the sky is falling?”

    MMA websites have the same choices available that mainstream media does. Given that the mainstream media — not to even mention tabloid journalism and other muckrakers — always chooses hyperbolic, sensationalistic stories teeming with idle speculation over actual responsible journalism, I’m finally starting to realize that maybe it’s just too much to ask for from MMA bloggers.

    Hyperbole sells. Facts do not.

  7. You guys have to understand that ‘stuff’ doesn’t just happen … decisions are made and there are always reasons behind it. Spike and UFC said UFC72 would be on Spike. Now it’s not. There was lots of room to move on explaining the decision, but rather than use standard business protocol and non-specifically boo-haa the switch, the UFC is publicly stating that Spike TV has decided not to carry the show. What does this mean? We don’t know. But it means something and it’s worth discussing.

    Past that point, there’s only so many things to talk about on any given day regarding MMA. Blogs are out there to extrapolate on situations and provide commentary and insight into what’s possibly going on beyond the known facts. Sam Caplan does his reporting over at CBS Sportsline. If you want to judge his journalism, you should limit your scope to the stuff that actually falls under that banner.

  8. 45 Huddle says:

    The greatest strength about this site is sometimes it’s greatest weakness. It gets great scoops, but sometimes presses too hard for stories that just aren’t there.

  9. Body_Shots says:

    Spike and UFC said UFC72 would be on Spike. Now it’s not.

    Do you have a link to the press release UFC or Spike sent out to confirm that? Because I had no clue how they were going to air this card until recently.

    The only thing that’s changed (to my knowledge) is the information on the UFC website. The same website that’s responding to enquiring fans, I wouldn’t characterize this as a public spat.

  10. liger05 says:

    Is it true that the card for UFC 72 is so poor cos fighters refused to go to Belfast? If thats true thats BS!!!

  11. Mike says:

    Given that the mainstream media — not to even mention tabloid journalism and other muckrakers — always chooses hyperbolic, sensationalistic stories teeming with idle speculation over actual responsible journalism

    Always? Sounds like someone is engaging in hyperbole himself.

  12. 45 Huddle says:

    SpikeTV had the chance to broadcast UFC 72, but turned it down. Zuffa isn’t stupid, they know the card ain’t PPV quality. But they are doing the right thing by giving fans the chance to see it if they want to.

  13. Grape Knee High says:

    Mike: “Always? Sounds like someone is engaging in hyperbole himself.”

    LOL, fair enough. Exchange “always” with “often”.

    Fightlinker.com: “Past that point, there’s only so many things to talk about on any given day regarding MMA. Blogs are out there to extrapolate on situations and provide commentary and insight into what’s possibly going on beyond the known facts.”

    Definitely true. But what we are talking about is that sensationalistic, overblown negative commentary is what sells and gets reactions. If bloggers used reasonable scenarios — applied Occam’s Razor instead of letting their imaginations run wild — no one would bat an eye at the daily MMA “news”. Look at the Zach’s mentions of Hustle using DSE’s offices. Zach took digs at me for “having blinders on”, yet it turned out I was right by suggesting one of the reasons that it might be happening is that the sale to Zuffa had not officially occurred yet. But I guess it’s way more interesting to suggest impropriety even when a more logical explanation exists.

  14. Zach Arnold says:

    Look at the Zach’s mentions of Hustle using DSE’s offices. Zach took digs at me for “having blinders on”, yet it turned out I was right by suggesting one of the reasons that it might be happening is that the sale to Zuffa had not officially occurred yet. But I guess it’s way more interesting to suggest impropriety even when a more logical explanation exists.

    You mean to tell me that a sale never happened and that UFC is/was performing due diligence on the PRIDE assets?

    Here’s a newsflash – I intimated on this web site that due diligence hadn’t occurred yet when the March 27th presser happened and got absolutely crushed by commenters who laughed at me and said that it was ridiculous to suggest that UFC hadn’t already done due diligence before the public handshake session.

    In regards to the Hustle situation, it’s a totally valid story because the office angle took place after the May 1st ‘deadline’ that Sakakibara stated publicly for the asset transfer.

  15. Grape Knee High says:

    “Here’s a newsflash – I intimated on this web site that due diligence hadn’t occurred yet when the March 27th presser happened and got absolutely crushed by commenters who laughed at me and said that it was ridiculous to suggest that UFC hadn’t already done due diligence before the public handshake session.”

    Zach, that is a totally different issue and has nothing to do with the Hustle situation.

  16. […] the name Chris Albrecht ring a bell to you? If not, it should. Albrecht was the major influence at HBo who attempted to spearhead a deal between the network and […]

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