Bellator FC's New Home Will Be MTV2, Not FX... Did Bellator Just Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory?

As the upstart Bellator FC promotion continues to grow and attract viewers, many are wondering what the future holds for the promotion’s efforts on television. Bellator has suffered through a much-maligned partnership with Fox Sports Net, with many of their shows being tape-delayed and preempted. Earlier this month it was rumored that Bellator would be switching from FSN to the more-popular FX network, and now Bellator’s future on TV has finally been decided. Coming way out of left field, Bellator recently announced that they had signed a three-year deal with MTV2. Here are all the details.

MMA Weekly brings word of the deal, which will see Bellator makes its 2011 debut on MTV2 with a full twelve-week season of tournament action. MTV2 is expected to air two full seasons of Bellator throughout this three-year partnership, along with “special feature” events to be revealed at a later date. The only major detail revealed is that Bellator’s tentative debut on the network is pegged for March 2011. Eric Conte, an executive with MTV2, had this to say: “MTV2 is the perfect home for the intense mixed martial arts action of Bellator… Partnering with Bellator to bring live events and specials to MTV2 made complete sense since our viewers are so hungry to see more MMA.”

We then head to MMA Junkie for some very interesting quotes from Bjorn Rebney, Bellator’s CEO. Rebney recently said the following: “There is absolutely no question our first choice was MTV2… The biggest concentration of men ages 12-34 is on MTV2. It’s the same demo that lives and breathes MMA… If you were to carve out the perfect demographic … this is it… This partnership – and I say partnership – is magical.”

I hate to rain on Bellator’s parade, but the general feelings regarding this move don’t seem to be as positive as I think Bellator hoped they would be. In countless online message boards and discussion forums, the early-on general consensus seems to be “MTV2 is a whole lot better than FSN, but not as good as FX”. I agree wholeheartedly, and furthermore, I think this reaction has to do with the differences in brand reputation when the two networks (MTV2 and FX) are compared.

What do you think of when you think MTV? If your brain didn’t immediately warp to shows like “The Jersey Shore”, consider yourself one of the few. It’s true that the MTV network does have a huge chunk of the demographic that makes up MMA fans… but just having that demographic doesn’t automatically make them MMA fans. In a nutshell: not all Males 18-34 are MMA fans, it just so happens that MMA fans are usually Males 18-34.

Now, think of FX. As I stated in a previous article, FX has built this reputation of being a cutting-edge channel that pushes cable TV’s Standards and Practices to their limit with fantastic shows featuring dark characters, plenty of swearing, and even occasional nudity. FX is a channel that takes chances with its original programming, if Bellator had signed with them, it would have sent a strong message that this is a promotion worth watching.

In the end, I think Bellator would have had more long-term potential to expand had they signed with FX rather than MTV. But as it stands, Bellator is looking at a very lucrative potential market and a far better TV deal than the one they have now. They’ll be fighting against the negative stereotypes that come with being associated with MTV, especially in the minds of the hardcore MMA fans that have so far made up the bulk of the promotion’s following, but it’s certainly not a battle that can’t be won. All in all, I think Bellator FC will have a very, very interesting 2011. I’ll definitely be paying close attention to the promotion to see whether or not this gamble will pay off.

And what about you, fans and friends? MTV2 or FX? How smart was Bellator’s decision?