THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® ON FX WINS BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT

TUF^™ 17 Finale Scores 1.71 Million Total Viewers and 1.16 Million Adults 18-49

Marking Series Highs for FX

FX Was the #1 Network in All of Television Saturday Night in Men 18-34 and #2 in Men 18-49

Finale Was TV’s Most-Watched Show in Men 18-34 in Primetime on Saturday Night

The Ultimate Fighter 17 was FX’s Highest-Rated Season

as TUF Officially Moves to FOX Sports 1 on September 4

LOS ANGELES, April 16, 2013 – The Ultimate Fighter^® went out on top, as FX’s last telecast of the series (4/13/2013) scored FX series highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while the entire 17^thinstallment was FX’s highest-rated of the series.

The TUF^™  17 finale, which saw Kelvin Gastelum named “The Ultimate Fighter” with a split decision upset win over heavily favored Uriah Hall, scored 1.71 million Total Viewers and 1.16 Million Adults 18-49, marking series highs for FX.  For the night, FX ranked #1 in Men 18-34 outright, beating all broadcast and cable networks, while Men 18-49 was the highest-rated in basic cable and second highest-rated overall, behind only FOX which aired NASCAR.  

The finale was the most-watched show in all of television in Men 18-34 in primetime on Saturday night, and second most-watched among M18-49, behind only NASCAR on FOX. 

Men 18-49, Adults 18-34, Men 18-34, Adults 25-54, Men 25-54 and Women 25-54 also scored series highs.  The 17^th season as a whole averaged 1.32 million Total Viewers and 921,000 Adults 18-49, increases of +45% and +41%, respectively, vs. TUF 16.

The Ultimate Fighter will move to FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports’ newly minted multi-sport national cable channel, when it returns in September. The next installment, featuring UFC^® women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano as coaches, also moves to Wednesday evening at 10:00 PM ET. FS1 launches Saturday, Aug. 17 and season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter premieres Wednesday, Sept. 4 (10:00 PM ET).

“This was a great way to end The Ultimate Fighter’s run on FX,” said Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks.  “I want to thank Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta as well as Craig Piligian on three amazing seasons of the series.  I wish them all nothing but the best in their move to FOX Sports 1.” 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship^®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter^®.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries and territories, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 30 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed^® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM^®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo^® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series, including Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Americans, and the upcoming drama series The Bridge (July 2013); the miniseries American Horror Story; and the acclaimed hit comedy series Louie, Archer and  Wilfred. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's roster of acquired hit series includes Two and a Half Men, Anger Management and, coming in 2014, Mike & Molly.

SPIKE TV’S FIRST SEASON OF BELLATOR MMA DELIVERS KNOCKOUT RATINGS FOR NETWORK

New York, NY – April 10, 2013 – Spike TV’s debut season Bellator MMA was a ratings success for the network, delivering an average of 861,000 viewers, culminating with 952,000 viewers for its finale event this past Thursday, April 4.  Emanating from venues all around the country, Bellator’s live events on Spike TV improved the timeslot (Thursdays from 10pm-12:00am) in the hard-to-reach male demographic of Men 25-34 by 36% (compared to last year).

Bellator’s shift from MTV2 to Spike TV proved to be a ratings bonanza for the rising MMA league. The most recent season 8 on Spike TV delivered +388% more viewers than Season 7 on MTV 2 and +403% more viewers than Season 6.  Also of note, the weekly encore presentation of the Bellator events drew an average of 336,000 on Thursday night (12:00-2:00am) – thus the weekly cume was an impressive 1,197,000 viewers.

Competitively, Bellator MMA consistently placed in the top 10 in cable among Men 18-34 and Men 18-49 in the timeslot. For the live finale last week, Bellator placed #6 with Men 18-49 with a 0.7 rating. Also, Bellator’s April 4 event was a hit on social media as it ranked #5 on cable for tweets during episode airtime, the highest during this season.       

“As the television home of mixed martial arts, we were thrilled to deliver to our fans an exciting, action-packed live Bellator event each week with the compelling story-telling and high production values viewers expect from Spike,” said Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV.  

“The response from fans on television and in-arena was tremendous this season,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Our partners at Spike have given Bellator an enormous platform to showcase some of the best mixed martial arts on the planet.  And…this is just the beginning”

(*delivery numbers includes time-shifting)

Week 8 of The Ultimate Fighter Hits Season Highs in Ratings

Week 8 of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays on FX delivered season highs in Total Viewers (1,061), Adults 18-34 (443), Women 18-49 (275) and Women 18-34 (174), while Adults 18-49 (736) and Men 18-49 (461) hit four-week highs.  Week-to-week gains were strong across the board:

·        A18-49: +47% (736 vs. 502)

·        M18-49: +29% (461 vs. 356)

·        W18-49: +90% (275 vs. 145)

·        A18-34: +73% (443 vs. 256)

·        M18-34: +60% (269 vs. 168)

·        W18-34: +100% (174 vs. 87)

                                                                                                                                                    

TUF in its Time Period:  TUF ranked #3 in M18-49 (461) and M25-54 (436), while all Adult demos placed within the Top 5 (A18-49: #4, A18-34: #4 and A25-54: #5).  For example, in M18-49, TUF (461) trailed NBA on ESPN (1,462) and Jungle Gold on Discovery (993), but was ahead of all other FX competitors:

·        #4 American Dad on Adult Swim (430) by +7%

·        #5 movies: The Book of Eli/War of the Worlds on TNT (384) by +20%

·        #6 movie: The Longest Yard on TBS (323) by +43%

·        and #16 Law & Order: SVU on USA (158) by +192%

FX for the Night  (Primetime):  The combination of movie: The Karate Kid and TUF ranked FX #3 for the night in A/M18-34 (415/245), and #4 in A/M18-49 (695/396), W18-34 (170) and M25-54 (363).  FX was comfortably above the following nets:

·        #4 Syfy by +17% (355)

·        #5 TNT by +24% (334)

·        #6 Adult Swim by +35% (307)

·        #7 TBS by +40% (297)

·        #12 USA by +120% (189)

FORMER VETERAN BOXING JUDGE CHUCK GIAMPA APPOINTED TO SERVE AS RATINGS CHAIRMAN FOR THE RING MAGAZINE

LOS ANGELES, CA (Oct. 8) - Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC announced today that Chuck Giampa, who served as a top boxing judge for decades in the sport, has been named ratings chairman for THE RING Magazine, the international best selling boxing magazine which was founded in 1922.  THE RING, long considered by the industry as the "The Bible of Boxing," pioneered the concept of boxing rankings and has been awarding the prestigious Ring Championship belt to genuine world champions since heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey first received the belt in 1922. THE RING Ratings are compiled by the Ratings Chairman, the Editorial Board, and the Ratings Panel consisting of leading boxing journalists from around the world. Fights qualifying for the THE RING Championship belt are determined by the Ratings Chairman and the Editorial Board under the guidance of THE RING's Championship Policy.  Since then, over 300 additional Ring Champions have been crowned, with the most recent Ring Champion being Junior Welterweight, Danny Garcia on July 14, 2012. Giampa was appointed as a judge in 1984 and has had an illustrious career, judging many memorable championship fights including the Holyfield-Tyson II "Bite Night" fight and the Holyfield-Bowe "Fan Man" fight.  He has judged over 130 world championship fights in addition to many regional and international title fights in Italy, England, Wales, France, Germany, Panama, Argentina, Korea and Japan.  He retired from his position as a boxing judge in 2008 to pursue a career as a boxing consultant and continue as a sports columnist. "I love boxing and have stayed very involved in the sport since my retirement as a top boxing judge," said Giampa, who has recently spent his time as an international boxing consultant and sports columnist.  "I am honored to accept this position as THE RING Magazine Ratings Chairman and look forward to guiding the process of selecting future champions for THE RINGMagazine. I know how important it is for fighters to receive this title and I will make sure the process of selecting these worthy champions is fair and of the highest standards." About THE RING Magazine: THE RING Magazine is owned and published by Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC and has been in publication for over 90 years.  THE RING Ratings are compiled by the Ratings Chairman, the Editorial Board, and the Ratings Panel consisting of leading boxing journalists from around the world. Fights qualifying for the THE RING Championship belt are determined by the Ratings Chairman and the Editorial Board under the guidance of THE RING's Championship Policy.  THE RING Ratings and Championship Policies can be found at ringtv.craveonline.com/ratings and also below.  THE RING RATINGS POLICY - The criteria by which THE RING rates fighters is as follows, in order of importance: (1) Results: This is the most objective criterion and takes precedence over all others. (2) Performance: How a fighter performs in a victory or defeat can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings. (3) Track record: A fighter's accomplishments in the recent past can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings, which includes quality of opposition. THE RING CHAMPIONSHIP POLICY - Championship vacancies can be filled in the following two ways: 1. THE RING's Nos. 1 and 2 contenders fight one another. 2. If the Nos. 1 and 2 contenders chose not to fight one another and either of them fights No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5, the winner may be awarded THE RING belt if the Ratings Chairman and Editorial Board deem the contenders worthy.  There are the seven situations in which a Ring Champion can lose his belt: (1) The Champion loses a fight in the weight class in which he is Champion. (2) The Champion moves to another weight class. (3) The Champion does not schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months. (4) The Champion does not schedule a fight at his championship weight for 18 months (even if he fights at another weight). (5) The Champion does not schedule a fight with a Top-5 contender from any weight class for two years. (6) The Champion retires. (7) The Champion tests positive for a banned substance.