Frank Warren announces deal with BT Sport and BoxNation

http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/frank-warren-announces-deal-with-bt-sport-and-boxnation/

From 2017, Frank Warren will promote 20 UK events a year, Live on BT Sport

The 20 UK events will also be shown live on BoxNation

From 2017, BoxNation will be included in BT Sport’s pack of channels and available to all BT Sport customers

Frank Warren will promote a further 10 events, in the UK per year, Live and Exclusive on BoxNation

BoxNation customers can still look forward to over 30 events per year from around the World, including output deals with the biggest Promoters in the USA, Top Rank and Golden Boy.

A total of 30 live televised boxing events will see Frank Warren as Europe’s most active Promoter

HALL of Fame promoter Frank Warren and his pioneering boxing channel BoxNation have signed a multi-year deal with the multimedia and telecommunications giant, BT.


The landmark deal will see Warren promote 20 premium live boxing events a year that will be simulcast on BT Sport and BoxNation.

The ground-breaking deal will see a further ten events per year, including top tier pay-per-view events and other high-quality domestic shows broadcast, exclusively on BoxNation.

A total of 30 live televised boxing events per year will see Frank Warren cement his place as Europe’s most active Promoter.

BoxNation, the UK’s first and only dedicated boxing channel, will be now be included in BT Sport’s pack of channels and made available to all new and existing  BT Sport customers as part of their subscription. The pioneering deal offers Frank Warren, BT, EE and BoxNation the chance to work collectively in expanding the popularity and customer reach of boxing in the UK.

With BoxNation being added to the BT channel pack, all BT Sport and BoxNation customers will now be able to enjoy the very best international and domestic live fights, classic fight footage from Warren’s 35 year archive, award-winning documentaries, originally produced content, weekly magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

The Channel of Champions, BoxNation, is currently available on major platforms including Sky, Freeview, Virgin, TalkTalk, online and apps, for just £12 a month showing the very best live fights both internationally and domestically, as well as non-stop 24-hour quality boxing programming.

Since its launch in 2011, BoxNation has grown to become one of the of the World’s major boxing broadcasters. The channel has consistently showcased the very best live fights from at home and around the world led predominantly by Frank Warren’s UK promoted events and complimented by premium international events from overseas suppliers including Top Rank, Golden Boy, Showtime and HBO. BoxNation has shown some of the biggest fight nights in recent history, including Haye v Chisora, Mayweather v Canelo, Saunders v Eubank, Khan v Canelo and many, many more.

BT and EE’s mobile customers will also be able to watch on the BT Sport App, and this will mean Frank Warren’s events are able to reach an unrivalled audience in the UK.

In addition to the huge distribution growth this new partnership will deliver, Frank Warren and BoxNation are set to propel their business to a new level after this monster deal with the largest multimedia and telecommunications company in the UK.

This ground-breaking deal, combined with BoxNation’s existing PPV functionality, is set to give the channel the ability to deliver the very biggest and globally significant boxing events and stars to the UK.

Delia Bushell, managing director BT TV and BT Sport said: “BT’s mission has always been to make top tier sport available to more people, offering unbeatable value.

“Our expanding list of sports rights will now include BoxNation and exclusive access to boxing World title bouts, all included in the price of the BT Sport subscription. We are taking the fight to our rivals in 2017 and we’ll be in great shape.”

Frank Warren, Hall of Fame Promoter and Chairman of BoxNation said: “I’m delighted that I have signed a deal to bring boxing to BT Sport. This is the beginning of a new era for the sport in this country and I am delighted to be working exclusively with a broadcast and telecommunications powerhouse in BT. Iconic fight nights have the ability capture the imagination of the public, and I am looking forward to building some fantastic events with BT Sport.

“This long-term deal will give BT Sport customers access to BoxNation and my talented stable of fighters and we are delighted to be giving BoxNation, a channel we have worked so hard to build, the vast distribution it deserves.

“I am looking forward to doing what I do best, building boxing stars and promoting memorable events. 30 events a year across both BT Sport and BoxNation will allow me to give my fighters the contests and exposure to become household names.

“This deal is the beginning of a new era not just for me, but for British Boxing and I cannot wait to get started. Roll on 2017!”

George Warren, CEO of BoxNation said: “We are delighted to sign this ground-breaking deal with multimedia and telecommunications giant BT. Since the inception of the channel five years ago we have worked diligently to grow the business by consistently staging and televising the best domestic and international fights.

“With BT Sport, we now have the platform to take the channel to new levels and to continue growing BoxNation and the sport of boxing in the UK.

“We look forward to delivering BT an excellent schedule of events that will set the pulses racing.”

Details of an unmissable first quarter schedule of live action that BT Sport’s and BoxNation’s customers can look forward to, will be announced in the near future.

People that slippery rarely stay down for long. Cautiously optimistic.

Smart move in fairness

Will be good unless they're planning to do some ppv's

They are planning ppv and even boxnation subs have to pay for them

May cancel my subscription in that case not paying for ppv's on top of a subscription no way Boxnation is barely worth the money as it is I've been happy to support it the last few years but ppv's on top is taking the mick

Depends on what it is for me Herman, If its like the matchroom model then I will also scrap the sub but a couple of serious fights a year and I'd pay for it.

Didn't realise that, might have to cancel my subscription too and just pay for the PPV's i'm interested in

See what ppv events they put on

If it's all the good fights then paying for warrens cards ain't gonna cut it

BoxingFan88 wrote:See what ppv events they put on

If it's all the good fights then paying for warrens cards ain't gonna cut it

Billy Joe Saunders vs TBC for £19.99, what’s not to like.

Hahahahaha

Anyone in franks stable vs tbc

That's usually how it goes

Is it going to be in high definition?

If you have bt in HD

Yeah

I've just watched an interview with Warren on IFLTV. Looks proper smug with himself over this one. He's calling it the biggest deal in boxing.

I actually think it's going to be a good thing. I think Hearn is abusing his exclusive deal with sky at the moment. Poor cards, suspect judging, shoddy PPV etc. Now there's another promoter with the backing of a big channel that's trying to rival sky, it might just open up for the fans a bit.

I think Warren is desperate to get one over on Sky after they binned him and then gave it all to Hearn not long after. So I'm going to be cautiously optimistic and hope that he tries to take it to them with some exciting cards and good ppvs.

I actually don't mind them doing PPV on top of the sub, as long as we get our monies worth. IF he takes the Hearn stance that certain fighters are PPV regardless then it will be bad news. But I have a feeling they'll take a different approach. He used Pac and mayweather as a good example. Said they'd aired them both on BN but as soon as the big one between them finally came around it was straight onto sky because of the ppv platform. So now BN have the capability to put ppv on they can actually compete with sky in that regard.

Its one of those wait and see scenarios. But for me, it can only be a good thing to have a serious rival for match rooms current monopoly. Be interesting to see who signs for Frank now, I'd bet my house David Have is one of the first announced. Wonder how that would work if he and AJ finally fight.

This is great news some competition maybe we'll see more real fights now fifty fifty fights Hearn's ppv's have been a disgrace another mismatch coming courtesy of Matchroom December 10th

Ever get the impression Eddy Hearn uses boxing just to fund his lifestyle?

And that the product comes second?

Herman Jaeger wrote:Ever get the impression Eddy Hearn uses boxing just to fund his lifestyle?

And that the product comes second?

He definitely loves the publicity it gets him. There was an IFLTV 'on the road with Eddie Hearn' not long ago where him and Kugan had a bet that when they stopped for a coffee would the person serving him know who he was. He described himself as a 'Z list celebrity' during that, which was very cringe.

Sounds like I dislike him doesn't it, but I don't. I just think he's got a massive ego. And rather than taking the opportunity of the exclusive sky deal to bring us something we deserve we're getting short changed.And he keeps banging on how he's brought boxing back and he's smashing it and it just annoys me. Because he hasn't and he isn't it.

EX7EY wrote:

I actually think it's going to be a good thing. I think Hearn is abusing his exclusive deal with sky at the moment. Poor cards, suspect judging, shoddy PPV etc. Now there's another promoter with the backing of a big channel that's trying to rival sky, it might just open up for the fans a bit.

My thoughts exactly. Hearn has become complacent. Five PPVs this year, only one with a competitive main event. That is nowhere near good enough. If this causes Hearn to raise his game or a few of the Matchroom fighters lost playing chief support to the AJ juggernaut to see if the grass is greener on the other side I'd welcome it. Think the competition will generally raise standards.

Exactly Rowley. You would hope and expect that it would at least make things more competetive in terms of quality of cards. There will be choice now, which there wasn't before. And that should mean those offering the choice compete with each other to provide the best choice.

Can't imagine Hearn is sat there not thinking he will need to up his game at least a little bit. And Frank looked so pleased with himself in that interview, can't imagine he is just going to just let the opportunity to compete with sky wither away for the sake of a quick buck. Here's hoping anyway

My only concern would be what happens now in a situation where a fight materialises between the two stables. Say Haye does sign, how ould AJ Haye work then?

If the fight is big enough it can normally be overcome, Floyd vs Manny is proof of that (eventually!) I think PPV is going to be interesting. If they are both going to do four or five a year that will mean around eight or nine in total. There will be the hardcore who will buy them all irrespective, but I'd guess, like in America, a lot of fans will buy four or five and base their decision on which they feel represent the best value or strongest cards. That can surely only be good for the quality, because particularly this year the quality of the PPV cards has been absolutely woeful.

Whilst I would hope the optimism about competition would be well founded, I'd flag a note of caution. Competition is healthy but I'd worry we might have a little cartel.

Warren has seen the easy money Eddie is making... he's gone to BT and said we can do the same. I'd fear that the fights you'd otherwise get for free on boxnation might now carry a Ppv tag, and a std boxnation card is full of york hall journeymen.

It's hard to get excited when the guy who fed Ricky Hatton and joe calzaghe stiff after stiff comes in as the saviour of boxing.

Eddie and frank is like choosing between Hilary and Donald.

I like the analogy milky haha. And you may well be right. As I say, it's cautious optimism. And to be honest, I'm not sure Franks current stable has much PPV worthyness about it. Let's just hope. Can it be worse than it is now? Probably not. Frank looked like he was ready to take on Sky and to do that he's going to have to do something extra because lets face it, Sky is the home of UK boxing at the moment, Boxnation fighters have had nowhere near as much exposure as MAtchrooms, so he's not going to be able to throw BJS Vs nobody straight onto PPV, the figures would be shocking.

A lot depends on the promo airtime BT will put behind it. They'll have studied the sky model. As you say, his stable has a lot of eoeb doors and bolted horses. Be interesting to see who he finds to fill the cards... I presume he'll be looking to pin down all the guys who've fallen out with matchroom or are dick of playing second fiddle.

It's certainly an interesting development and hopefully a good one.

I think the term used by EX of cautious optimism is the only sensible response to this news. As Milky has said it would be nice if the guy we are relying on as the future of British boxing did not have such a bad record in the past, but I still think there is some reason to be positive. Warren has run boxnation for a few years now so surely realises in terms of revenue and subscribers there is very much a glass ceiling on what can be achieved. He has done well to get it off the ground and get it to where he has but if it is to expand or genuinely compete this deal is absolutely essential to him.  Given Sky seem disinclined to make a change, and no other TV company has any real commitment to the sport his options are more than limited. Given his age, his diminished stable and the TV situation this arguably represents last chance saloon for him. Would think the idea of one last hurrah and the chance to stick it to both Hearn and Sky will energise him.
 
Also as Degale has proven and Frampton to some extent not every fighter is always happy in Hearn’s stable. If it can be shown that there are regular cards, reliable paydays and decent fights to be found elsewhere a few more might be tempted to fly the coup. I should add, as milky has alluded to, I don’t particularly want to see Warren back as numero one in the sport. As those of us with a few years on the clock will confirm his time hardly represented a golden age, I have limited interest in seeing WBU Intercontinental fights as headliners again, however if an increase in TV dates and PPV’s can snap Hearn out of his lethargy and make him realise fighters and us as fans have other options that surely will be a good think, even if only in the short term basis.   I don’t by any means hate Hearn or believe him the anti-Christ as many of the more rabid parts of the internet would have you believe, but I do think he has found a model that works and is happy to rest on his laurels to some extent, a kick up the arse for him is probably the best thing that could happen for both him and the sport.