http://www.mma-insider.com/2007/02/r...-10-event.html
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Ratings for EliteXC's Feb. 10 event
According to a Spike TV press release, EliteXC's debut event on Showtime (aired Saturday Feb. 10 10pm - 12:32am) drew 365,000 total viewers while Spike TV's repeat airing of a pre-packaged UFC show -- Ultimate Knockouts 2 (aired Saturday Feb. 10 10pm) -- drew 1,215,000 total viewers.
Initially, these numbers appear to indicate that the UFC taped show dramatically outperformed EliteXC's debut event. That wouldn't be a very good start for EliteXC.
But let's dig a little deeper. Showtime is a premium cable channel and therefore costs viewers between $10-$15 per month extra compared to Spike TV, which is a basic cable channel. As expected, Showtime has many fewer viewers -- it is reported to be available in 15 million households -- while Spike TV is reported to be available in the neighborhood of 80 million households.
Given this disparity in the availability of each channel, let's compare ratings between the two shows and not total viewers. Ratings account for how many households a given show is available in, which make them better measures of how shows fare.
Upon further inquiry, the folks at Spike TV were kind enough to provide the ratings for each show. Looking at these numbers, we see a very different picture from the one above.
EliteXC's show did a 1.62 household rating, with a 1.41 in males 18-34, and a 1.47 in males 18-49. Spike TV's Ultimate Knockouts 2 did a 0.95 household rating, with a 1.17 in males 18-34, and a 1.00 in males 18-49.
Looking at the ratings, EliteXC actually won the time slot while the UFC show still did quite well. Overall, these ratings are a good sign for MMA executives.