TFG MMA Analysis: The effective rise of UFC fan base in India

A land of over a billion people, India is also a major destination with regards to major sporting leagues and brands who eye the nation and its huge consumer base as a major opportunity for growth and expansion.
In the recent past, Indian broadcast channels have been vying for the discerning Indian viewer’s attention with non-traditional TV sports properties such as Basketball, Rugby, Motorsport, Golf and combat sports.

Out of these, the one that shouldn’t raise any eyebrows and at the outset looks to be a surefire winner has to be the sports properties belonging to the combat sports genre. Shows from industry leader UFC and others such as Glory have found their way into the drawing rooms of the Indian sports consumer and into many hearts, thanks to broadcast partners such as Sony ESPN who are keen on capturing the existing fanbase among the 18-34 demographic, the largest (and perhaps the most lucrative) segment of the Indian TV watching populace.

For decades, the Indian youth has been known aficionados of one-on-one combat and the WWE for the longest time has been the fix for that part of the audience. However, with the increased penetration of internet and the ease in access of information, the same audience has grown tired of the ‘soap-opera’ nature of pro-wrestling programming and have been clamoring for the ‘real stuff’. Enter the UFC and its no-holds-barred combat product and we have the recipe for a rating success.

However, it isn’t that simple. The sport of MMA is a recent phenomenon, even in the West, where it enjoys the most success and is a PPV leader. In Asia, especially the southeastern countries, the sport is still ways away from the mainstream juggernaut it has become in the United States and North America. But it isn’t too farfetched to think that the action-loving audience which were glued to the TV screens watching pro wrestling during the boom period in the late 90s’, and has been in limbo since then, will gravitate towards the violent yet skillful sport of MMA on TV.

Sony for its part has done a commendable job in featuring the highest rated UFC events and shows on essentially free TV for its subscribers and has even been hosting live event screenings for the major PPVs across the main cities in India this year. One has to only walk into one of these screenings to really feel the pulse of the high-octane action that is the UFC and how passionate combat sports fans can be. There are the rockstars and the performing acts of the world, but a live fight event is unlike any other and it only Is poised to take sports fans of this nation by storm in due time.

Will it reach the level of fan dom of team sports such as the IPL or even the ISL? We’ll have to wait till we ‘punch’ the ticket on that one!