According to MMAJunkie.com, Bellator Fighting Championships will shortly announce a multi-year contact extension with FOX Entertainment Group.
Courtesy of the revamped deal, Bellator events will air live on the FX cable station. FOX Sports Net and Fuel TV will offer tape-delayed shows.
ESPN Deportes hosted BFC’s debut season, with FSN taking over the reigns in the last two editions. Neither of the prior agreements offered live broadcasts for fans without access to an east coast feed.
Although Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney couldn’t speak specifically on the impending announcement, he promised fanboys would be pleased with what’s in store.
“We’re super excited about our next evolution on TV,” Rebney said. “We’re always trying to produce the most exciting and captivating MMA for our fans. Our next step is a significant move in that direction. But at this time, I can’t elaborate on what those alliances would be.”
According to the report, FX is available on most basic-cable packages and can be accessed in approximately 100 million households. ESPN hovers around that same number in U.S.
Bellator will likely keep its Thursday-night timeslot once they transition to FX. The FSN and Fuel TV broadcasts are expected to include “highlights” from earlier events.