Premier Boxing Champions

''Premier Boxing Champions'' (PBC) is an ongoing series of televised boxing events connected to manager Al Haymon.

PBC was initially promoted as an effort to return boxing to mainstream broadcast and cable television, as opposed to premium channels and pay-per-view. The first ''Premier Boxing Champions'' card was broadcast by NBC on March 7, 2015, and the promotion reached deals with an array of other broadcasters, with brokered cards scheduled across all four of the major television networks in the United States (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) and their affiliated sports-oriented cable networks (ESPN, CBS Sports Network, FS1, and NBCSN, respectively), as well as on outlets such as Spike and Bounce TV.

In parallel with the focus on major cards on broadcast television, the events initially featured a more elaborate in-arena staging than other boxing events, featuring an entrance stage, and a circular marquee and jumbotron suspended above the ring. The telecasts also employed various technologies, including a 360-degree camera rig above the ring, and sensor-equipped gloves and shorts for gathering additional statistics. However, these features were phased out from later events. By 2018, PBC had established long-term deals with Fox Sports and Showtime, with the networks paying traditional rights fees, and holding the rights to produce PBC pay-per-view events.

Although it promotes the media rights of its associated events, PBC is not considered to be a promoter, in compliance with the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (which forbids manager from also serving as a promoter). Haymon considers himself an "adviser" and manager. Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank both filed lawsuits against Haymon and the investors of ''PBC'', arguing that through ''PBC'' and other internal intricacies, Haymon was serving as both a manager and promoter—actions which are forbidden under the Ali Act. Additionally, the two promoters claimed violations of antitrust law, with Top Rank in particular claiming that Haymon was trying to effectively monopolize professional boxing in the United States by consolidating boxers with overpaid contracts, venue bookings, the events themselves, and broadcast rights under his ownership. Top Rank settled its suit in May 2016, while the Golden Boy suit was dismissed in 2017 after a judge ruled that it had "failed to demonstrate that there is a genuine issue of material fact".

Production

''Premier Boxing Champions'' was part of an effort by Al Haymon—best known as the representative of Floyd Mayweather Jr.—to bring mainstream prominence back to the sport of boxing. In the United States, although popular among a niche audience, most major boxing events were relegated to premium television channels (such as HBO and Showtime) and pay-per-view, limiting their mainstream exposure to those who are willing to pay. The growing popularity of mixed martial arts has also affected the popularity of boxing within the young adult demographic; the UFC's broadcast rights contract with Fox allowed some of its cards to air on the main Fox network—which proved successful in terms of overall viewership. In a survey conducted by Haymon, only 2% of the 35% of viewers who identified themselves as fans of boxing had watched it.

''PBC''s chief operations officer Ryan Caldwell acknowledged that when broadly distributed, major sporting events can attract a large number of live viewers as event television, and in turn, advertisers: he explained that they were "whacking our key demographic with a lot of fees on premium cable and pay-per-view. Broader distribution is key. When you look across other sports, there's a reason they aren't pay-per-view distributed." Caldwell also noted the success of WWE Network, which similarly subverted the professional wrestling promotion's traditionally PPV-oriented business model by offering its premium events and other archive programs as part of an over-the-top subscription service. ''PBC''s vice president of operations Lamont Jones explained that the goal of the promotion was to build loyalty, believing that "the ame
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