Bellator is making a change to when they will air their show this fall. As first reported by Sports Illustrated, they will move their shows to Fridays on Spike. They have aired on Fridays throughout much of their run. Though their move to Thursday gave them a ratings boost when it moved to Spike in January, this will keep them from going against the UFC or the NFL's Thursday night games.
The soon-to-launch Fox Sports 1 will feature UFC programming on Wednesday nights. This will start with live fights in mid-August. Kevin Kay, the head of Spike TV, said the move makes sense because it doesn't force MMA fans to make a choice.
?I don?t want to see Bellator going head to head with the UFC,? said Kay. ?I don?t think that makes any sense for fans. No matter who would win in that scenario, you don?t want to not give the fans the choice to watch both.?
It makes sense for Bellator to avoid both forcing MMA fans to choose and the NFL ratings juggernaut. Still, Friday nights are tough for any television programming, particularly for a show aimed at men aged 18-49. It will be better than when they aired on MTV2, with limited options for high definition. They have added stars like Quinton Jackson, and exciting prospects like Bubba Jenkins. Will you watch on Friday nights? Speak up on Facebook or on Twitter.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/fall-bellator-move-fridays-132951623.html
