The home of boxing, the PBC, finds a new home. After four months of waiting and lengthy negotiations, Al Haymon‘s PBC has inked a deal with Amazon Prime. The times are tough, and the boxing world is still reeling from the effects of Showtime Boxing’s shutdown. But what does it mean for 100 million Prime subscribers and a few hundred million boxing fans? A new advent of exciting boxing that fans demand, or a slow, painful death for the PBC
Since Showtime Boxing announced its departure from PPV boxing, fans have speculated about the future of the PBC, especially its mouth-watering A-listers list. Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and Gervonta Davis are some names that fight under the PBC banner. Now, Amazon Prime has secured their rights, and it’s reported that Prime will host the PBC’s 12–14 PPV events per year. In addition, the broadcasting deal includes weigh-ins and mini-series. 160+ million subscribers will enjoy nonstop regular championship boxing, too. So, what does the deal mean for all the parties involved?
If you were unaware, the legacy networks are consolidating content and moving away from sports. HBO was the first, and Showtime followed its lead recently. Likewise, ESPN is speculated to ditch combat sports soon. It leaves the door open for the likes of Amazon Prime and Netflix to fill in the gap.
While the exact financial terms of the deal are shrouded in mystery, it’s well known that Amazon Prime has greater reach and more money. The American streaming service can cater to its subscribers’ unique boxing content. In addition, the PBC roaster will get wider exposure. Eddie Hearn also believes so.
Sports broadcasting in America is becoming centralized as legacy networks cede away their spaces. Therefore, it was no surprise that Amazon Prime jumped on the opportunity and quickly added boxing to its services. Notably, Prime also holds the NFL’s Thursday Night rights; thus, subscribers will now have access to the PBC boxing content.
The kind of effect it will have on Al Haymon’s PBC is debatable. The deal seemed inevitable for Amazon Prime, one of the leading sports broadcasters in the United States. Adding boxing adds another layer of allure for the new subscribers and a better deal for the old ones.
Meanwhile, the PBC’s A-listers are set to lose some ground financially. The promotion has always promoted in-house fights, but they might have to bend their own rules, and as with only 12–14 PPVs, that’s hard to pull off. And what is the implication? The PBC fighters will take home less cash and more crossover events.
The economics and the boxing reset
What plagues boxing? Boxers demand exorbitant fees, and promoters shy away from pitting their stars against surging contenders. That’s all set to change. Rick Glaser pointed out that Amazon is only “providing the platform, distribution & marketing,” and the PBC will bear the financial burden.
PBC has to put on exciting fights, or they are set to lose their events. Further, as the financial burden is on the promotion now, you can expect fighters to take a pay cut and fight worthy opponents. Lopsided matchups and thinly spread cards will become a thing of the past. “The majority of PBC fighters will find that this will be the start of a #Boxing reset. That’s what the announcement really says,” Glaser wrote on his X-handle.
However, the fee structure for the fans is yet to be determined. If fans have to shell out money to watch the PBC events on the platform, that might put them off. Additionally, non-subscribers might not be willing to shell out $14.99 per month to be a member. But if Amazon Prime offers its subscribers a discounted price for the PBC PPV event, that’s a sweet deal. But Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis should be ready to collect less hefty paychecks.
