Why UFC and boxing matches cost so much, and how the Sportify app allows fans to locate and book a seat with commercial or residential hosts broadcasting their favorite sporting events.
People often wonder why UFC and boxing matches cost so much. There’s a plethora of fans who love to watch their favorite UFC and heavyweights duke it out, but most fans don’t love the chunk of pay-per-view money it costs to do so. Right now, the only options are:
- a) cough up the cash or
- b) head over to the local bar
Even so, bars pay a pretty penny for the rights to broadcast events at their establishment. While purchasing a few extra drinks may help chip away at the cost, to recoup some of that dough, a lot of bars will charge admission; and understandably so.
A sports bar can’t just pay the residential $89.99 pay-per-view fee, service potentially hundreds of eager UFC and boxing fans, and reap profits. Bars are required to purchase a special license from companies like Joe Hand Promotions, J&J Productions, and G&G Closed Circuit Events, which handles selling the rights to the fight to commercial venues.
The cost of a venue’s license is determined by their FOC (Fire Occupancy Capacity), and can average anywhere in the range of $30 to $40 per person. What that means is, if a venue holds 100 people, the event could run the owner anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000; for 500 people it run them anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000.
Yikes, that’s a lot of moola! Now you have a better understanding as to why a bar might charge admission. Without charging admission, a bar with an FOC of 300 would need to pack the house, then each patron would need to spend at least $30 – $40 in order to break even, and that doesn’t even cover the bar’s usual expenses.
It’s kind of a big deal. Bars try to get around this by just paying the standard pay-per-view price, but the promotion companies don’t play that – they will sue the pants off of anyone who tries to pull a fast one. How will they find out? Well, they hire armies of undercover spies to try and catch bars that don’t pay up. Getting caught can cost owners thousands of dollars. If you think buying the license is expensive, don’t get caught cutting corners.
“Okay, but what if I don’t want to go to a bar, or pay nearly $100 to watch at home?” Great question!
The Sportify app allows fans to locate and book a seat with commercial or residential hosts broadcasting their favorite sporting events. As far as the promoters and cable and streaming networks are concerned, residential customers are not bound by the same restrictions as commercial businesses. This means, the cost to see the event with a residential host may fit better within a fan’s budget.
Whether you plan to watch your sporting event at a bar or residence, be a good customer. If you’re planning to watch the event at a bar, be a good patron – don’t complain if you have to pay an admission fee; or if you’re planning to watch the event at a residence, be a good guest – respect the space and have fun!
If you’re interested in becoming a host, check out the Sportify calculator to see your earning potential.