Johnston: UFL will return in same eight markets, no expansion for 2025

[GregParks]

UFL 2024: Year 2 evolution to include more innovation, player development (msn.com)

Not a ton new here, but an acknowledgment that they have work to do in the local markets to draw fans. It's good that they realize this; now let's see what the plan is to fix it.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Doubling down on the same failed markets, giving all the cities they abandoned a fat middle finger.

[steve42]

Doubling down on the same failed markets, giving all the cities they abandoned a fat middle finger.

The team infrastructure for the other cities doesn't exist anymore. They would have to start all over in those markets. I want to see some of those teams return too, but if the league doesn't get solid somewhere, it can't be sustained.

That's actually a great article.  I love the fact that Moose addressed the "league fatigue" in cities like Birmingham.  The only thing that is going to convince Gen X, Y & Z to show up for this league is to outlast the skepticism.  In BHM, we saw pockets of enthusiasm, but the lack of marketing hurt.  Let's see what that 9 months of preparation brings.

[MGB01]

They can start by correcting false narratives, like the current 'bumped for IndyCar'--um no, it was announced at the FOX upfronts last month FFS--garbage.

But I'm not holding my breath for that pushback. 

[4th&long]

They can start by correcting false narratives, like the current 'bumped for IndyCar'--um no, it was announced at the FOX upfronts last month FFS--garbage.

But I'm not holding my breath for that pushback. 

Do we have a any Fox people saying it was for Indy?  Or is that other people infering... because misquotes never happen.

Like you said it was moved to Fridays last month to back fill losing Smackdown... now if Fox wants to say "hey Indy look what we'll do for you"  sure they can say it, but this was Smackdown driven like you said over a month ago.

[MGB01]

They can start by correcting false narratives, like the current 'bumped for IndyCar'--um no, it was announced at the FOX upfronts last month FFS--garbage.

But I'm not holding my breath for that pushback. 

Do we have a any Fox people saying it was for Indy?  Or is that other people infering... because misquotes never happen.

Like you said it was moved to Fridays last month to back fill losing Smackdown... now if Fox wants to say "hey Indy look what we'll do for you"  sure they can say it, but this was Smackdown driven like you said over a month ago.

Not from FOX (which would downgrade its own product), but your beloved Mikey being one.

Good thing he doesn't have the comment section anymore to set him straight

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Interesting complication for Michigan:



If the UFL continues to stay in its spring schedule, they have the possibility of picking one of the smaller outdoor stadiums (Rynearson hosted the Panthers' practices in '23). If they go back to the XFL, post-Super Bowl window... that pretty much guarantees they have to go back to Ford Field or else head at least somewhat further south.

And it'd be especially troublesome for the league to leave since Detroit is one of the league's biggest markets (I think it's third behind Arlington, as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, and DC).

But honestly—and this is what PO's me about the whole decision to stay at 8—is that when Vince McMahon picked the original XFL markets, he did so with a lot of thought. It was an equal spread across the country for the most part, but teams had natural regional rivals. Seattle/Los Angeles (upper and lower West Coast), Dallas/Houston (Texas Throwdown), New York/DC (Eastern Seaboard). LA/St. Louis also has that "grudge match by proxy" effect that, had they not locked down the world, was bound to have fed the fire that was Battlehawk Nation into a frenzy.

Most of the USFL's markets are built differently. Birmingham is in Alabama, their big college rivalry is in-state ('Bama vs. Auburn). and the state is obviously too small for two pro teams. If they were to play in New Orleans, the big rivalry there, the Golden Boot, is LSU against Arkansas, a market that hasn't been seriously considered for pro football since the AAFL flamed out in 2008. And they've never actually played in New Jersey or Philadelphia, the big East Coast markets they named teams after.

Michigan's natural rival is Ohio. The USFL had a good relationship with Canton, which is on the outskirts of the Cleveland metro. Yet the UFL is not going back to Ohio, leaving Michigan floating out there. With the Guardians out of NY, DC is basically floating around out there, too.

There just doesn't seem to be the cultural awareness when it comes to their choice of markets. I don't want to see Michigan leave but it needs some help—help that, it appears, is not on the way.

(Side note: I know I get long-winded sometimes, but that's how my head works.)

[Sounder]

The only thing that can fix the live attendance problem is time.  But at least you know they're watching the TV product.....at some point, it may lead to people going.

[BattleHawks]

They can start by correcting false narratives, like the current 'bumped for IndyCar'--um no, it was announced at the FOX upfronts last month FFS--garbage.

But I'm not holding my breath for that pushback. 

Do we have a any Fox people saying it was for Indy?

 

 

 

FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks and IndyCar CEO Mark Miles both confirmed FOX's deal with IndyCar was made possible because the network was able to free up broadcasting windows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

 

[4th&long]

They can start by correcting false narratives, like the current 'bumped for IndyCar'--um no, it was announced at the FOX upfronts last month FFS--garbage.

But I'm not holding my breath for that pushback. 

Do we have a any Fox people saying it was for Indy?

 

 

FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks and IndyCar CEO Mark Miles both confirmed FOX's deal with IndyCar was made possible because the network was able to free up broadcasting windows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.




 

They were already freed up because of Smackdown. That was announced over a month ago, well prior to Indy Car deal. 

Of course FOX wants to be looking like they accommodated Indy Car to get their business.  But regardless UFL was moving to Fridays.  The decision to move UFL to fill SMACKDOWN was made a while ago regardless of Indy Car as reported in numerous news outlets. 

And BTW they already lost 5 Nascar races in 2025, and  furthermore FOX regionalized 3 weeks of overlapping games.  So how many weekend dates are we even talking about being impacted over 10 weeks?  How cheap is indy car ?  They didn't seem to be charging much to NBC(?), so if the "real" cost to Fox is time windows vs $$ its a no brainer - content for little $$.  Indy will take little $$ in exchange for the right windows. The reported $25mm rights fee is pocket change.

https://www.blackbookmotorsport.com/fea ... explainer/
>> There are no details regarding how much Fox has paid to secure the IndyCar rights. NBC is paying a reported US$20 million per year under the expiring contract. Reports suggest that Fox’s deal will be no higher than US$25 million.<<

The only Question is will Fox need UFL as much as before (I still say 95% yes) and will they be open to a 3rd TV partner in 2025 or 2026 - I say yes and its likely going to be TNT/WBD.  Fox can move Indy to FS1 as needed after 2025 from what I read and may want to as they need content there.

Fox bid farewell to WWE-Smackdown in Sept 2023 -  Fox did not like the ad rates and with the increased fees passed on Smackdown:
https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2023/ ... ey-dollars

>>

On the Q1 2024 Fox Earnings Conference Call, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch explains why they didn't renew WWE:

We were not hitting the advertising numbers due to the audience of the WWE to make...to return for our return on investment to be above the levels that we would accept. But… pic.twitter.com/Hbwqf84tr0— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 2, 2023

“...we analyzed the WWE renewal and we look at all of our sports portfolios in the same way… Based on the analysis, (from) an advertising point of view, we were not hitting the advertising numbers due to the audience of WWE to make the return for our return on investment to be above the levels that we would accept. But also, we didn’t attribute enough significant retransmission revenue to the WWE either. So it made sense for us to move on from them. They’ve been a great partner for many years. But just quite simply, we’re very disciplined and the R.O.I. didn’t meet our disciplined parameters so, we wish them luck and we’ve moved on from them.” <<Also

Fox likely knew then with CFB Big10 expansion that that was taking over for SD in the fall.  You can bet the ROI on indy car will be high given Fox is paying a mere $25mm

Here's the Deadline.com story from 1 month ago:

https://deadline.com/2024/05/fox-fall-2 ... 235913421/
>> Also, for the first time in five years, there is no WWE SmackDown on Fridays as the network is replacing the departing wrestling franchise with sports coverage of college football and basketball as well as UFL. <<