HBO, Showtime Remain Concerned About Surge In Mayweather-Pacquiao PPV Buys

Both Showtime and HBO said that early pay-per-view orders for Saturday's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout "are tracking higher than they have ever seen, and that initial numbers have been so robust there are concerns the system might not be able to handle the surge of buyers," according to Bob Velin of USA TODAY. They "urged those who plan to buy the fight to order early to avoid possible problems late." HBO Sports President Ken Hershman is hoping for "a new PPV record." But he said, "I’ve learned long ago with pay-per-view, it’s a bad idea to guess (USATODAY.com, 4/30). In Boston, Callum Borchers notes the PPV cost for businesses to show the fight is "astronomically higher" than the at-home price. Fees "vary slightly among cable and satellite providers, but a typical quote is about $30 per person, multiplied by an establishment’s maximum occupancy under the fire code." For a Boston-based bar that holds 395 people, that "would have meant paying roughly $12,000" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/1).

ALL IN THE DETAILS: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar notes HBO and Showtime have "streamlined the undercard in an attempt to get the main event started earlier than are typical big boxing matches." The goal is to have the main event begin at roughly 11:00pm ET, "about an hour earlier than most megafights" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/1). In Las Vegas, Steve Carp notes HBO’s Jim Lampley will call the fight, with Showtime's Al Bernstein and HBO's Roy Jones Jr. as analysts. HBO's Max Kellerman and Showtime's Jim Gray "will be the ring reporters." Showtime's Paul Malignaggi and Steve Farhood, along with HBO's Harold Lederman, "also will contribute to the broadcast." Showtime's James Brown "will be the host for the telecast, which will begin" at 9:00pm (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/1).

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes proclamations by HBO and Showtime that all the announcers "will remain neutral, are, at best, totally disingenuous." Each net "has plenty at stake," and the fighter "who loses leaves Las Vegas as damaged goods to his network." The broadcasters "know this," and "none of them enters the arena as a neutral commentator." Lampley is "honest enough to admit it." He said, "I know what our business relationship is in every fight we do. It seeps into your mind during a fight. It will Saturday night, too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t call the fight fairly." Raissman notes Mayweather for his Showtime fights "has an 'executive producer' credit on all 'specials' involving him and final say over all scripts." Lampley: "There’s a delicate tension that goes with this production. Everyone knows these are two networks with conflicting business interests." He added that he "won’t be dealing with Mayweather’s troubled past during the fight." Lampley: "I don’t have to think about it. That’s for the host’s (James Brown) operation." Raissman writes Brown "has not ducked issues" through his career. But with Mayweather "being such a controlling force at Showtime, will Brown dare to bring up Mayweather’s history of domestic violence?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/1). Showtime Sports Exec VP & GM Stephen Espinoza said, "Neither network is used to working with another network. And there are differences in the way we market, in the way we produce, in the way we go about our business. But ultimately, what we discovered was that, in combining those, we got the best of both approaches." But he added, "It was a smoother process than I expected" (USATODAY.com, 4/30).

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY? In DC, Thom Loverro writes Showtime and HBO are "united by a common enemy" in promoter Al Haymon, who has "taken control behind the scenes of boxing and launched a full-blown attack on HBO and Showtime." It may have been Haymon’s emergence "that pressured HBO and Showtime to quickly put Mayweather-Pacquiao together" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/1).

