NEW YORK — Before the Perform Group launched its over-the-top sports platform in the U.S. this summer, the company studied the existing media rights deals in all of the leagues and sports. It saw an opening: boxing.
“We need one thing we can become the home of,” says Perform Group CEO Simon Denyer. “As we looked to boxing, we realized the U.S. market was really strange. Fractured, unclear, no guaranteed dates, very weird commercial model for the fans, ridiculously expensive pay-per-view, no real clear commitment as to who was showing what.”
At the same time, U.K.-based Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was beginning to stage a few fights in Brooklyn featuring former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs, but didn’t have the money or support for a long-term plan in the U.