Fuji TV drops Pride

Eraser2K1NIN · 06-05-2006, 08:19 AM

Source: http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/today/...40043000c.html

Fuji TV breaks w/Pride! Damn maybe all the great talent from Pride will be going to K-1 & UFC. We'll see how it plays out in the near future.

SeikanJudanski · 06-05-2006, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eraser2K1NIN

Source: http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/today/...40043000c.html

Fuji TV breaks w/Pride! Damn maybe all the great talent from Pride will be going to K-1 & UFC. We'll see how it plays out in the near future.

That link doesn´t work, I´m going to look around for another one. I doubt anybody leaving Pride over this. Fuji TV´s contract with Pride is running out in September, and Fuji might use the recent Yakuza scandal to back out of renewing the deal with DSE. It seems that they chose to do it now, rather than later. However Nippon TV also wants to broadcast Pride, so there should be no problem. DSE has a s***load of money, and they can choose who they do business with.

subgenius · 06-05-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eraser2K1NIN

Source: http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/today/...40043000c.html

Fuji TV breaks w/Pride! Damn maybe all the great talent from Pride will be going to K-1 & UFC. We'll see how it plays out in the near future.

You need a new link. You put in the ellipsis, which breaks the link. The ellipsis is that little three dot punctuation that people use to mean that more can be said. It looks like this: "..." (without the quotes) in the link. Besides, that is a Japanese language website. I doubt very many of us even know how to read Japanese.

angryjonny · 06-05-2006, 10:18 AM

Hmm...this would be bad I'm assuming but not the end of the organization. Wouldn't this be like Spike TV dropping UFC shows? They wouldn't completely shut down without Spike. UFC has survived off of gates and PPV their entire existence until 2 years ago.

subgenius · 06-05-2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angryjonny

Hmm...this would be bad I'm assuming but not the end of the organization. Wouldn't this be like Spike TV dropping UFC shows? They wouldn't completely shut down without Spike. UFC has survived off of gates and PPV their entire existence until 2 years ago.

While that is true, Spike TV has gone a long way to help bring the UFC out of that survival mode and into a whole new arena of possibility for becoming huge and ultra-mainstream. It may not be there completely as yet, but Spike TV has been instrumental. Still, at this rate, I am betting that the USA network or maybe even FX would be interested in having the UFC. Even a move to HBO would be huge.

The WWE went the route of moving from the USA network to Spike TV and then back to USA again. I am not sure how it works in Japan.

Losing Fuji could be a blow. But, I agree that it is doubtful that the promotion would collapse.

Crashsti · 06-05-2006, 12:37 PM

i don't think i am going to worry about this too much. Pride will exist no matter who sponsors them or who broadcasts them etc. etc.. last i knew PrideFC was still attracting 40,000+ crowds at every event. besides, this is one aspect of a MMA promotion that i have absolutely no say in so there is no reason to worry.

Eraser2K1NIN · 06-07-2006, 08:59 AM

more info on subject....

http://www.fightopinion.com/

Seems to me Pride is headed in the wrong direction. Most seem to think they won't be able to afford their fighters anymore. Atleast the big name fighters. We'll see how it keeps unfolding....

angryjonny · 06-08-2006, 03:46 PM

It's crazy how tabloid rumors can cause this much chaos within an organization.

marnold · 06-08-2006, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

While that is true, Spike TV has gone a long way to help bring the UFC out of that survival mode and into a whole new arena of possibility for becoming huge and ultra-mainstream. It may not be there completely as yet, but Spike TV has been instrumental. Still, at this rate, I am betting that the USA network or maybe even FX would be interested in having the UFC. Even a move to HBO would be huge.

The WWE went the route of moving from the USA network to Spike TV and then back to USA again. I am not sure how it works in Japan.

Losing Fuji could be a blow. But, I agree that it is doubtful that the promotion would collapse.

I would hate the UFC going to HBO, but in truth, I'd probably get HBO.

subgenius · 06-08-2006, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marnold

I would hate the UFC going to HBO, but in truth, I'd propbably get HBO.

Me too. I don't currently get HBO because I have the Encore/Starz movie channels package with my basic digital cable package. Everything on HBO (except their own specials) eventually airs on Encore/Starz. But, I would order HBO for this, or at least order the HBO On Demand events specials...

AikaImmortal · 06-08-2006, 06:41 PM

Here's the latest information from mmaweekly.

SE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara went into an explanation about how Fuji TV canceled the contract with PRIDE. He stated that on Monday, he was busy with Nobuhiko Takada and Fuji TV (sports producer Kunio Kiyohara) to announce the launch of the “Dreamers” dojo in Tokyo that would be open to the public. At 4 PM that day, Fuji TV brought their lawyer for an meeting with Sakakibara. Fuji TV handed a termination notice to him. Sakakibara was shocked at this.

Sakakibara made several strong denials about being affiliated with the yakuza. He said that if he was working with the yakuza, that he would have already been arrested. He said that the fact he was there at the press conference today showed that he had no relation to the yakuza.

DSE did not take any questions from the press or the fans about the Fuji TV/yakuza situation.

The rest of the press conference was focused on the 7/1 Saitama Super Arena card line-up. Yoshida and Fujita were there, with Mirko & Silva having video messages played. Silva said that Fujita has a big heart, but that he would win the fight.

Mirko said that he didn’t understand why Fuji TV wouldn’t broadcast PRIDE and that he would make sure Fuji TV regretted their decision by putting on an amazing fight with Yoshida which would rival the World Cup. Mirko’s statements in support of PRIDE and against Fuji TV were the strongest statements made by anyone associated with PRIDE at the press conference. He stated that the fight against Yoshida would become a fight of Japan vs. Croatia.

When the Fuji TV discussion/part of the press conference was over, about half of the people in attendance who were not affiliated with the media left.

Inoki comments on PRIDE/Fuji TV situation

Yesterday, Antonio Inoki made comments to the mass media about the PRIDE/Fuji TV situation. He stated that he would help PRIDE fighters find new places of work if PRIDE could not survive. He said that without Fuji TV’s money that he expected the scale of PRIDE’s show sizes to decrease in nature. Inoki said that the guaranteed money for fighters got too expensive to sustain in the PRIDE business model. He mentioned his role in the IFL.

Fuji TV blacklists anyone connected to PRIDE

In addition to Fuji TV canceling their contract with PRIDE, Yomiuri Hochi (via Yahoo Japan) reports that the network has also issued an order stating that any PRIDE fighters or people associated with PRIDE cannot appear on any Fuji TV shows. This includes variety shows, sports shows, and other programming. This is a big development because Hidehiko Yoshida is a commentator for judo programming on the network.

In essence, fighters like Hidehiko Yoshida, Mirko Cro Cop, Emelianenko Fedor, and Kazuyuki Fujita are being blacklisted from the network.

...

Nikkan Sports reports that Razor Ramon HG is about to leave Hustle [the pro wrestling company owned by DSE] due to orders from his bosses at Yoshimoto Kogyo.

With the news of Fuji TV blacklisting anyone associated with DSE/PRIDE, this has sent shockwaves throughout the industry. Nikkan Sports says that Yoshimoto is worried about the situation, because they cannot afford to have their top talent banned from the Fuji TV network — there’s too much money at stake.

SeikanJudanski · 06-08-2006, 07:48 PM

I can´t believe Fuji TV is doing this. Fuji TV is making a few threats too many, banning and blacklisting fighters will ulitmately hurt them too.

subgenius · 06-08-2006, 07:56 PM

This is the most disturbing news. Yakuza? Criminal connections? TV stations with the power to cripple a MMA promotion? It is almost too much to really contemplate. It sounds like a plot for a bad movie.

angryjonny · 06-08-2006, 09:11 PM

You're right sub. Except it's like a plot to a good movie. It's like Death to Smoochy. DSE is Smoochy, Nikkan Gandai and Fuji TV are like combined to make Rainbow Randy and the Yakuza are Tommy Cotter and her crew of Irish thugs.

Seriously though. I know this could be serious if true, I hope it isn't. I still have a hard time taking something a tabloid (Nikkan Gendai) says seriously. Would we all be so quick to believe the National Enquirer if they reported that the Fretitta bros were connected to the Mafia? Wouldn't you think that people would be dead by now since this is making national headlines, at least in the MMA world of news?

EDIT:

Here is some info about the sister magazine (called Kodansha) to Nikkan Gendai. Apparently they are no strangers to controversy like this.

----------------------------------
The company is a stockholder in various broadcasters across Japan, and is believed to hold around 20% of the TBS Group's stock. It also holds stock in Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, along with Kobunsha. In the recent Nippon Broadcasting System takeover war between Livedoor and Fuji TV, Kodansha supported Fuji TV by selling their stock to them.

Kodansha also has a somewhat contrary relationship with NHK, the national broadcaster. While many of the manga and novels published by Kodansha that have been made into anime, such as Cardcaptor Sakura, have aired in NHK's Eisei Anime Gekijō timeslot, and Kodansha published a companion magazine to the NHK children's show Okāsan to Issho, editorially the two companies often clash. The October 2000 issue of Gendai accused NHK of staging footage used in a news report in 1997 on dynamite fishing in Indonesia. NHK took Kodansha to the Tokyo District Court, where Kodansha was ordered to publish a retraction and pay ¥4 million in damages. Kodansha appealed the decision, and a settlement was reached where Kodansha only had to issue a partial retraction, and pay no damages[1]. This decision, however, has not stopped Gendai's sister magazine Shūkan Gendai from printing articles on further staged footage controversies that have been dogging NHK.
---------
They sound quite scandalous themselves. But what can you expect from a tabloid?

SeikanJudanski · 06-08-2006, 11:05 PM

This all seems like some big coup from K1 to topple Pride. No wonder Sakuraba left, this is smelling like a set up. Greed and jelousy.

Eraser2K1NIN · 06-10-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeikanJudanski

This all seems like some big coup from K1 to topple Pride. No wonder Sakuraba left, this is smelling like a set up. Greed and jelousy.

In a sad way this might end up being a great thing for all of us. Let's say all the talent gets spread apart between K-1 & UFC. We all might be able to see all those fantasy matchups like Liddell vs Silva, Fedor vs Arlvoski etc...
It seems like the UFC & K-1 have a MUCH better relationship. What do you all think?

SeikanJudanski · 06-10-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eraser2K1NIN

In a sad way this might end up being a great thing for all of us. Let's say all the talent gets spread apart between K-1 & UFC. We all might be able to see all those fantasy matchups like Liddell vs Silva, Fedor vs Arlvoski etc...
It seems like the UFC & K-1 have a MUCH better relationship. What do you all think?

Tell you the truth, I don´t even know if the UFC has any relationship to K1, but let´s not give up yet, Pride still has a few tricks up it´s sleeve.

Unknown · 06-11-2006, 01:02 PM

I don't know if loosing Fuji TV will topple pride but this whole think seems a little ludicrous.

mepersoner · 06-11-2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeikanJudanski

This all seems like some big coup from K1 to topple Pride. No wonder Sakuraba left, this is smelling like a set up. Greed and jelousy.

It's called business.

SeikanJudanski · 06-11-2006, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mepersoner

It's called business.

One really has to appreciate your deep insight. What would we do without you, mepersoner.