{"id":71009,"date":"2013-10-10T12:01:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-10T19:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=71009"},"modified":"2022-02-06T12:46:31","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T20:46:31","slug":"video-lorenzo-fertitta-details-future-plans-for-the-ufc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/ufcnews\/video-lorenzo-fertitta-details-future-plans-for-the-ufc\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO | Lorenzo Fertitta Details Future Plans For The UFC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cIf the UFC was able to go from what it was back in \u201993 to what it is today in only 20 years, if we were able to accomplish what we have in the last 12 years, the next 20 years is going to be the most interesting part. The history\u2019s great and we\u2019ll always have it; that\u2019s what makes the UFC what it is, but the more exciting part is where we\u2019re going now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re going to see a transformation in our business going historically from where we\u2019ve been operating like an events company. We\u2019re going to transform into a true global media company in the sense that we are really the only entity out there who produces and controls the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next step is to take control of the distribution rights. So you saw an announcement where we launched a joint venture with Televisa in Mexico and Latin America on a 24-hour network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that could evolve in most markets, not necessarily every market, but I think you’ll see us transform. When I first bought the company, the first thing I did was to download the WWE public files, not because I am a fan of wrestling in any way shape or form but they had a cool business model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvent, live ticket sales, sponsorship, pay-per-view. That\u2019s kind of who we wanted to be at the time. Today and moving to 2025 I want to be more like the Discovery communications. A global media company, create our own content, by selling sponsorships and commercials, and we further that by controlling the distribution point of actually owning the networks or having joint ventures, owing a portion of the network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds kind of crazy on the face of it but you think about what helped their company go from producing this dangerous type of content to being a global media player and owning all these networks around the world, there\u2019s something generic.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will watch two guys competing in the Octagon no matter where they are. We\u2019re all human beings. You’ve heard Dana say that\u2026 we can sell to Russia, to Africa, to Brazil, to America. It\u2019s not like every sport, because they don’t all translate. American football doesn’t translate here and you know maybe cricket doesn’t translate in the United States. But this is different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will watch baby seals in Alaska. Anyone. It\u2019s interesting, whether you’re from Alaska or you’re from Africa, or you’re from the Caribbean, it\u2019s interesting programming.<\/p>\n

“Nature is something we all understand, we all get it; it surrounds us every day. So we\u2019re going from the old model, which we don’t want to be associated with any longer, to a sports event promoter, into a global media company.\u201d<\/p>\n