MMA: Is America prepared for a Muay Thai excessive? ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and his Amazon Prime companions in pugilism are taking it to the financial institution.
ONE Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong. Photograph: AFP
On a current Zoom name, Chatri, clearly on the prime of his recreation, defined why ONE’s five-year, eight-figure cope with a platform, which business insiders tip for the highest slot among the many world’s stay sports activities streamers, is a knockout.
Round 10 years and working and with US$1.4 billion (B51bn) in annual income, ONE is without doubt one of the fastest-growing international sports activities properties in historical past. And that’s not hyperbole.
An business report by Nielsen media rankings company ranks ONE at No.5 on TV in 150 nations worldwide and on digital, together with Fb, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
In cumulative attain on international broadcast tv in 2021, ONE was ranked No.4 behind the Tokyo Olympics, Euro 2020 soccer match and Champions League soccer competitors, and forward of Method One (No.5), NFL (No.7), NBA (No.8), and UFC (Final Preventing Championship, No.9) – ONE’s solely US rival.
And all as a result of, “If you’re a fight sports activities fanatic or struggle fan, ONE Championship provides you the chance to benefit from the best martial arts world champions on the planet,” Chatri mentioned.
“We’re by far the youngest. And by way of viewership and engagement, we’re undoubtedly Asia’s largest international sports activities media platform.
“It’s the primary time in historical past that an Asian sports activities property has been broadcast stay in US prime time frequently. Usually, the visitors is all the opposite means with American sports activities, music, and Hollywood content material exported into Asia.”
The Amazon Prime tie-up began with a roadshow to the US final 12 months, the place Chatri pow-wowed with all the main US broadcasters.
“We had a number of affords, however we selected Amazon due to its subscribers and its push into sports activities. It’s a trillion-dollar firm that already has super success. If you happen to’re dwelling within the US, you go to Amazon day by day to purchase just about something and now you’re watching the NFL on Thursday and ONE on Friday,” he mentioned.
“Amazon is clearly the 800-pound gorilla in ecommerce however what folks don’t realise is their sports activities numbers are rivalling all the main sports activities broadcasters in America.”
UFC, which may be seen on ESPN, is already within the US. Against this, ONE’s explicit method is breaking new floor in a market with monumental potential – only a fraction of Amazon’s 200 million subscribers interprets into super viewing numbers.
Below the deal, Amazon will get 12 stay occasions a 12 months in primetime for 5 years plus archives and on demand.
If People take to it as assiduously as they’re anticipated to, it may very well be the beginning of one thing even greater; ONE is projecting round 65 stay occasions altogether within the coming 12 months, in line with Chatri.
In addition to promoting promoting, Amazon is spending some huge cash advertising ONE within the US. In the meantime, ONE additionally skims some promoting, sponsorship, and pay-per-view revenues.
However what is going to American followers, hooked to ONE’s marquee sports activities properties ONE Championship and ONE Esports, get? “One is totally completely different from something that exists within the US proper now. It’s a totally differentiated product and model by way of the ethos of martial artists, the authenticity popping out of Asia, with the world’s best champions all on a single platform,” Chatri mentioned.
“Furthermore, it’s finished with the true spirit of martial arts – a DNA of integrity, humility, honour, respect, braveness, self-discipline, and compassion.
“Followers are blown away by our exhibits. It’s a mixture between a rock live performance or a hip hop live performance and the Olympics held in a large indoor stadium.
“With adrenaline and thunderous roars from 1000’s of followers, the vitality is electrifying. We’ve got fireworks and laser lights and smoke and pyrotechnics, and it’s an explosive dynamic present that America has by no means seen earlier than.”
ONE will host its first stay occasion on US soil within the first quarter of 2023. Stay occasions are additionally upcoming in Europe. Furthermore, the Asian schedule – with stops in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Dubai and extra – is being steadily resumed after the COVID-induced hiatus.
However whereas America performs catch-up, it’s all nothing new in Thailand the place ONE is well-entrenched in Thai Rath TV, ranked fifth for viewership in Thailand in 2021 by Statista, its broadcast companion for the previous a number of years.
Furthermore, ONE just lately partnered with Fairtex Struggle and Tero Digital to rearrange the Fairtex Struggle Street To ONE Thailand, a feeder league into ONE the place the winner walks away with $100,000 and graduates into ONE Championship.
As for Muay Thai, ONE is the world’s largest stage for Thailand’s conventional fight sport.
“We’ve got the best multi-role champions from everywhere in the world, not simply Thailand. They’re the world’s best strikers, so there’s quite a lot of high-level method American followers have by no means seen earlier than,” Chatri mentioned.
The record of superstars staged by ONE is exhaustive certainly.
They embrace Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, Stamp Fairtex, Liam Harrison, Jonathan Haggerty, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superbon Singha Mawynn, Tawanchai PK Saenchai, Petchmorakot Petchyindee, Michael Savvas, and extra.
“Now it’s going to be a seamless expertise for our US viewers, too,” Chatri mentioned. “How do Millennials and Gen-Z eat media? Very first thing within the morning, they have a look at TikTok and Fb and Instagram. They don’t decide up a newspaper or activate the TV to get all their stuff. Once they go to mattress at night time, it’s the identical.
“ONE Championship is dominant on social media and digital media, that are the prime portals into the entire ONE expertise. In a name at 9pm Jap Customary Time, you sit again and whether or not you’re watching out of your cell machine or at dwelling in your OTT platform in Amazon, it’s extremely accessible and irresistible.”