With Bellator Fighting Championships' fifth season in full swing, many things are going right for the promotion.
Bellator's tournament format continues to produce intrigue, some major title fights are just weeks away, and the organization is reaching more viewers thanks to broadcast/streaming deals with the high-definition EPIX channel and Spike.com.
But as CEO and chairman Bjorn Rebney recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), those Saturday-night time slots remain a constant source of discussion.
Bellator, which has promoted 54 shows since its 2009 debut, now airs on MTV2 on Saturday nights. But those events frequently face competition from the UFC, Strikeforce and other weekend-loving promotions. And though it's hard to determine if it's solely that competition that's affecting ratings – season-five Bellator events have peaked with up to 269,000 viewers and recently bottomed out with 103,000 – MMA fans often are forced to make a choice.
Rebney, of course, knows that.
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