Televised boxing is making a comeback in 2015. The May 2 welterweight championship fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, and the sport has made a move into the ring of broadcast television.
NBC and CBS have partnered with Haymon Boxing to televise the new Premier Boxing Champions series. NBC and NBC Sports Network are televising 20 PBC on NBC live fight cards through 2015, including five in Saturday primetime. CBS and Showtime also announced a multi-year joint venture to present live boxing on the Tiffany Network for the first of up to eight live events this year. This is NBC’s first foray into the genre since the Mark Burnett-produced reality program The Contender, which lasted a single season in 2005. For CBS, the PBC represents the first consistent series presentation of live boxing on the network in 15 years.
Here’s a look at how PBC has fared for NBC and CBS so far.
