Showtime: We’re In for the Long Haul

In fact, Hershman said he outright defers to Strikeforce’s knowledge of the sport in building cards.

“There has to be a level of name recognition, of skill, and they have to be matched in a way that we think is going to be compelling. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “Really we rely on Strikeforce because I’m nowhere near as astute in mixed martial arts as I am in boxing. We rely heavily on Strikeforce to present to us the picture and the stories behind these fights. They’ve done a tremendous job.”

And while UFC President Dana White has publicly stated that it’s Showtime, and not Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who ultimately holds the promotion’s reigns, Hershman said that characterization is far from the truth.

“I think there have been allegations in some weird way that I run Strikeforce in some way, which is ludicrous,” Hershman said. “I don’t have the time, information and knowledge to run Strikeforce and I don’t need to. Scott Coker is doing a phenomenal job. I don’t need to run it. I’m in the television business. I’m not in the mixed martial arts business and I think that’s something that’s really been fudged. I’m not a promoter. I’m not in that business. I’m in the business of putting on great television.”

Hershman said the collaborative process between promotion and broadcaster has been extremely successful, calling Strikeforce “dream partners” who are “smart, steady, responsible” and dedicated to the sport and its fan base.

Another facet of the UFC’s broadcast flexibility has been its ability to offer additional preliminary bouts from its same-night pay-per-views during recent live one-hour Spike TV telecasts. Fans tuning in for two fights are sometimes treated to two, three and even four more bouts than advertised. Fans have asked why Showtime might not try to offer the same in the future on live telecasts.

“It’s nice to say we could slot in a prelim fight here or there and just do whatever we wanted, but the practical reality of what you have to do to produce at the level we produce at, we need to focus on the fights we’ve identified for television,” Hershman said.

Hershman added that the format likely won’t change in the future.

“I think there’s a place for those prelim fights,” he said. “Maybe streaming them on the Web will ultimately become more viable and cost effective.”

Like ratings’ comparisons, Hershman finds it unfair to compare Showtime’s broadcast model to the UFC’s double-up system through Spike TV and its own pay-per-views.

“The business objective there is to sell pay-per-views and they use Spike TV as a vehicle. They’re not doing it because they love the fans,” Hershman said. “We’re doing our events as individual, high-production level shows that can stand alone, and if we have 20 fights (in one night), it will get watered down.”

It’s obvious that Hershman prides himself on the quality of the Showtime broadcasts.

“We bring to this sport a level of production quality that’s second to none,” he said. “I defy anybody to watch our show next to anybody else’s shows from a production, lighting, directing, announcing standpoint and say that ours isn’t, by far, the best.”

Hershman said he offers the Strikeforce Challengers event series to expand upon but also preserve the quality of the product. Since May 2009, Showtime has broadcast eight Challengers events, which often features the promotion’s up-and-coming talent.

“To me, I feel that we’re giving the fans what they want in the prelims with our Challenger series and I think we do that at a very high production level,” Hershman said. “Now, we’d look to explore other alternatives with the prelims (from Strikeforce events) if we hear that’s what (the fans) want.”

Supportive programming, much like the UFC receives from Spike TV and its other broadcast partners in the form of “Countdown” shows and other specials, are also in Hershman’s purview down the road.

“Do I want to support mixed martial arts programming with more behind-the-scenes stuff? Absolutely,” he said. “But is it realistic? It’s a function of money. It’s a function of network time, and I think we’ll get there ultimately, but right now we’re doing almost 50 weeks of live events, 38 weeks of NASCAR, 23 weeks of NFL. We’re maxed out.”

In the meantime, Hershman heralds the Showtime-Strikeforce relationship as a solid one with a sound foundation to build upon.

“I don’t think we’ve had one disagreement about what should be on Showtime,” said Hershman, who added that he hasn’t regretted one fight that’s been aired. “There’s a plan here. There’s a progression. There’s a commitment to certain weight classes and fighters and fights. We’re looking to build a product here. We’re six (events) in, (and) this is the beginning of the relationship, but we’re looking to not just buy a fight. That’s not the way this relationship is, and it’s not what this is about. We’re looking to build a franchise and to build a product we think will be second to none.”

Dana White’s Criticism

In 2008, as Pro Elite hemorrhaged money and EliteXC withered, UFC President Dana White was one of Strikeforce’s more vocal supporters. That is, until Strikeforce and Showtime reached a February 2009 broadcast agreement. White has since called Showtime “slimy,” described its boxing broadcasts as “second-rate” and often alludes to an ongoing quarrel he has with an always unidentified Showtime executive.

“The guy over at Showtime who I’m talking about knows who he is and I dislike him very much, and my beef is with him and my fight is with them, not really Strikeforce,” White told media last August.

Hershman won’t comment on any past dealings he might have had with the UFC and White prior to the network’s signing of Strikeforce as its main MMA content partner. Sherdog.com has confirmed that White did meet with representatives from CBS, which owns Showtime, on a few occasions before February 2009.

“You’d have to ask him (who White is referring to),” said Hershman of the unidentified Showtime executive. “I’m not going to be dragged into an adolescent name-calling session with Dana White. I don’t know (who he’s referring to). Honestly, I don’t care. I don’t give a second’s thought to Dana White, ever. He’s irrelevant.”

Hershman proposed that White’s anger with Showtime is driven by the fear of competition.

“The reality is that we’re putting on a product that’s so compelling in an environment where you don’t have to pay 50, 60 dollars for one show, that you get mixed martial arts on a very high level consistently,” Hershman said.

He went on to argue that Showtime offers not only MMA but also boxing, original series and movies.

“You get all of that for cheaper than you get for one pay-per-view event, and I think that would be a threat to anyone whose business model is a pay-per-view business model,” Hershman said. “That’s why you’re getting this pushback. And he can focus on us all he wants, but he’s not somebody we’re focused on. We’re focused on Strikeforce and making the best MMA product we can.”

The Future

Hershman acknowledges that when he signed on for MMA, he did so as a programmer and not a fan. He said that’s changed, though.

“I love mixed martial arts,” Hershman said. “I’ve come around in a big way. I go to the fights now. I watch all the fights I can’t attend and I’ve really enjoyed it. I love the nuances of it and the sophistication of it and the skill of the technicians. When it goes to the ground, I’m proud of myself now that I know what’s going on and I’m enjoying it.”

And while others continue to debate Strikeforce’s future in the shadow of the UFC’s massive market share, Hershman has little doubt where the San Jose-based promotion is heading.

“We’re committed to the sport. We’re fans of the sport. We’re infusing a lot of money into the sport,” he said. “How could that be bad for the sport, to give fighters an option, another home, another outlet to demonstrate their skills? How could any of this be bad for the sport? I couldn’t comprehend a negative to any of it.”

Hershman refrained from offering insight as to what CBS might be thinking following an in-cage brawl that broke out between fighter camps following the main event of a CBS-televised Strikeforce show April 15 in Nashville, Tenn. Hershman called the incident “uncalled for” and a “disappointment” but quickly steered talk to the night’s ratings, possibly a more definitive determinant in the Strikeforce-CBS relationship moving forward.

“Ratings are going to fluctuate,” Hershman said. “You’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. I don’t know that to think that it’s so show-by-show (would) probably (be) a bit shortsighted. I don’t think things are ever as bad as people would like to spin and believe, though it makes for sexy headlines.”

A sixteen-month relationship between Strikeforce and the network has produced 18 broadcast events. Hershman vowed there will be many more.

“Just like we believe that Strikeforce is a very slow and steady and professional organization, we’re not looking to do anything irresponsible or irrational,” Hershman said. “We’re here for the long haul. We have a long-term deal with Strikeforce. We’re not going away just because somebody screams and yells and makes a lot of noise. It’s not going to scare us off. We’re in for the long haul and we’re happy with the product and it’s only going to get better.”