WEC Rolls the Dice on Pay-Per-View

If you come to this space looking for psychology lessons, God knows you’re gonna leave disappointed. But in Wednesday’s announcement that Zuffa’s World Extreme Cagefighting will be heading to premium television in April at a price point of $44.99, a little consumer jiu-jitsu lesson might be in order.

The WEC event -- which is slated to feature Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo at the top -- is already being critiqued in some circles for its exorbitant cost relative to what’s being offered. UFC shows with far more recognizable stars dangle the same sales tag; worse, the WEC has been offering virtually all of their content for free up until now. Some protesters would prefer the cost drop -- to $25 or $30 -- to reflect the disparity.

This doesn’t work, and here’s why: studies have been conducted that argue we actually place more value on expensive products even if they happen to be identical to something offered at a lower price. $5 wines in the research rated high when subjects were told they cost $45; $90 bottles rated poorly when they had a $10 tag attached.

Sad but true: A WEC event at $45 may actually “reward” viewer neurons with greater satisfaction than if it cost $30. Ring psychology can take a lot of different forms.