George Greenberg

Executive VP and General Manager, Fuel TV

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/27/2012 12:01:00 AM

When the UFC struck its landmark rights deal with Fox late last year, perhaps the biggest benefactor was small cable network Fuel TV. Up until that point, the little-known sports network had almost exclusively focused on extreme sports such as BMX, surfing, skateboarding and the like.

So it comes as no surprise that the spotlight is now shining directly on George Greenberg. With Fox and FX already established, Greenberg has a chance to turn his network into the go-to destination for UFC fans. For the first two fights that Fox has aired, Fuel TV took the bulk of pre- and post-fight coverage.

Greenberg will have to prove that his network can handle—and thrive on—the 2,000 hours of UFC programming he promised to air back in November. Fox is toying with the idea of a national sports network; much like NBC did in remaking Versus into NBC Sports Network, Fox’s will likely come from rebranding one of its existing channels.