Mayweather-Pacquiao to Cost $99

By R. Thomas Umstead
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

HBO and Showtime’s May 2 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight will cost boxing fans $99 to watch in high-definition on pay-per-view, according to published reports.

The fight, which is expected to set PPV buy and revenue records, will carry a suggested retail price of $89 for a standard feed and $99 to watch the fight in high definition, according to the Wall Street Journal. The cost would surpass the $75 price tag for a high definition feed set by several recent Mayweather fights.

Industry observers have expressed concern that a high $99 price tag would curtail potential fight PPV buys as more people congregate under one roof to watch the event. Nevertheless, the fight, which will be co-distributed by HBO and Showtime, is expected to surpass the $152 million in PPV revenue generated by the 2013 Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight.

This story was originally published on Multichannel.com. 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.