Showtime's Cotto-Trout Boxing Card Punches Up Record Viewership

By R. Thomas Umstead
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

A record number of Showtime boxing fans tuned into the premium service's Miguel Cotto-Austin Trout boxing telecast Saturday night, the network announced.

The Dec. 1 three-bout boxing card averaged 1.04 million viewers - the highest audience total since 2004 when Nielsen began to measure premium multiplex channels, according to Showtime officials.

The Cotto-Trout main event, in which WBA super welterweight champion Trout scored what many observers believe was an upset unanimous decision win over veteran and former champion Cotto, peaked at nearly 1.4 million viewers. That marked the highest peak on record since 2009 when data on viewership for individual bouts first became available, according to Showtime.

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.