Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type ofpay television orwebcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through amultichannel television platform using theirelectronic program guide, an automated telephone system, or through a livecustomer service representative. There has been an increasing number of PPVs distributed viastreaming video online, either alongside or in lieu of carriage through television providers. In 2012, the popular video sharing platformYouTube began to allow partners to host live PPV events on the platform.[1]
Events distributed through PPV typically includeboxing,mixed martial arts,professional wrestling, and concerts. In the past, PPV was often used to distribute telecasts of feature films, as well as adult content such aspornographic films, but the growth ofdigital cable andstreaming media caused these uses to be subsumed byvideo on demand systems (which allow viewers to purchase and view pre-recorded content at any time) instead, leaving PPV to focus primarily on live event programs andcombat sports.
The earliest form of pay-per-view wasclosed-circuit television, also known astheatre television, whereprofessional boxing telecasts were broadcast live to a select number of venues (mostly theaters, with arenas, stadiums,convention centers, and schools being less common venues), where viewers paid for tickets to watch the fight live.[2][3] The first fight with a closed-circuit telecast wasJoe Louis vs.Jersey Joe Walcott in 1948.[4] Closed-circuit telecasts peaked in popularity withMuhammad Ali in the 1960s and 1970s,[2][3] with "The Rumble in the Jungle" fight drawing 50 million buys worldwide in 1974,[5] and the "Thrilla in Manila" drawing 100 million buys worldwide in 1975.[6] Closed-circuit television was gradually replaced by pay-per-view home television in the 1980s and 1990s.[3]
The ZenithPhonevision system became the first home pay-per-view system to be tested in the United States. Developed in 1951, it used telephone lines to take and receive orders, as well as to descramble a television broadcast signal. The field tests conducted for Phonevision lasted for 90 days and were tested inChicago, Illinois. The system usedIBMpunch cards to descramble a signal broadcast during the broadcast station's "off-time". Both systems showed promise, but theFederal Communications Commission denied them the permits to operate.[7]
Telemeter, an experimental coin-operated pay-per-view service, had a trial run in Los Angeles in 1952 andPalm Springs, California from 1953 to 1954, featuring first-run movies and live sporting events, until a lawsuit from a local drive-in and other issues forced it to shut down. The service then set up an experimental run in the Toronto suburb ofEtobicoke, Canada in 1959, free from Americanantitrust laws and outside of theFCC's juridiction. Programming initially consisted essentially of first-run movies and fictional series. In 1961, Telemeter signed deals with theToronto Argonautsfootball team and theToronto Maple Leafs to broadcast away games; wrestling was also featured. Some original programming, such as a 1962Bob Newhartstand-up comedy special, thought to be the first filmed pay-per-viewtelevision special[8] were produced at Telemeter'sBloor Street studio and several Broadway shows and an opera performance were also broadcast. At its peak, 5,800 households were subscribed but the experiment was not a success and shut down operations on April 30, 1965 with only 2,500 subscribers.[9]
One of the earliest pay-per-view systems oncable television, the Optical Systems-developedChannel 100, first began service in 1972 inSan Diego, California through Mission Cable[10] (which was later acquired byCox Communications) and TheaterVisioN, which operated out ofSarasota, Florida. These early systems quickly went out of business, as the cable industry adoptedsatellite technology and as flat-rate pay television services such as Home Box Office (HBO) became popular.
While most pay-per-view services were delivered via cable, there were a few over-the-air pay TV stations that offered pay-per-view broadcasts in addition to regularly scheduled broadcasts of movies and other entertainment. These stations, which operated for a few years in Chicago, Los Angeles and some other cities, broadcast "scrambled" signals that required descrambler devices to convert the signal into standard broadcast format. These services were marketed asON-TV.
The first home pay-per-viewcable television broadcast was theFloyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson rematch in 1960, when 25,000TelePrompTer subscribers mailed $2 to watch Patterson regain the heavyweight title.[11] The third Patterson–Johansson match in 1961 was later viewed by 100,000 paid cable subscribers.[12] Muhammad Ali had several fights on early pay-per-view home television, includingCassius Clay vs. Doug Jones in 1963,[13] andSonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay[14] which drew 250,000 buys on cable television in 1964.[15]
Professional boxing was largely introduced to pay-per-view cable television with the "Thrilla in Manila" fight betweenMuhammad Ali andJoe Frazier in September 1975. The fight sold 500,000 pay-per-view buys on HBO.[16] There was also another major title fight aired on pay-per-view in 1980, whenRoberto Durán defeatedSugar Ray Leonard. Cable companies offered the match for $10, and about 155,000 customers paid to watch the fight.[17][18]
WWE chairman and chief executive officerVince McMahon is considered by many as one of the icons of pay-per-view promotion. McMahon owns thedomain name payperview.com, which redirects to theWWE Network website.[19]
With the rise ofdirect broadcast satellite services in the 1990s, this meant more services exclusively for DBS users appeared.DirecTV hadDirect Ticket (which, in addition to movies and special events, also included PPV sports packages, most notablyNFL Sunday Ticket), whileDish Network hadDish On Demand.PrimeStar, on the other hand, utilized pre-existing services like Viewer's Choice and Request TV (as it was owned by a number of major cable providers), though promotional material bannered all PPV services under the name ofPrimeCinema.
In 2006, HBO generated 3.7 million pay-per-view buys with $177 million in gross sales. The only year with more buys previously, 1999, had a total of 4 million. The former record fell in 2007 when HBO sold 4.8 million PPV buys with $255 million in sales.[20] BY 2014, HBO had generated 59.3 million buys and $3.1 billion in revenue since its 1991 debut with Evander Holyfield-George Foreman.[21]
1999 differed radically from 2006: 1999 saw four major fight cards: De La Hoya-Trinidad (1.4 million buys), Holyfield-Lewis I (1.2 million), Holyfield-Lewis II (850,000) and De La Hoya-Quartey (570,000). By contrast, only one pay-per-view mega-fight took place in 2006: De La Hoya-Mayorga (925,000 buys). Rahman-Maskaev bombed with under 50,000. The other eight PPV cards that year all fell in the 325,000–450,000 range.
In May 2007, the junior middleweight boxing match betweenOscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. on HBO PPV became the biggest-selling non-heavyweight title fight, with a little more than 2.5 million buyers.[22] The fight itself generated roughly$139 million in domestic PPV revenue, making it the most lucrative prizefight of that era. The record stood until 2015 before it was broken byFloyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao in a fight dubbed as the "Fight of the Century" on May 2, 2015, which generated 4.6 million ppv buys and a revenue of over $400 million.[23]
The leading PPV attraction,Floyd Mayweather Jr. has generated approximately 24 million buys and $1.6 billion in revenue.Manny Pacquiao, ranked second, has generated approximately 20.1 million buys and $1.2 billion in revenue.[24][25]Oscar De La Hoya, has "sold" approximately 14 millionunits in total, giving $700 million in domestic television receipts and stands third. In fourth place in buys,Evander Holyfield has achieved 12.6 million units ($550 million); and at fifth,Mike Tyson has reached 12.4 million units ($545 million).[26]
Ross Greenburg, then president of HBO Sports, called the expansion of pay-per-view "the biggest economic issue in boxing", stating "I can't tell you that pay-per-view helps the sport because it doesn't. It hurts the sport because it narrows our audience, but it's a fact of life. Every time we try to make an HBO World Championship Boxing fight, we're up against mythical pay-per-view numbers. HBO doesn't make a lot of money from pay-per-view. There's usually a cap on what we can make. But the promoters and fighters insist on pay-per-view because that's where their greatest profits lie."[27]
"It's a big problem," Greenburg continues. "It's getting harder and harder to put fighters likeManny Pacquiao onHBO World Championship Boxing. IfFloyd Mayweather beats Oscar, he might never fight on HBO World Championship Boxing again. But if HBO stopped doing pay-per-view, the promoters would simply do it on their own [like Bob Arum did with Cotto-Malignaggi in June 2006] or find someone else who will do it for them."[27]
Former HBO Sports President Seth Abraham concurs, saying, "I think, if Lou (DiBella) and I were still at HBO, we'd be in the same pickle as far as the exodus of fights to pay-per-view is concerned."[28]
TheUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), amixed martial arts promotion, was a relative newcomer to the PPV market. However, the promotion experienced a surge in popularity in the mid-2000s, credited initially to the popularity of an associatedreality show on the cable channelSpike,The Ultimate Fighter.UFC 52—the first UFC event since its premiere, broke the promotion's record with almost 300,000 buys (in comparison to 250,000 forUFC 5).[29][30] PPV numbers escalated further in 2006, with its events taking in a gross revenue of $222 million.[31] In October 2016, it was reported that 42% of the UFC's "content revenue" in 2015 came from pay-per-view buys, followed by U.S. and international media rights.
In 2018,UFC 229 would pull an all-time record for the promotion, with estimates indicating that the event attracted nearly 2.4 million buys, breaking the 1.65 million buy record set byUFC 202.[32]
In March 2019, as part of a larger contract withESPN for media rights in the United States, it was announced that future UFC pay-per-views willonly be sold to subscribers of the network's streaming serviceESPN+.[33][34]
Professional wrestling has a long history of running pay-per-view events.WWE (then WWF) launched its first pay-per-view event in 1985 with its annual flagship eventWrestleMania and has run numerous others throughout the years. Although it still offers its events via traditional PPV outlets, they have also been included at no additional charge as part of a larger, subscription-based streaming service known asWWE Network. The service also includes original programming (such as documentary-style series and other wrestling programs) and an on-demand archive of events and television episodes from WWE's library. FollowingWrestleMania 34, the service had 2.12 million subscribers.[35][36]
Since the beginning of 2022, WWE has used the term "Premium Live Events" instead of pay-per-view to promote their availability via subscription platforms such as WWE Network and other streaming services (such asPeacock), although they still remain available via traditional PPV.[37][38][39]
Other major organizations such asWorld Championship Wrestling,Extreme Championship Wrestling,Total Nonstop Action Wrestling,Ring of Honor, andAll Elite Wrestling have also run pay-per-view events.
In 1999,Woodstock 1999 was broadcast via PPV fromRome, New York for people who wanted to attend but could not. The cameras were a cause of the downfall of the event.
In 2015, PPV broadcasts of theFare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead tour set a record for buys for a music event, with over 400,000.[40]
Viewers in theUnited Kingdom andIreland can access pay-per-view via satellite, cable andover-the-internet television services, mainly for films, boxing,mixed martial arts and Americanprofessional wrestling via services such asSky Box Office andTNT Sports Box Office. Recent years has seen the number of pay-per-view boxing events significantly increase and currently all of the UK's top fights are only available via pay-per-view. Broadcasters (most notablyPremPlus) have abandoned their aspirations to introduce PPV into other sports markets following poor interest from the public.
In October 2020 during the2020-21 season, thePremier League experimented with PPV telecasts of football matches not selected for broadcasts by its main rightsholders (which are usuallyblacked out 3:00 p.m. kickoffs, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, which prevented any attendance of the matches). However, the matches proved unpopular, with team supporters' groups urging fans to make donations to charity instead, and the Premier League announcing that it would allocate the extra matches among its existing rightsholders (TNT and Sky, as well asAmazon Prime Video andBBC Sport, with some on free-to-air TV) through at least the end of 2020, as it had done during the conclusion of the previous season.[41][42][43][44]
In Canada, most specialty television providers provide pay-per-view programming through one or more services. In all cases, prices typically range from aroundC$4.99 (for movies) up to $50 or more for special events.
Initially, there were three major PPV providers in Canada;Viewers Choice operated in Eastern Canada as a joint venture ofAstral Media,Rogers Communications, andTSN.Western International Communications operated a separate service in the west initially known as Home Theatre; it was later rebranded as Viewers Choice under license.
Viewers Choice Canada was a partner in a French-language PPV service known asCanal Indigo, which is now entirely owned byVideotron.Bell Canada launched a PPV service for itsExpressVu television provider known asVu! in 1999.
Home Theatre was later acquired byShaw Communications; after gaining permission to operate nationally, it re-branded as awhite-label PPV known internally asShaw PPV in December 2007. In 2014, due toBell Media's majority ownership of Viewers Choice because of its acquisition of Astral, and because both Bell and Rogers now ran their own in-house PPV operations (Vu! andSportsnet PPV), Viewers Choice was shut down.[45]
InRomania, cable communications operator UPC Romania has notified the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) on the intention to introduce in January, February 2014 at the latest, an on-demand audiovisual media service called Agerpres. According to the manager of UPC Romania-owned Smaranda Radoi UPC, will allow customers to watch movies on demand or live events; as well as broadcasts of performances, concerts and sporting events.
In November 2008, pay-per-view made its debut inAlbania throughDigitalb on terrestrial and satellite television, with the channel DigiGold.[46]
In France, launched in the late 1990s, Canalsat (Ciné+) and TPS (Multivision) operate their own pay-per-view service. While CanalSat holds the rights to live soccer matches for France's Ligue 1, TPS had the rights for Boxe matches. In 2007, Multivision service ceased by the end of TPS service which merged with Canalsat. Nowadays, Ciné+ is the only existing pay-per-view service in France.
InCroatia,Fight Channel is broadcasting martial arts events organized by the world's most prominent fighting organizations, such as theUFC,K-1,HBO Boxing, Dream, Glory WS, World Series of Boxing etc. and its pay-per-view service covers theBalkans region.
Sky Deutschland, accessible in Germany, Austria and partially in Switzerland, provided nine PPV-Channels called "Sky Select", where their regular Pay-TV customers can see movies or various sports events such as boxing or soccer.[47] As of 1 October 2020, only sport and wrestling events remained on PPV as movies were changed towards a streaming service.[48]
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Per nations with Pay-Per-View or PPV system in South América:
In Argentina,Torneos y Competencias is a producer and sports events organization that are broadcasts live main matches of ArgentineSoccer in four categories onTyC Sports, TyC Max (six channels), TyC Sports 2, TyC Sports 4 and TyC Sports 5.
In Brazil, in the soccer main matches of Serie A (Six games per matchday) and Serie B (Four games per matchday) in two categories of Brazilian Soccer are broadcast live onPremiere FC andSporTV. The Serie C Championship are broadcast live on SporTV with two games per matchday in Pay TV. In other sports are broadcast live on NBB TV (Exclusive channel of Brazilian Basketball League in Premium system).
InChile, the exclusive rights of Chilean Soccer are owned byTV Fútbol and broadcast live on a channel calledCanal Del Fútbol (The Soccer Channel), also knownCDF.Sports Field S.A. has exclusive rights to games on the Chilean professional basketball league, which are broadcast live vía CDO (Premium Signal).
InParaguay, the Teledeportes producer business have exclusive rights to broadcast live main matches of Paraguayan Soccer in four categories vía Tigo Max and Tigo Sports. Teledeportes have live broadcast of Paraguayan Basketball League broadcast Tuesday at 9:00 pm on Tigo Sports (K.O 21:15) and Wednesday at 8:55 pm on Tigo Max (K.O 21:10).
InUruguay, theTenfield producer business and sports events organization have television exclusive rights for the Uruguayan soccer and basketball club championships, which are broadcast on VTV and VTV Plus.
Foxtel andOptus Vision introduced pay-per-view direct to hometelevision in Australia in the mid-to-late 1990s. Foxtel had Event TV (until it transformed into its current form;Main Event) while, Optus Vision had Main Attraction Pay-Per-View as its provider. As of 2005, Main Event is the current pay-per-view provider through Foxtel and Optus cable/satellite subscription.
Sky Pacific started a service in Fiji in 2005 and then expanded into American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati (East), Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, with one, out of their 25 channels, being Pay-Per-View.[49]
InMalaysia,Astro'sAstro Box Office service launched in 2000 in the form of thefree-to-air "Astro Showcase".
InJapan,SkyPerfecTV subscribers can receive one-click pay-per-view access to hundreds of channels supplying domestic and international sporting events (including WWE events), movies, and specialty programming, either live or later on continuous repeat on its channel.
In India a pay-per-view service operates; however, pay-per-view sports broadcasts are available. Now also live events like WWE.[citation needed]
| Rank | Country | Annual revenue (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | $2,060,000,000 |
| 2 |  United Kingdom | $1,180,000,000 |
| 3 |  Japan | $1,130,000,000 |
| 4 |  Germany | $620,000,000 |
| 5 |  China | $460,000,000 |
The following is a list ofboxing fights that have generated over 1 million pay-per-view buys worldwide. These figures include closed-circuit theatre television (CCTV), pay-per-view home television (PPV), and pay-per-view online streaming (is teofista.vhx.tv series 44).
| Date | Fight | Network(s) | Sales | Revenue(est.) | Revenue(est. inflation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 8, 1971 | Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier | Closed-circuit theatre TV | 2,590,000[51][52] | $45,750,000[53][54] | $400,000,000 |
| October 30, 1974 | Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman | Closed-circuit theatre TV | 50,000,000[5] | $100,000,000[55][56] | $600,000,000 |
| October 1, 1975 | Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III | Closed-circuit theatre TV HBO | 100,000,000[6][dubious –discuss] | $100,000,000 | $600,000,000 |
| September 27, 1976 | Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III | Closed-circuit theatre TV | 1,500,000[57] | $33,500,000[58][59] | $190,000,000 |
| June 20, 1980 | Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán | Closed-circuit theatre TV HBO | 1,655,000[60][17] | $30,000,000[61] | $110,000,000 |
| June 11, 1982 | Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney | Closed-circuit theatre TV | 2,000,000[62] | $20,000,000[3] | $70,000,000 |
| April 6, 1987 | Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard | Closed-circuit theatre TV HBO | 3,150,000[3] | $60,000,000[63] | $170,000,000 |
| June 27, 1988 | Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks | Closed-circuit theatre TV HBO | 1,500,000[64][65] | $70,000,000[63] | $190,000,000 |
| April 19, 1991 | Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman | HBO | 1,400,000[66] | $75,000,000[67] | $170,000,000 |
| June 28, 1991 | Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock II | Showtime | 1,250,000[68] | $49,142,000[69][70] | $110,000,000 |
| August 19, 1995 | Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley | Showtime | 1,600,000[71] | $110,000,000[72][73] | $220,000,000 |
| March 16, 1996 | Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson II | Showtime Sky Box Office | 2,060,000[71][74] | $98,000,000[75] | $196,000,000 |
| September 7, 1996 | Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon | Showtime | 1,150,000[66] | $63,810,000[71] | $128,000,000 |
| November 9, 1996 | Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield | Showtime | 1,600,000[71] | $94,200,000[71] | $190,000,000 |
| June 28, 1997 | Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II | Showtime Sky Box Office Closed-circuit theatre TV | 2,670,000[3][76][77] | $180,000,000[78] | $350,000,000 |
| September 18, 1999 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Félix Trinidad | HBO | 1,400,000[66] | $74,100,000[79] | $140,000,000 |
| June 8, 2002 | Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson | HBO Showtime Sky Box Office | 2,720,000[66][80] | $112,000,000[81] | $196,000,000 |
| May 5, 2007 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. | HBO Closed-circuit theatre TV | 2,450,000[66][82] | $165,000,000[83] | $300,000,000 |
| December 8, 2007 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton | HBO Sky Box Office | 2,400,000[84] | $134,000,000[84] | $200,000,000 |
| December 6, 2008 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao | HBO | 1,250,000[66] | $100,000,000[83] | $150,000,000 |
| May 2, 2009 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton | HBO Sky Box Office | 1,750,000[85][86] | $80,200,000[a] | $117,000,000 |
| September 19, 2009 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez | HBO | 1,060,000[87] | $58,810,000[88] | $86,000,000 |
| November 14, 2009 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto | HBO | 1,250,000[89] | $78,850,000[90] | $116,000,000 |
| May 1, 2010 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley | HBO | 1,400,000[66] | $89,330,000[91][73] | $129,000,000 |
| November 13, 2010 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito | HBO | 1,150,000[92] | $69,400,000[93] | $100,000,000 |
| May 7, 2011 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley | Showtime | 1,340,000[94] | $83,900,000[95] | $117,000,000 |
| September 17, 2011 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz | HBO | 1,250,000[96] | $87,440,000[97][73] | $122,000,000 |
| November 13, 2011 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez III | HBO | 1,400,000[98] | $88,580,000[99][73] | $120,000,000 |
| May 5, 2012 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto | HBO | 1,500,000[100] | $94,000,000[72] | $129,000,000 |
| December 8, 2012 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV | HBO | 1,150,000[101] | $80,400,000[102] | $110,000,000 |
| September 14, 2013 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez | Showtime | 2,200,000[103] | $150,000,000[23] | $200,000,000 |
| May 2, 2015 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao | HBO Showtime Sky Box Office Closed-circuit theatre TV | 5,773,000[104][105][106] | $500,000,000[107] | $500,000,000 |
| April 29, 2017 | Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko | Sky Box Office | 1,631,000[108] | $68,000,000[109] | $68,000,000 |
| August 26, 2017 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor | Showtime Sky Box Office | 5,174,000 | $500,000,000[110] | $500,000,000 |
| September 16, 2017 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin | HBO | 1,300,000[111] | $100,000,000[111] | $100,000,000 |
| March 31, 2018 | Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker | Sky Box Office | 1,832,000[112][108] | $60,000,000[113][114] | $60,000,000 |
| August 25, 2018 | KSI vs. Logan Paul | YouTube | 1,300,000[115] | $16,500,000[116][117] | $16,500,000 |
| Sep 15, 2018 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II | HBO | 1,100,000[118] | $117,000,000[118] | $117,000,000 |
| Sept 22, 2018 | Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin | Sky Box Office | 1,247,000[119][108] | $54,000,000[120][121][114] | $53,000,000 |
| November 9, 2019 | KSI vs. Logan Paul II | Sky Box Office DAZN | 2,000,000[122] | ||
| December 7, 2019 | Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua II | Sky Box Office | 1,575,000[123] | ||
| February 22, 2020 | Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II | ESPN Fox Sports | 1,200,000[124] | $112,900,000[125] | |
| November 28, 2020 | Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Triller | 1,600,000[126] | $80,000,000[126] | $80,000,000[126] |
| June 6, 2021 | Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Logan Paul | Showtime | 1,000,000[127] | $50,000,000[128] |
Select boxing buy rates at Americanclosed-circuittheatre television venues between 1951 and 2015:
| Date | Fight | Buys | Revenue | Revenue(inflation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 15, 1951 | Joe Louis vs.Lee Savold | 81,022[129] | $100,000[130] | $1,210,000 |
| September 12, 1951 | Sugar Ray Robinson vs.Randolph Turpin II | 100,000[131] | $200,000[131] | $2,420,000 |
| September 23, 1952 | Jersey Joe Walcott vs. Rocky Marciano | 40,000[132] | $192,000[133] | $2,270,000 |
| September 21, 1955 | Rocky Marciano vs. Archie Moore | 300,000[134] | $1,125,000[135] | $13,210,000 |
| September 23, 1957 | Sugar Ray Robinson vs.Carmen Basilio | 500,000[136] | $1,750,000[137] | $16,790,000 |
| March 25, 1958 | Sugar Ray Robinson vs.Carmen Basilio II | 400,000[138] | $2,000,000[139] | $21,800,000 |
| August 18, 1958 | Floyd Patterson vs.Roy Harris | 192,762[140] | $763,437[140] | $8,230,000 |
| June 26, 1959 | Floyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson | 244,000[141] | $1,032,000[141] | $11,130,000 |
| June 20, 1960 | Floyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson II | 500,000[142] | $3,000,000[143] | $31,890,000 |
| March 13, 1961 | Floyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson III | 500,000[144] | $2,500,000[144] | $26,310,000 |
| September 25, 1962 | Floyd Patterson vs. Sonny Liston | 600,000[145] | $3,200,000[51] | $33,260,000 |
| March 13, 1963 | Cassius Clay vs. Doug Jones | 150,000[146] | $500,000[13] | $5,140,000 |
| July 22, 1963 | Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson II | 563,000[51] | $4,747,690[147] | $49,350,000 |
| February 25, 1964 | Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay | 700,000[148] | $5,000,000[148] | $50,700,000 |
| January 2, 1965 | Floyd Patterson vs.George Chuvalo | 300,000[149] | $800,000[150] | $7,980,000 |
| May 25, 1965 | Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II | 630,000[151] | $4,300,000[2] | $42,900,000 |
| November 22, 1965 | Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson | 500,000[152] | $4,000,000[2] | $39,900,000 |
| November 14, 1966 | Muhammad Ali vs. Cleveland Williams | 500,000[153] | $3,750,000[153] | $37,420,000 |
| February 6, 1967 | Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell | 800,000[154] | $4,000,000[154] | $38,770,000 |
| October 26, 1970 | Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry | 630,000[155][156] | $3,500,000[157] | $28,340,000 |
| March 8, 1971 | Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier | 2,500,000[51] | $45,000,000[53] | $349,000,000 |
| October 30, 1974 | Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman | 3,000,000[3] | $60,000,000[3] | $380,000,000 |
| October 1, 1975 | Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III | 3,000,000[3] | $60,000,000[3] | $400,000,000 |
| September 27, 1976 | Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III | 1,500,000[57] | $30,000,000[58] | $170,000,000 |
| Jun 20, 1980 | Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán | 1,500,000[60] | $22,000,000[158] | $83,960,000 |
| June 11, 1982 | Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney | 2,000,000[62] | $20,000,000[3] | $65,170,000 |
| April 15, 1985 | Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns | 700,000[159] | $10,500,000[160] | $30,700,000 |
| April 6, 1987 | Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard | 3,000,000[3] | $40,000,000[161] | $110,710,000 |
| June 27, 1988 | Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks | 800,000[64] | $32,000,000[64] | $85,080,000 |
| June 28, 1997 | Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II | 120,000[77] | $9,000,000[3] | $17,630,000 |
| May 5, 2007 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. | 50,000[82] | $2,750,000[162] | $4,170,000 |
| May 2, 2015 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao | 173,000[106] | $25,900,000[106] | $34,360,000 |
Select PPV boxing buy-rates between 1960 and 2023:
| Date | Fight | Result | Carrier | Buy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 20, 1960 | Floyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson II | Patterson wins byKO in round 5 | TelePrompTer | 25,000[11] |
| March 13, 1961 | Floyd Patterson vs.Ingemar Johansson III | Patterson wins by KO in round 6 | TelePrompTer | 100,000[12] |
| September 25, 1962 | Floyd Patterson vs. Sonny Liston | Liston wins by KO in round 1 | TelePrompTer | 100,000[163] |
| February 25, 1964 | Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay | Ali wins byRTD in round 6 | WHCT[14] | 250,000[15] |
| Oct 1, 1975 | Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III | Ali wins byTKO in round 14 | HBO | 500,000[16] |
| Jun 20, 1980 | Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán | Durán wins byUD (145–144, 148–147, 146–144) | HBO | 155,000[17] |
| Sep 16, 1981 | Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns | Leonard wins by TKO in round 14 | HBO | 583,200[164] |
| Apr 15, 1985 | Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns | Hagler wins by TKO in round 3 | HBO | 100,000[159] |
| Apr 6, 1987 | Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard | Leonard wins bySD (118–110, 113–115, 115–113) | HBO | 150,000[3] |
| Jun 27, 1988 | Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks | Tyson wins by KO in round 1 | HBO | 700,000[65] |
| Nov 7, 1988 | Donny Lalonde vs. Sugar Ray Leonard | Leonard wins by TKO in round 9 | HBO | 700,000[165] |
| Oct 25, 1990 | Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield | Holyfield wins by KO in round 3 | Showtime | 1,000,000[65] |
| March 18, 1991 | Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock | Tyson wins by TKO in round 7 | Showtime | 960,000[166] |
| Apr 19, 1991 | Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman | Holyfield wins by UD (116–111, 117–110, 115–112) | HBO | 1,400,000[66] |
| Jun 28, 1991 | Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock II | Tyson wins by UD (113–109, 114–108, 114–108) | Showtime | 1,250,000[68] |
| Oct 18, 1991 | Ray Mercer vs. Tommy Morrison | Mercer wins by KO in round 5 | HBO | 200,000[167] |
| Jun 19, 1992 | Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Holmes | Holyfield wins by UD (117–111, 116–112, 116–112) | HBO | 730,000[168] |
| Sep 12, 1992 | Julio César Chávez vs. Héctor Camacho | Chavez wins by UD (110–119, 111–117, 107–120) | Showtime | 800,000[169] |
| Nov 13, 1992 | Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe | Bowe wins by UD (117–110, 117–110, 115–112) | HBO | 900,000[170] |
| Jun 7, 1993 | George Foreman vs. Tommy Morrison | Morrison wins by UD (117–110, 117–110, 118–108) | HBO | 600,000[171] |
| Sep 10, 1993 | Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio César Chávez | Majority draw (115–113, 115–115, 115–115) | Showtime | 740,000[172] |
| Nov 6, 1993 | Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield II | Holyfield wins byMD (115–113, 115–114, 114–114) | HBO | 950,000[173] |
| Nov 18, 1994 | James Toney vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Jones Jr. wins by UD (119–108, 118–109, 117–110) | HBO | 300,000[174] |
| May 6, 1995 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Rafael Ruelas | De La Hoya wins by TKO in round 2 | HBO | 330,000[175] |
| Aug 19, 1995 | Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley | Tyson wins byDQ in round 1 | Showtime | 1,600,000[71] |
| Nov 4, 1995 | Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield III | Bowe wins by TKO in round 8 | HBO | 650,000[176] |
| Mar 16, 1996 | Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson II | Tyson wins by TKO in round 3 | Showtime | 1,400,000[71] |
| Sep 7, 1996 | Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson | Tyson wins by TKO in round 1 | Showtime | 1,150,000[66] |
| Nov 9, 1996 | Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield | Holyfield wins by TKO in round 11 | Showtime | 1,600,000[71] |
| Apr 12, 1997 | Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya | De La Hoya wins by UD (115–111, 116–110, 116–110) | HBO | 720,000[177] |
| Jun 28, 1997 | Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II | Holyfield wins by DQ in round 3 | Showtime | 1,990,000[66] |
| Sep 13, 1997 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Héctor Camacho | De La Hoya wins by UD (120–106, 120–105, 118–108) | HBO | 560,000[177] |
| Oct 4, 1997 | Lennox Lewis vs. Andrew Golota | Lewis wins by KO in round 1 | HBO | 300,000[178] |
| Nov 8, 1997 | Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II | Holyfield wins by RTD in round 8 | Showtime | 550,000[179] |
| Jan 16, 1999 | Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha | Tyson wins by KO in round 5 | Showtime | 750,000[180] |
| Mar 13, 1999 | Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis | Split draw (116–113, 113–115, 115–115) | HBO | 1,200,000[181] |
| Sep 18, 1999 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Félix Trinidad | Trinidad wins by MD (115–113, 115–114, 114–114) | HBO | 1,400,000[66] |
| Nov 13, 1999 | Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis II | Lewis wins by UD (116–112, 117–111, 115–113) | HBO | 850,000[181] |
| Apr 29, 2000 | Lennox Lewis vs. Michael Grant | Lewis wins by KO in round 2 | HBO | 340,000[181] |
| Jun 17, 2000 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley | Mosley wins by SD (116–112, 115–113, 113–115) | HBO | 590,000[177] |
| Sep 9, 2000 | Roy Jones Jr. vs.Eric Harding | Jones Jr. wins by RTD in round 10 | HBO | 125,000[182] |
| Oct 20, 2000 | Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota | Tyson wins by TKO in round 3 (later changed to anNC) | Showtime | 450,000[183] |
| Nov 11, 2000 | Lennox Lewis vs. David Tua | Lewis wins by UD (119–109, 118–110, 117–111) | HBO | 420,000[181] |
| Mar 3, 2001 | Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz II | Ruiz wins by UD (116–110, 115–111, 114–111) | Showtime | 185,000[184] |
| Apr 7, 2001 | Naseem Hamed vs. Marco Antonio Barrera | Barrera wins by UD (116–111, 115–112, 115–112) | HBO | 310,000[185] |
| Jun 8, 2001 | Laila Ali vs.Jacqui Frazier-Lyde | Ali wins by MD (73–79, 75–77, 76–76) | ? | 125,000[186] |
| Nov 17, 2001 | Hasim Rahman vs. Lennox Lewis II | Lewis wins by KO in round 4 | HBO | 460,000[187] |
| Jun 8, 2002 | Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson | Lewis wins by KO in round 8 | HBO/Showtime | 1,970,000[66] |
| Sep 14, 2002 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas | De La Hoya wins by TKO in round 11 | HBO | 935,000[177] |
| Feb 22, 2003 | Mike Tyson vs. Clifford Etienne | Tyson wins by KO in round 1 | Showtime | 100,000[184] |
| Mar 1, 2003 | John Ruiz vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Jones Jr. wins by UD (118–110, 117–111, 116–112) | HBO | 525,000[184] |
| Sep 13, 2003 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley II | Mosley wins by UD (113–115, 113–115, 113–115) | HBO | 950,000[177] |
| Oct 4, 2003 | Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney | Toney wins by TKO in round 9 | Showtime | 150,000[188] |
| Nov 8, 2003 | Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Jones Jr. wins by MD (117–111, 116–112, 114–114) | HBO | 302,000[189] |
| May 15, 2004 | Roy Jones Jr. vs. Antonio Tarver II | Tarver wins by KO in round 2 | HBO | 360,000[190] |
| Sep 18, 2004 | Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya | Hopkins wins by KO in round 9 | HBO | 1,000,000[177] |
| Dec 11, 2004 | Vitali Klitschko vs. Danny Williams | Klitschko wins by TKO in round 8 | HBO | 120,000[191] |
| Mar 19, 2005 | Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao | Morales wins by UD (115–113, 115–113, 115–113) | HBO | 345,000[192] |
| Jun 11, 2005 | Mike Tyson vs. Kevin McBride | McBride wins by TKO in round 7 | Showtime | 250,000[193] |
| Jun 25, 2005 | Arturo Gatti vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Mayweather Jr. wins by RTD in round 6 | HBO | 340,000[192] |
| Oct 1, 2005 | Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr. III | Tarver wins by UD (117–111, 116–112, 116–112) | HBO | 405,000[194] |
| Jan 21, 2006 | Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao II | Pacquiao wins by TKO in round 10 | HBO | 360,000[195] |
| Feb 25, 2006 | Shane Mosley vs.Fernando Vargas | Mosley wins by TKO in round 10 | HBO | 415,000[196] |
| Apr 8, 2006 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Zab Judah | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (116–112, 117–111, 119–109) | HBO | 375,000[195] |
| May 6, 2006 | Ricardo Mayorga vs. Oscar De La Hoya | De La Hoya wins by TKO in round 6 | HBO | 925,000[197] |
| May 6, 2006 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Óscar Larios | Pacquiao wins by UD (117–110, 118–108, 120–106) | Top Rank | 120,000[198] |
| Jul 15, 2006 | Shane Mosley vs.Fernando Vargas II | Mosley wins by TKO in round 6 | HBO | 350,000[196] |
| Aug 12, 2006 | Hasim Rahman vs. Oleg Maskaev II | Maskaev wins by TKO in round 12 | HBO | 60,000[199] |
| Nov 4, 2006 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Carlos Baldomir | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (120–108, 120–108, 118–110) | HBO | 325,000[195] |
| Nov 18, 2006 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales III | Pacquiao wins by KO in round 3 | HBO | 350,000[195] |
| Apr 14, 2007 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Jorge Solís | Pacquiao wins by KO in round 8 | Top Rank | 150,000[200] |
| May 5, 2007 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Mayweather Jr. wins by SD (116–112, 115–113, 113–115) | HBO | 2,400,000[66] |
| Oct 10, 2007 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera II | Pacquiao wins by UD (118–109, 118–109, 115–112) | HBO | 350,000[201] |
| Dec 8, 2007 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton | Mayweather Jr. wins by TKO in round 10 | HBO | 920,000[87] |
| Jan 19, 2008 | Félix Trinidad vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Jones Jr. wins by UD (116–110, 117–109, 116–110) | HBO | 500,000[202] |
| Feb 16, 2008 | Kelly Pavlik vs.Jermain Taylor II | Pavlik wins by UD (115–113, 117–111, 116–112) | HBO | 250,000[202] |
| Mar 15, 2008 | Juan Manuel Márquez vs. Manny Pacquiao II | Pacquiao wins by SD (115–112, 114–113, 112–115) | HBO | 400,000[203] |
| Jun 28, 2008 | David Díaz vs. Manny Pacquiao | Pacquiao wins by TKO in round 9 | HBO | 206,000[204] |
| Jul 26, 2008 | Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito | Margarito wins by TKO in round 11 | HBO | 450,000[205] |
| Nov 8, 2008 | Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Calzaghe wins by UD (118–109, 118–109, 118–109) | HBO | 225,000[205] |
| Dec 6, 2008 | Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao | Pacquiao wins by RTD in round 8 | HBO | 1,250,000[66] |
| May 2, 2009 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton | Pacquiao wins by KO in round 2 | HBO | 850,000[85] |
| Sep 19, 2009 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (120–107, 119–108, 118–109) | HBO | 1,060,000[87] |
| Nov 14, 2009 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto | Pacquiao wins by TKO in round 12 | HBO | 1,250,000[89] |
| Mar 13, 2010 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey | Pacquiao wins by UD (119–109, 119–109, 120–108) | HBO | 700,000[206] |
| Apr 3, 2010 | Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr. II | Hopkins win by UD (118–109, 117–110, 117–110) | HBO | 150,000[207] |
| May 1, 2010 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (119–109, 118–110, 119–109) | HBO | 1,400,000[66] |
| Nov 13, 2010 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito | Pacquiao wins by UD (120–108, 118–110, 119–109) | HBO | 1,150,000[92] |
| May 7, 2011 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley | Pacquiao wins by UD (119–108, 120–108, 120–107) | Showtime | 1,340,000[94] |
| Sep 17, 2011 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz | Mayweather Jr. wins by KO in round 4 | HBO | 1,250,000[96] |
| Nov 13, 2011 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez III | Pacquiao wins by MD (115–113, 114–114, 116–112) | HBO | 1,400,000[98] |
| Dec 3, 2011 | Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II | Cotto wins by RTD in round 9 | HBO | 600,000[208] |
| May 5, 2012 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (117–111, 117–111, 118–110) | HBO | 1,500,000[100] |
| Jun 9, 2012 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley | Bradley wins by SD (115–113, 115–113, 115–113) | HBO | 890,000[209] |
| Sep 15, 2012 | Julio César Chávez Jr. vs. Sergio Martínez | Martínez wins by UD (118–109, 118–109, 117–110) | HBO | 475,000[210] |
| Dec 8, 2012 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV | Márquez wins by KO in round 6 | HBO | 1,150,000[101] |
| May 4, 2013 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (117–111, 117–111, 117–111) | Showtime | 1,000,000[211] |
| Sep 14, 2013 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez | Mayweather Jr. wins by MD (117–111, 116–112, 114–114) | Showtime | 2,200,000[103] |
| Oct 12, 2013 | Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez | Bradley wins by SD (115–113, 116–112, 113–115) | HBO | 375,000[212] |
| Nov 24, 2013 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Ríos | Pacquiao wins by UD (119–109, 120–108, 118–110) | HBO | 475,000[213] |
| Mar 8, 2014 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo | Álvarez wins by TKO in Round 10 | Showtime | 350,000[214] |
| Apr 12, 2014 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II | Pacquiao wins by UD (116–112, 116–112, 118–110) | HBO | 800,000[215] |
| May 3, 2014 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos Maidana | Mayweather Jr. wins by MD (114–114, 117–111, 116–112) | Showtime | 900,000[216] |
| Jun 7, 2014 | Sergio Martínez vs. Miguel Cotto | Cotto wins by RTD in round 10 | HBO | 315,000[217] |
| Jul 12, 2014 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Erislandy Lara | Álvarez wins by SD (115–113, 117–111, 113–115) | Showtime | 300,000[218] |
| Sep 13, 2014 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos Maidana II | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (116–111, 116–111, 115–112) | Showtime | 925,000[216] |
| Nov 23, 2014 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri | Pacquiao wins by UD (119–103, 119–103, 120–102) | HBO | 400,000[219] |
| May 2, 2015 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (116–112, 116–112, 118–110) | HBO/Showtime | 4,600,000[104] |
| Sep 12, 2015 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Andre Berto | Mayweather Jr. wins by UD (120–108, 118–110, 117–111) | Showtime | 400,000[220] |
| Oct 17, 2015 | Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux | Golovkin wins by TKO in round 8 | HBO | 150,000[221] |
| Nov 21, 2015 | Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Álvarez | Álvarez wins by UD (117–111, 119–109, 118–110) | HBO | 900,000[222] |
| Apr 9, 2016 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley III | Pacquiao wins by UD (116–110, 116–110, 116–110) | HBO | 400,000[223] |
| May 7, 2016 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Amir Khan | Álvarez wins by KO in round 6 | HBO | 600,000[224] |
| July 23, 2016 | Terence Crawford vs.Viktor Postol | Crawford wins by UD (118–107, 118–107, 117–108) | HBO | 55,000[225] |
| Sep 17, 2016 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Liam Smith | Álvarez wins by TKO in round 9 | HBO | 300,000[226] |
| Nov 5, 2016 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas | Pacquiao wins by UD (118–109, 118–109, 114–113) | Top Rank | 300,000[227] |
| Nov 19, 2016 | Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward | Ward wins by UD (114–113, 114–113, 114–113) | HBO | 165,000[228] |
| Mar 18, 2017 | Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs | Golovkin wins by UD (115–112, 115–112, 114–113) | HBO | 170,000[229] |
| May 6, 2017 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr. | Álvarez wins by UD (120–108, 120–108, 120–108) | HBO | 1,000,000[230] |
| Jun 17, 2017 | Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev II | Ward wins by TKO in round 8 | HBO | 130,000[231] |
| Aug 26, 2017 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor | Mayweather Jr. wins by TKO in round 10 | Showtime | 4,300,000[232] |
| Sep 16, 2017 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin | Split draw (118–110, 115–113, 114–114) | HBO | 1,300,000[111] |
| Sep 15, 2018 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II | Álvarez wins by MD (115–113, 114–114, 115–113) | HBO | 1,100,000[118] |
| Dec 1, 2018 | Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury | Split draw (115–111, 113–113, 112–114) | Showtime | 325,000[233] |
| Jan 19, 2019 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrien Broner | Pacquiao wins by UD (117–111, 116–112, 116–112) | Showtime | 400,000[234] |
| Mar 16, 2019 | Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mikey Garcia | Spence Jr. wins by UD (120–107, 120–108, 120–108) | Fox | 375,000[235] |
| Apr 20, 2019 | Terence Crawford vs.Amir Khan | Crawford wins by TKO in round 6 | ESPN | 150,000[236] |
| Jul 20, 2019 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman | Pacquiao wins by SD (115–112, 115–112, 113–114) | Fox | 500,000[237] |
| Sep 28, 2019 | Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter | Spence wins by SD (116–111, 116–111, 112–115) | Fox | 350,000[238] |
| Nov 9, 2019 | KSI vs. Logan Paul II | KSI wins by SD (56–55, 57–54, 55–56) | DAZN | 2,000,000[122] |
| Nov 23, 2019 | Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz II | Wilder wins by KO in round 7 | Fox | 275,000[239] |
| Feb 22, 2020 | Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II | Fury wins by TKO in round 7 | ESPN/Fox | 800,000[240] |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Charlo Doubleheader VIII | Charlo wins by UD (116–112, 118–110, 117–111) | Showtime | 120,000[241] |
| Oct 31, 2020 | Gervonta Davis vs.Leo Santa Cruz | Davis wins by KO in round 6 | Showtime | 225,000[242] |
| Nov 28, 2020 | Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. | Split draw (76–76, 79–73, 76–80) | Triller | 1,600,000[126] |
| Dec 5, 2020 | Errol Spence Jr. vs.Danny Garcia | Spence wins by UD (117–111, 116–112, 116–112) | Fox | 250,000[243] |
| May 1, 2021 | Chris Arreola vs.Andy Ruiz Jr. | Ruiz wins by UD (118–109, 118–109, 117–110) | Fox | 150,000[244] |
| Jun 6, 2021 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul | Exhibition fight, no winner declared | Showtime | 1,000,000[245][246] |
| Jun 26, 2021 | Mario Barrios vs.Gervonta Davis | Davis wins by TKO in round 11 | Showtime | 200,000[247] |
| Aug 21, 2021 | Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugás | Ugas wins by UD (116–112, 116–112, 115–113) | Fox | 250,000[248] |
| Aug 29, 2021 | Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley | Paul wins by SD (78–74, 77–75, 75–77) | Showtime | 500,000[249][250] |
| Oct 9, 2021 | Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III | Fury wins by KO in round 11 | ESPN/Fox | 600,000[251] |
| Nov 6, 2021 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Caleb Plant | Álvarez wins by TKO in round 11 | Showtime | 800,000[252] |
| Nov 20, 2021 | Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter | Crawford wins by TKO in round 10 | ESPN | 135,000[253][254] |
| Dec 5, 2021 | Gervonta Davis vs.Isaac Cruz | Davis wins by UD (115–113, 115–113, 116–112) | Showtime | 100,000[255][256][257] |
| May 7, 2022 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol | Bivol wins by UD (115–113, 115–113, 115–113) | DAZN | 520,000[258] |
| May 28, 2022 | Gervonta Davis vs.Rolando Romero | Davis wins by TKO in round 6 | Showtime | 275,000[259] |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin III | Álvarez wins by UD (116–112, 115–113, 115–113) | DAZN | 850,000[260] |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius | Wilder wins by KO in round 1 | Fox | 75,000[261] |
| Apr 22, 2023 | Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia | Davis wins by TKO in round 7 | Showtime | 1,200,000[262] |
| May 20, 2023 | Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko | Haney wins by UD (115–113, 116–112, 115–113) | ESPN | 150,000[263] |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford | Crawford wins by TKO in round 9 | Showtime | 675,000[264] |
Select boxing pay-per-view figures (mainly fromSky Box Office) since 1966. Many of these figures are based onBARB weekly viewing data figures.[265]
The first pay-per-viewmixed martial arts bout wasMuhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, which took place inJapan onJune 26, 1976. It sold at least2 million buys on closed-circuit theatre TV.[336] At a ticket price of $10,[337] the fight grossed at least$20 million (inflation-adjusted$110 million) or more from closed-circuit theatre TV revenue in the United States.
The highest buy rates for the UFC as of January 2021[update] are as follows.[338]
Note: The UFC does not release official PPV statistics, and the following PPV numbers are as reported by industry insiders. As of April 2019, all PPV's are iPPV's, with distribution on the internet exclusively viaESPN+.
| Date | Event | Headline | Buy rate | Revenue (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2018 | UFC 229 | Khabib vs.McGregor | 2,400,000[339] | $180 million[340][341] |
| Jul 10, 2021 | UFC 264 | Poirier vs. McGregor 3 | 1,800,000 | |
| Aug 20, 2016 | UFC 202 | Diaz vs. McGregor 2 | 1,650,000[338] | $90 million[342][343] |
| Jan 24, 2021 | UFC 257 | Poirier vs. McGregor 2 | 1,600,000[344] | |
| Jul 11, 2009 | UFC 100 | Lesnar vs.Mir | 1,600,000[338] | $82 million |
| Jan 18, 2020 | UFC 246 | McGregor vs Cowboy | 1,353,429[345] | |
| Mar 5, 2016 | UFC 196 | McGregor vs. Diaz | 1,317,000[339] | $80 million[346][343] |
| Jul 11, 2020 | UFC 251 | Usman vs.Masvidal | 1,300,000[347] | $78 million[348] |
| Nov 12, 2016 | UFC 205 | Alvarez vs. McGregor | 1,300,000[339] | $83 million[349][341] |
| Jul 9, 2016 | UFC 200 | Tate vs.Nunes | 1,200,000[338] | $71 million[350][351] |
| Dec 12, 2015 | UFC 194 | Aldo vs. McGregor | 1,200,000[339] | $80 million[352][343] |
| Jul 3, 2010 | UFC 116 | Lesnar vs.Carwin | 1,160,000[338] | $55 million |
| Nov 15, 2015 | UFC 193 | Rousey vs.Holm | 1,100,000 | $60 million |
| Dec 30, 2016 | UFC 207 | Nunes vs. Rousey | 1,100,000[338] | $60 million[353][354] |
| Dec 30, 2006 | UFC 66 | Liddell vs.Ortiz 2 | 1,050,000[338] | $53 million |
| May 29, 2010 | UFC 114 | Rampage vs.Evans | 1,050,000[338] | $51 million[355][356] |
| Oct 23, 2010 | UFC 121 | Lesnar vs.Velasquez | 1,050,000[338] | $45 million |
| Dec 28, 2013 | UFC 168 | Weidman vs.Silva II | 1,025,000[338] | $57 million[357][358] |
| Nov 15, 2008 | UFC 91 | Couture vs. Lesnar | 1,010,000[338] | $47 million |
| Dec 27, 2008 | UFC 92 | Evans vs.Griffin | 1,000,000[338] | $48 million[359][343] |
| Mar 16, 2013 | UFC 158 | St-Pierre vs.Diaz | 950,000[338] | |
| Jul 7, 2012 | UFC 148 | Silva vs.Sonnen II | 925,000 | |
| Jan 31, 2009 | UFC 94 | St-Pierre vs.Penn 2 | 920,000 | |
| Aug 1, 2015 | UFC 190 | Rousey vs.Correia | 900,000 | |
| Nov 4, 2017 | UFC 217 | Bisping vs. St-Pierre | 875,000 | |
| Jul 29, 2017 | UFC 214 | Cormier vs.Jones 2 | 860,000 | |
| Aug 8, 2009 | UFC 101 | Declaration | 850,000 | |
| Jul 11, 2015 | UFC 189 | Mendes vs. McGregor | 825,000[360] | |
| Mar 6, 2021 | UFC 259 | Błachowicz vs. Adesanya | 800,000[361] | |
| Apr 30, 2011 | UFC 129 | St-Pierre vs.Shields | 800,000 | |
| Jan 3, 2015 | UFC 182 | Jones vs. Cormier | 800,000 | |
| Dec 11, 2010 | UFC 124 | St-Pierre vs.Koscheck 2 | 785,000 | |
| Mar 27, 2010 | UFC 111 | St-Pierre vs.Hardy | 770,000 | |
| Dec 30, 2011 | UFC 141 | Lesnar vs.Overeem | 750,000 | |
| Feb 5, 2011 | UFC 126 | Silva vs.Belfort | 725,000 | |
| Nov 6, 2021 | UFC 268 | Usman vs.Covington 2 | 700,000 | |
| Dec 29, 2007 | UFC 79 | Nemesis | 700,000 | |
| Apr 21, 2012 | UFC 145 | Jones vs. Evans | 700,000 | |
| Nov 17, 2012 | UFC 154 | St. Pierre vs.Condit | 700,000 | |
| Dec 29, 2018 | UFC 232 | Jones vs.Gustafsson 2 | 700,000 | |
| Apr 24, 2021 | UFC 261 | Usman vs. Masvidal 2 | 700,000[362] | |
| May 9, 2020 | UFC 249 | Ferguson vs.Gaethje | 700,000[363] | |
| Sep 26, 2020 | UFC 253 | Adesanya vs.Costa | 700,000[364] | |
| Oct 24, 2020 | UFC 254 | Khabib vs. Gaethje | 675,000[365] | |
| May 26, 2007 | UFC 71 | Liddell vs.Jackson | 675,000 |
WrestleMania I in March 1985 sold over 1 million buys on closed-circuit theatre TV in the United States, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event in the US at the time.[366]
The highest buy rates for professional wrestling events on pay-per-view home television as of June 2015[update] are as follows.[367]
| No. | Date | Event | Buy rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 1, 2007 | WrestleMania 23 | 1,250,000[368] |
| 2 | Apr 1, 2012 | WrestleMania XXVIII | 1,219,000[368] |
| 3 | Apr 3, 2011 | WrestleMania XXVII | 1,124,000[368] |
| 4 | Apr 7, 2013 | WrestleMania 29 | 1,104,000[368] |
| 5 | Apr 3, 2005 | WrestleMania 21 | 1,090,000[368] |
| 6 | Mar 30, 2008 | WrestleMania XXIV | 1,041,000[368] |
| 7 | Apr 1, 2001 | WrestleMania X-Seven | 1,040,000 |
| 8 | Mar 14, 2004 | WrestleMania XX | 1,020,000 |
| 9 | Apr 2, 2006 | WrestleMania 22 | 975,000 |
| 10 | Apr 5, 2009 | WrestleMania 25 | 960,000 |
| 11 | Mar 28, 2010 | WrestleMania XXVI | 885,000 |
| 12 | Mar 17, 2002 | WrestleMania X8 | 880,000 |
| 13 | Apr 2, 2000 | WrestleMania 2000 | 824,000 |
| 14 | Mar 28, 1999 | WrestleMania XV | 800,000 |
| 15 | Jul 22, 2001 | WWF Invasion | 770,000 |
| 16 | Apr 2, 1989 | WrestleMania V | 767,000 |
This tables lists the sportsmen who have had the highest pay-per-view sales, with at least 10 million buys. It includes sportsmen who have participated inboxing,mixed martial arts, andprofessional wrestling.
| Sportsman | Total sales (est.) | Closed-circuit theatre TV | PPV home television | Years | Sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Ali | 162,944,000 | 162,154,000[b] | 790,000[b] | 1963–1985 | Professional boxing |
| Mixed martial arts | |||||
| Professional wrestling | |||||
| Joe Frazier | 100,500,000 | 100,000,000[6] | 500,000[16] | 1965–1981 | Professional boxing |
| George Foreman | 52,000,000 | 50,000,000[5] | 2,000,000[66][171] | 1974–1993 | |
| Floyd Mayweather Jr. | 29,090,000 | 223,000[82][106] | 28,867,000[369][c] | 2005–2017 | Professional boxing |
| Professional wrestling | |||||
| Manny Pacquiao | 22,214,000 | 173,000[106] | 22,041,000[d] | 2005–2019 | Professional boxing |
| Mike Tyson | 20,700,000 | 920,000[e] | 19,780,000[e] | 1988–2020 | Professional boxing |
| Professional wrestling | |||||
| Triple H | 20,329,000 | — | 20,329,000[f] | 1994–2019 | Professional wrestling |
| Conor McGregor | 18,400,000 | — | 18,400,000[g] | 2015–2021 | Mixed martial arts |
| Professional boxing | |||||
| John Cena | 15,389,000 | — | 15,389,000[f] | 2002–2021 | Professional wrestling |
| The Rock | 14,859,000 | — | 14,859,000[h] | 1998–2013 | |
| The Undertaker | 14,451,000 | — | 14,451,000[f] | 1990–2020 | |
| Oscar De La Hoya | 14,140,000 | 50,000[82] | 14,090,000[i] | 1995–2008 | Professional boxing |
| Anthony Joshua | 13,441,000 | — | 13,441,000[j] | 2015–2021 | Professional boxing |
| Brock Lesnar | 12,771,000 | — | 12,771,000[k] | 2002–2020 | Professional wrestling |
| Mixed martial arts | |||||
| Evander Holyfield | 12,720,000 | 120,000[77] | 12,600,000[370] | 1984–2003 | Professional boxing |
| Canelo Álvarez | 11,070,000 | — | 11,070,000 | 2013–2023 | Professional Boxing |
| Shawn Michaels | 10,160,000 | — | 10,160,000[f] | 1988–2018 | Professional wrestling |
Teleprompter's main-spring, Irving B. Kahn (he's chairman of the board and president), had a taste of closed circuit operations as early as 1948. That summer, Kahn, then a vice president of 20th Century-Fox, negotiated what was probably the first inter-city closed circuit telecast in history, a pickup of the Joe Louis-Joe Walcott fight.
alan greenstadt channel 100.
Noting that many in the arts community have rested their hopes on pay cable, Mr. Jencks recalled that during a pay-TV experiment over WHCT(TV) Hartford, Conn., 96% of all viewing time was devoted to motion pictures and sports events. A single boxing match between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, Mr. Jencks said, attracted nearly four times as many subscribers as the cumulative total of all 50 "educational features" offered by WHCT over a two-year period.
No, if the Ali-Foreman story is just going to be about Race and Religion, forget the millions of dollars this fight can make, forget the shot in the arm this championship bout will give to boxing, forget gigundo grosses from the documentary movies of the fight, the training camps and that three-day black music festival in Zaire, forget that possible total of $100 million in revenues
Soit, pour Don King et ses amis, c'est la fin de leurs dépenses d'énergie pour trouver de l'argent nécessaire pour le coup le plus formidable jamais réalisé dans le show-boxing business et il prévoit une recette pouvant aller de 35 à 100 millions de dollars.
Average BSkyB [...] 1996 [...] 5m [...] 1997 [...] 5.8m [...] UK-based boxing promoter, Frank Warren in June 1997 described championship boxing as: the most honest form of TV [...] Our first match (Bruno v Tyson) created a 14 per cent buy-rate (660 000 subs) even at 5 a.m. 'Judgement Night' got 420 000 subs (9 per cent). The 'Night of Champions' 720,000 buys or 15.5 per cent and the 'Brit Pack' on May 3 [1997] achieved a 6 per cent buy rate
TYSON TKOs BRUNO in 5th round on Mar. 16. Revenues $98 million.
Then I heard very quickly that they did 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
A crowd of 31,892, who paid $824,814 and a closed-circuit TV audience of 500,000
Tyson's lowest buy rate was in his first fight with Donovan (Razor) Ruddock, which registered 960,000 buys.
An estimated 420,000 ppv customers watched the event, bringing BSkyB's 50 per cent share in the revenue to more than £25 million. 'Judgement Night' augured a new experience for fans of boxing, packaged and glossily delivered by television. [...] In the run-up to 'Judgement Night' Evans argued that Hamed thrived on the adrenaline rush of 'putting on a show' as much as he appeared to relish 'the pleasurable anticipation' of knocking out his opponent.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Probably the dullest event in sports history, it was watched by millions over closed-circuit television as well as by suckers in Tokyo who forked over $1,000 per ringside seat.