LOS ANGELES, Calif. – March 25, 2010 – The international production and distribution company Engine Entertainment has completed an agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships to handle the exclusive worldwide distribution (excluding US and Canada) for this first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.
With its unique tournament format, Bellator allows fighters to control their own destiny by eliminating the subjectivity of matchmaking and replicating the objectivity of virtually every other professional sport. Guided by this concept, Bellator produces a unique, exciting, competitive and entertaining brand of MMA programming that is based on the most successful real-sports, objective competition format.
Bellator has taken the U.S. by storm since it debuted in April 2009 on ESPN Deportes. Due to the success of its first season, Bellator returns for its second and third seasons with one of the largest domestic television distribution alliances in fighting sports history, including 24 live events on Fox Sports Net (reaching 92 Million homes), with weekly highlight shows on both NBC (112 million homes) and Telemundo (62 Million homes) – bringing Bellator to virtually every home in the U.S.
In addition, Bellator will be broadcast across Canada through an alliance with The Score sports network.
Engine Entertainment is exclusively distributing the twenty-four 2010 season live events, plus all additional premium pay-per-view events that Bellator produces, worldwide (outside of the US and Canada) as well as the twelve previously aired 2009 Bellator Season 1 shows.
“With fighters from across the globe, Bellator has produced some of the most electrifying moments in MMA history,” said Chris Philp, Chief Executive, Engine Entertainment. “Bellator will thrill audiences in every country and we are excited to be distributing this successful nationally televised sports franchise worldwide.”
Said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney: “Bellator is very pleased to be working with Engine Entertainment—a dynamic and accomplished player in the highly competitive international programming sales industry. With some of the best fighters from every corner of the globe and a unique format that allows fighters to truly control their own destiny, we are confident that our real-sport format will enjoy success internationally that equals or exceeds the success we have had to date here in the U.S.”
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About Engine Entertainment
Engine Entertainment, with offices in LA, New York, Miami, and London, is the new force in international TV distribution and production, with a management team with top-level experience in the global TV industry, high-level contacts across the world’s TV markets, and in-depth knowledge of international co-production structures. Engine Entertainment achieves worldwide penetration across all platforms and cost-effectively creates and delivers inspiring quality entertainment for worldwide television audiences. www.engine-entertainment.com