http://www.fightline.com/news/mma/2009/1111/460…
Although this weekend’s “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers” card was
star-studded, America showed there was only one star worth watching
as CBS received a huge spike just before
Fedor Emelianenko took the cage in his U.S. primetime debut.
According to CBS, between at 11PM and
11:15PM, 5.46 million viewers tuned in to watch the Russian
TKO the previously undefeated Brett Rogers in
the 2ndRound of their contest.
That number is a significant increase from the 4.01 million
viewers that watched during the 10:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. timeslot
leading-in.
The night was a big hit for Strikeforce and CBS among young males as the final timeslot posted
triple-digit increases in viewership with a 3.1 rating for men
18-34, a 3.3 rating for men 18-49, and a 3.5 rating for men
25-54.
Thirty-one percent of the Saturday audience was comprised of
18-34 adults, with the complete card garnering an average of 4.04
million viewers.
Of the four MMA broadcasts CBS had previously hosted, Fedor vs. Rogers ranks third
behind “EliteXC: Primetime,” which averaged 4.85 million viewers,
and “EliteXC: Heat,” which drew 4.56 million viewers. Both cards
were headlined by YouTube sensation Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson.
“Elite XC: Unfinished Business” in July of 2008 ranked last with
an average of 2.57 million viewers.
All-in-all, it was a solid CBS debut for
Strikeforce, especially if you consider that only eight fights have
ever been seen by more eyes.