The World Boxing Council (WBC) and VIVE Network are working in unison to present to the world the first-of-its-kind, round-the-clock all-professional boxing channel, WBC LIVE.
The entertainment hub will debut in May 2021 and will for the most part stream free to connected devices worldwide predominantly in Ultra high definition, high dynamic range. Programming will include weekly commentary shows, such as WBC Talks and, In The Ring, as well as plenty of promotional content profiling upcoming fight cards and athletes.
As the pandemic of 2020 all but annihilated live sports, it served as the single greatest impetus for this massive undertaking. WBC and VIVE stepped into the professional promoters’ and athletes’ corner with a strategy to counter-punch venue closures and lost ticket sales. Backed by world-class broadcast and technology partners, WBC LIVE will empower promoters to stream and monetize more fight cards – both title and non-title bouts in various divisions and duration – than ever in the highest quality without the cost prohibitive production price tag. VIVE Network has devised a plan to employ virtual production. The goal is to level the playing field for promoters of all scales by providing a platform to expose their talent in a more accessible setting and propel their professional careers.
The linear channel will appeal to sports fans with an appetite for premium broadcast events who own the multi-millions of UHD HDR-capable displays, yet have scarce access to UHD HDR entertainment. Fight fans around the globe eager to witness the action will be able to access VIVE’s free downloadable app available via various app ecosystems, including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV (Android TV), Roku Channel Store, and Smart TVs.
“Our mission is to provide professional boxing athletes and promoters the means to combat hindrances and sustain their livelihoods.” says John Jacaman, VIVE Network Director. “It’s the biggest thing to happen to the sport of professional boxing in years.”
“We are very excited to accomplish the dream that my father, José Sulaimán, pursued for many years: to spread the talent of young boxers from around the world, through the WBC Channel. Today, more than ever, we need to support promoters with innovative schemes within the WBC global platform.,” says Mauricio Sulaiman, World Boxing Council President.
This joint initiative, known as WBC Consortium, will not only benefit the sport of boxing, but also its fans universally. Athletes and promoters keen to learn more about leveraging the universal live event platform, tapping into its collective audiences, and consequently expanding their notoriety and earning potential should contact contact@wbcboxing.com at WBC. Broadcast outlets seeking consistent, high-quality professional boxing syndication should contact VIVE Network directly.
About World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council is the elite professional boxing sanctioning body and has as its maximum priority to work and protect for athlete’s safety and health inside and outside of the boxing ring. WBC rules which have revolutionized the sport of Boxing include reducing title fights from 15 to 12 rounds, the creation of divisions, and the requisite official 24-hour pre-fight weigh-ins among many others.
Founded by then Mexico’s President Adolfo López Mateos in 1963 with only 11 member nations, today the WBC is comprised of 165 countries from around the world and is headquartered in Mexico City. Some of its greatest champions are Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar de La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao among others.
About VIVE Network
VIVE is a 4K HDR multi-channel, linear OTT TV network and live event platform as a service for third-party content creators available globally on every screen in every format.
As a pioneer of the TV Revolution and UHD Initiative, VIVE’s mission is to facilitate the creation, proliferation, and monetization of UHD HDR entertainment to address the domain of the multi-millions of viewers around the globe, and in doing so, establishing the network as the ultimate UHD entertainment destination.
