WITH David Haye’s return just two weeks away, the TV channel showing the fight in the UK has yet to be announced. Haye comes back from a three-and-a-half-year hiatus against Australian Mark De Mori on January 16 at London’s O2 Arena and despite myriad rumours, no broadcaster has come forward to claim “Haye Day” as yet. here are the main runners and riders:
Sky Sports
AS has been made abundantly clear recently, Matchroom have a hand in all UK fights shown on Sky and their main man, Eddie Hearn, recently indicated on Twitter that this particular bout would not be broadcast by the satellite giant. Add that Haye is not a Matchroom fighter and that his bout with Audley Harrison is widely considered the catalyst for Sky temporarily abandoning their Box Office arm and they seem outsiders in this race.
ITV
ONE would imagine such a large company would want more time to market a boxing card but ITV do not appear to advertise their (rare) boxing content to a great degree. Barry McGuigan, the father of Haye’s new trainer Shane, has a great relationship with ITV who have shown David’s new stablemate Carl Frampton. Haye was also a participant on ITV reality show, I’m a Celebrity…, which presumably does not harm his chances.
Spike TV
A RELATIVE newcomer to the UK market, Spike are owned by the same conglomerate as Channel 5 and MTV, US behemoth Viacom. It is thought Mick Hennessy’s deal with Channel 5 could preclude Haye’s appearance on the main terrestrial channel but Spike already shows boxing undercards and as a Freeview channel aimed at “men and the women who love them” it offers both a vast reach and a relevant demographic.
Apple TV
THE apps-based service already boasts Netflix, BBC iPlayer and iTunes and has a rapidly growing British user base, making them viable contenders.
