MMA Brand Strikeforce Heads to Tiger Gate’s KIX Channel

LOS ANGELES: Shine International has sold the pan-Asian rights to programming from the mixed martial arts brand Strikeforce to Tiger Gate Entertainment for the KIX action channel.

The Strikeforce library includes 30 episodes and 56 hours of fights. The deal also includes pay-per-view rights in HD. The programming will air across KIX in Asian territories such as Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and India.

"It was important for us to find the right partner in Asia to continue to build the Strikeforce franchise, and we’ve found that in Tiger Gate, a like-minded company," said Chris Grant, the president of Shine International. "We’re excited to see Strikeforce enter another important market as the brand continues to grow globally."

Paul Presburger, the head of business affairs of Tiger Gate, added, “Strikeforce is completely on-brand with our programming vision for KIX. The timing of the deal is also fortuitous, as the demand for this specific genre continues to escalate. Given the focus KIX will bring to the world of MMA, we anticipate the Strikeforce brand exploding throughout the Asian territories.”