FME Lands Deals for Bellator

LONDON: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has secured international TV sales for Bellator Fighting Championships, the mixed martial arts brand.

FME exclusively represents the TV distribution and brand licensing rights for Bellator and has sold the TV rights for the tournament to a number of broadcasters around the world. Deals include Big RTL, for the Big RTL Thrill channel in India; Turner in Latin America, for syndication in more than 48 countries across the region; Ananey Communications in Israel for its Ego Men’s Package; and TV2 in Norway. The tournament kicks off a sixth season tonight, with a 12-week, eight-man tournament.

David Ellender, the global CEO of FME, commented, “FME partnered with Bellator at the end of last year as we could see there was an enormous appetite for mixed martial arts with audiences around the world. These new deals highlight just how popular the brand is becoming with fans outside of the US and we expect it to continue building momentum throughout 2012, both on and off screen.”

Bjorn Rebney, the chairman and CEO of Bellator, said “Having partnered with Viacom in 2011, our focus was to align the Bellator brand with the industry leader in international TV distribution, brand licensing and strategic worldwide brand development. FremantleMedia Enterprises was the clear choice on that front and the substantive results they have generated to date speak directly to their pre-eminence in the arena.”