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| Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports has a new deal to bring live boxing to BET Networks. |
Jay-Z is combining his latest acquisition TIDAL, with his Roc Nation Sports, in a new deal that will continue the elevate the sport of boxing.
Roc Nation Sports follows the lead of NBC and CBS, with a new live boxing series in partnership wIth BET.
BET and Roc Nation Sports have entered a deal that will span 18 months, and will feature live telecasts of Roc Nation Sports’ “throne” boxing series.
The partnership starts with Roc Nation Sports’ WBA Super Middleweight World Champion, Andre Ward takes on former World Title Challenger Paul Smith. The fight will take place at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
The deal puts Roc Nation Sports and BET in competition with boxing veteran Al Haymon, who recently struck deals to air live boxing matches on both NBC and CBS. While Jay’s audience may not be as big as the combined viewing reach of NBC and CBS, the rap star is taking advantage of BET’s audience (90 million) and TIDAL, whose users will receive curated content as the live matches takes place.
The fierce competition doesn’t phase BET Networks President of Programming, Stephen G. Hill, who said the deal was inline with the network’s goal of satisfying the needs of their viewing audience.
“Roc Nation is doing very exciting things in the entertainment space and we are excited to partner with them on this groundbreaking deal positioning BET Networks as a go-to destination for premier live boxing events,” Stephen Hill said. “Together, we’ll provide unique entertainment.”
