Company Overview
CSI Sports, created in 1997 by co-founders Richard Miele and Craig Miele, is a multimedia company that acquires, produces and distributes fight related content that is exhibited weekly in the U.S. and international markets.
* CSI Sports currently syndicates its "Fight Sports®" branded block of fight programming (approximately 50-60 hours per week) to the regional sports networks in the U.S., and reaches approximately 50 million U.S. households.
* CSI Sports is the leading distributor of Fight Sports® programming to sports networks internationally reaching over 50 channels in over 100 countries. CSI Sports has acquired rights for international territories to such high profile fight programming as HBO's Championship Boxing, Ultimate Fighting Championship ("UFC"), K-1, World Extreme Cagefighting, ("WEC"), and BodogFIGHT, among others.
* Owner of the largest and most prestigious fight library with the widest variety of fight programs worldwide including Mixed Martial Arts, Championship Boxing, Kickboxing, Martial Arts, Specialty Fight programs etc. The library includes one of the largest and most prestigious MMA series in HD (1080i) and some of the most exciting Championship Boxing events featuring fighters such as Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya, George Foreman and many more.
* Produced over 200 hours of "Live" Fight Events for multiplatform exhibition including PPV broadcast and has secured rights to major PPV events that have grossed more than $400M worldwide.
History
In 1997, CSI Sports created, produced and distributed a series entitled "Corona's World Class Championship Boxing". This series, sponsored by the Corona brand for over a decade, quickly became and remains one of the most successful and longest running Championship boxing series to date. This series features current, former, and future boxing Champions and each program features a Championship Main Event.
In 1999, CSI Sports starts a long term relationship with HBO Sports. CSI Sports has since acquired rights to various high profile boxing matches for international markets from HBO's series World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO Pay-Per-View. Currently, CSI Sports has rights to HBO's Boxing series for multiple international territories.
In 2001, CSI Sports retained sponsorship rights to one of the highest grossing Pay-Per-View events ($120M) of all time: Tyson vs. Lewis (Photo of CSI Sports logo on ring mat featured in Sports Illustrated).
In 2003, CSI Sports acquires the extraordinary USA Tuesday Night Fight library from NBC Universal [parent of USA Network.] This library consists of some of the most exciting fights in the history of the sport and features some of the greatest fighters of all time.
In 2004, CSI Sports begins acquiring mixed martial arts and starts a relationship with Zuffa, owner of Ultimate Fighting Championship ("UFC") by licensing a series of UFC programs for distribution within CSI's U.S. distribution outlets. CSI also begins to license international rights to multiple fight and MMA series including UFC, K-1, KOTC, etc.
In May 2004, CSI Sports premieres the Fight Sports® block to approximately 30 million households nationwide in the U.S. with programming that included UFC (prior to UFC's debut on Spike TV), Championship Boxing, Kickboxing and Martial Arts. Each regional sports network ran the block in a weekday primetime slot, weekday early fringe & a weekend during late fringe. Week after week the ratings consistently grew. Consistently, the Fight Sports programs were the highest rated programs of any other day-part on the networks
In 2005-07, CSI Sports acquires rights to multiple fight related program series featuring a variety of fighting, MMA, martial arts, kickboxing, magazine programs, etc. including one of the largest high definition "HD" (1080i) Mixed Martial Arts series, World Extreme Cagefighting ("WEC" events through '06). CSI Sports also begins producing other fight related programming in HD and launches the "Knockouts!" series on U.S. PPV which has become the longest running PPV series of its kind in the U.S. to date.
In 2007, CSI Sports acquires the international rights for over 30 countries to the largest grossing PPV event in history ($150M), Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather.
In 2008, CSI Sports acquires the high definition ("HD") 1080i produced BodogFIGHT mixed martial arts (MMA) series. BodogFIGHT invested approximately $40M in building one of the largest and most recognizable MMA seriesproduced in native HD 1080i. The series inculdes some of the best fighters in the sport, including Fedor Emelianenko, known today as the best Heavyweight fighter in MMA.
- CSI Sports acquires the HD 1080i produced World Sumo Challenge: Battle of the Giants that took place at the world famous Madison Square Garden (MSG) arena in New York City
In 2009, CSI Sports enters China and becomes the largest supplier of fight related programming in the Country and makes the historic introduction of Fight Sports to the nationwide Chinese audience with weekly broadcasts reaching 250M+ viewers.
- Acquires multi-year exclusive rights to all UFC programming for China; launches UFC as part of the Fight Weekend programming block; this marked the first time UFC enters China; nationwide marketing budget for `Fight Weekend’ was approximately $10M
- CSI Sports enters multi-year arrangement in Italy to license DTT rights to the Fight Sports line up of programming and monthly live Championship Boxing events
- Acquires rights to the Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko Heavweight World Championship Fights for multiple countries (including countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe)
- Continues long term relationship with HBO with the acquisition of international rights to HBO’s Championship Boxing series for multiple countries
In 2010, CSI Sports signs an agreement with the leading mobile operator in the U.S. to launch Fight Sports mobile, making the programming available to over 80M U.S. mobile phones nationwide.
- CSI Sports signs an agreement to bring Fight Sports to India. This will mark the first time that fight programming is introduced in the Country on a large scale and to a nationwide audience. This multiyear agreement, with a company that has been a pioneer in the development and growth of the $10B+ pay TV industry in India, will be supported by significant marketing efforts through several means of media nationwide.
In 2011, CSI Sports continues worldwide rollout and launches a weekly Fight Sports block nationwide in the Philippines and becomes the largest provider of the widest variety of fight related content in the Country. CSI’s local distribution partner is one of the leading media and Pay TV businesses in the country with a market cap of $5B+.
- CSI Sports becomes the leading provider of fight content into Italy with a weekly Fight Sports block and regular LIVE events on the largest terrestrial sports channel in the Country.
- Extends Fight Sports mobile into a longer term agreement with the largest U.S. mobile operator after ranking in the top tier among all other sports channels on the platform.
- Acquires the exclusive the multi-fight rights to over 50 Countries to both Klitschko brother’s World Heavyweight Championship fights.
- Expanded the reality/documentary Fight Sports programming portfolio with the acquisition of the Xtreme Martial Arts (XMA) HD documentary series worldwide.
- U.S. Regional Sports Networks (RSN) Growth: Expanded the Fight Sports block to a weekly staple on over nine (9) RSNs in the U.S. reaching 50+ million households.
- Acquires over 300 hours of additional high profile fight related content to add to the Fight Sports programming portfolio, including a significant number of HD hours; additionally acquires the exclusive rights to a weekly LIVE events series for 2012.
- Reached agreement with UFC to include the “Countdown to UFC” series for broadcast within CSI’s ‘Fight Sports’ distribution in the U.S. of approximately 50M HHs.
- Reached agreement with Golden Boy Promotions for rights to a series of some of the highest grossing U.S. PPV events over the last decade (including, De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao, Mayweather vs. Mosley, Pacquiao vs. Hatton, Pacquiao vs. Marquez II etc.) for the U.S and to multiple countries internationally, plus current and future high profile fights to come!
- CSI Sports continues the multimedia rollout of their Fight Sports® brand and content in the U.S. and internationally. This offering includes distribution via cable, satellite, VOD, broadband, DVD, IPTV, and mobile.
Today, CSI Sports owns the largest and most prestigious fight related sports programming library that was built with investments exceeding $200M. CSI Sports remains the leading provider of fight programming worldwide through their distribution of "live" Championship events and their ownership of fight programming that includes the widest variety of fight/MMA content produced in high definition ("HD").
