While it might seem unusual that Bellator MMA is partnering with an international wing of the UFC's domestic broadcast TV 💶 partner, Bjorn Rebney said the relationship came about quite naturally.
"FOX reached out to us and started these conversations months ago 💶 about the potential of developing this deal," Rebney told MMAjunkie.com.
The promotion on Tuesday announced a partnership with FOX Sports Latin 💶 America that covers 50 million homes in 19 Latin American countries, including Brazil.
The deal calls for taped programming through 2014 💶 and 25 live "in-territory" events annually starting in 2015.
The news came as something of a surprise given the UFC's relationship 💶 with FOX, which is in the second year of a seven-year broadcast deal with the promotion.
The UFC is one of 💶 seven "pillars" of sports programming on the new FOX Sports 1 cable network, which airs its live events and shoulder 💶 programming.
In Latin America, the UFC is partnered in Brazil with Globo and in Mexico (and other territories) with Televisa.
Yet the 💶 new alliance between Bellator and FOX came as a surprise to one of the Viacom-owned promotion's most vocal critics, UFC 💶 President Dana White, who on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.
com he would look into how the partnership came about in spite of 💶 the Las Vegas-based UFC's prominent role with FOX.
For Rebney, though, the answer is simple.
"You'd have to assume, given their size 💶 and the magnitude of FOX's deal with the UFC here domestically, that if they wanted an alliance in those international 💶 markets, I'm sure those doors were open to them," he said.
"But we were able to make it work."
The executive said 💶 the partnership came to fruition through a longstanding contact from Bellator's days on FOX Sports Net, which broadcast the tournament-based 💶 promotion's second season.
"I had a lot of allies and friends over there, and months ago, one of them reached out 💶 to me and said, 'Bjorn, I've taken this all the way up the totem pole, and we would be very 💶 interested in sitting down with you,'" he said.
With existing TV deals, Bellator is seen in over 135 countries, but Rebney 💶 said the partnership with FOX Latin America significantly increases the promotion's profile in Brazil, which he calls the No.
2 international 💶 market in MMA.
Bellator programming on TV Esporte Interativo, the promotion's current TV partner in Brazil, draws north of 2 million 💶 viewers per show, Rebney said.
But that could increase with live event programming, which he said kicks in when the TV 💶 Esporte Interativo loses the rights to live shows in 2015.
He said there are no concrete plans as to when and 💶 where the events broadcast on FOX Latin America will be held.
"Maybe we'll kick off a season down there so we 💶 get the necessary prep time," he said.
"Maybe we'll do that 'Road to the Championship' week before and after there.
Maybe we'll 💶 do the 'Summer Series' down there, or create unique standalone sequencing of events over a three- to four-week [period] where 💶 we hit major markets in a collection of three or four different countries.
We're still working through the logistics now."
Clearly, though, 💶 Bellator is making headway under unique circumstances.
"[The new deal] sends a message that FOX has made a decision to work 💶 with Bellator in this incredibly important region, and from a Bellator-centric perspective, that's a spectacular message," Rebney said.
For more on 💶 Bellator's upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Bjorn Rebney)
