The fight club is back on e.tv after lengthy negotiations that will see the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) return to the commercial free-to-air broadcaster from Friday 8 April.
While e.tv doesn't want to show its viewers news in prime time anymore, e.tv does want to show viewers how people fight each other and how grown men physical beat each other up.
e.tv previously broadcast EFC 12 to EFC 19 after the mixed martial arts (MMA) deal lapsed.
Unlike broadcasting news which e.tv says is negatively impacting its revenue potential, broadcasting blood sport lifted e.tv's ratings, reflecting "broad mass appeal".
In a new deal with Kwesé Sports, EFC will return to e.tv from EFC 47.
"This is absolutely huge for EFC, e.tv and the sport of MMA. It's a deal that we have been working on for some time and we are ecstatic. It is great for e.tv, the EFC and its partners, the athletes and the fans," says Cairo Howarth, EFC president.
"EFC has a huge following in South Africa and we are delighted to give South African MMA fans events for free on terrestrial television and to be able to reach the whole country".
The first EFC 47 broadcast on Friday 8 April will be a rerun of the EFC 47: Kabesa v Henry event that took place at the beginning of March.
After that all EFC 47 broadcasts will be broadcast delayed-live on e.tv from around 22:30 on Friday nights after the movie.
In addition Platco Digital's OpenView HD is also getting in on the action with two EFC Fight Night episodes that will be broadcast back-to-back every Saturday night on eKasi+ (OVHD 105) from 22:00 to midnight.
eKasi+ is also available on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat pay-TV satellite platform, meaning that StarSat subscribers will also be able to watch EFC 47 on a delayed live basis.
