GLORY Headed to Spike TV With New Contract

Just five days after GLORY held it inaugural event in the United States, they officially announced plans to broadcast on Spike TV. The international kickboxing organization has set its sights on mainstream attention and has chosen Spike TV, the same channel who first broadcasted The Ultimate Fighter, as its new platform in the United States.

Previously, GLORY was broadcasted on CBS Sports Network but seeing as it is a premium cable channel, it was not widely available in the United States. As for Spike TV, it reaches 98.7 million homes and has shown serviceable ratings for UFC rival, Bellator MMA.

GLORY will broadcast 2-hour events in the primetime slot on select Saturdays coming this Fall.

Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports and Multiplatform Programming at Spike TV released a coinciding statement, expressing his excitement for the new deal:

“We are thrilled to partner with GSI in bringing Spike TV’s audience the incredible action and intensity of GLORY’s fight league, which feature the best kickboxers in the world,” said Slusser. “Viewers will quickly see this as the perfect complement to our coverage of Bellator, the world’s leading tournament-based MMA promotion.”

Mutual admiration came from Chief Executive for GLORY Sports International, Andrew Whitaker:

“Spike has established itself as the home of combat sports in a way that is unique. Its audience will expect the most exciting ring action and we promise to deliver it,” said Whitaker. “Glory kickboxing is the next big thing and Spike clearly knows something about spotting aces in the sports programming space.”

Although kickboxing is a relatively misunderstood sport in the United States, GLORY surely hopes that cross-promotion with Bellator MMA will help bolster ratings in the hopes of making both the sport of kickboxing and the GLORY brand both synonymous and familiar.

Some notable GLORY fighters include Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki, Daniel Ghita, Semmy Schilt,  Peter Aerts, Giorgio Petrosyan, Remy Bonjasky, and Errol Zimmerman.

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