PFL and iHeartMedia to Enhance Fan Experience Through Music, Talent, Audio Content, Consumer Promotions and More
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization ever to present MMA in the sport-season format of Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship, and leading audio company iHeartMedia, today announced a marketing, content and promotion partnership designed to promote fight events and enhance the fan experience through the fusion of music and MMA.
iHeartMedia on-air hosts and talent will make appearances at select events, kicking off with New York’s Hip Hop and R&B station Power 105.1’s DJ Suss-One spinning live at the first event of the PFL 2019 Season May 9 at Nassau Coliseum. Promotional opportunities continue with DJ Envy of The Breakfast Club, the popular morning show syndicated on Hip-Hop and R&B stations nationwide, to drive tune-in for the events.
The partnership also includes creating music experiences in connection with each fight night and providing fans with access to PFL “in the life” fighter interviews. Fans will gain insight into what happens behind-the-scenes during fight week through the lens of iHeart and PFL influencers. Promotional contests will run across iHeartMedia stations throughout the country and on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital live streaming radio service.
“The goal of our partnership with iHeart is to create an immersive and exciting experience for fans through music, entertainment and fighter interactions in connection with our regular season, playoff and championship events,” said Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL. “As the leader in audio, with more than 270 million listeners a month on their broadcast stations alone, iHeartMedia will help us reach a massive audience as we enhance and promote our season, which starts May 9 on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.”
“We are thrilled to be working with the PFL and have the ability to create significant awareness for them through our leading broadcast and digital assets,” said Joe Robinson, President of Corporate Development & Ventures. “We are also excited to have the opportunity to reach this new enthusiastic audience and offer our listeners even more exclusive content and entertainment that they can’t hear anywhere else.”
Every PFL event will air across ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+, — the leading multi-sport streaming service, in addition to TSN in Canada, and on a wide and diverse group of premier global distribution partner platforms reaching over 130 countries around the world.
The first half of the regular season – PFL 1, 2 and 3 – will be held on May 9, May 23 and June 6 at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Coliseum. Following a five-week break, PFL action will resume from Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on July 11, July 25 and August 8. The top eight fighters in the five men’s weight classes and top four in the women’s lightweight division will earn spots in the Playoffs this October in hopes of advancing to the PFL Championship on New Year’s Eve.
About Professional Fighters League
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) presents MMA for the first time in the sport-season format where individual fighters control their own destiny, competing in a regular season, playoffs, and championship. PFL’s differentiated format and exciting fights sparked breakout growth for the league. PFL events are Thursday nights primetime live on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
The PFL 2019 Season features elite MMA athletes across six weight classes, including the first-ever 155-pound women’s division, with each fighter having two fights during the PFL Regular Season in May, June, July, and August. The top eight fighters in each weight class advance to the single-elimination PFL Playoffs in October, where fighters must fight twice and win twice in the same night to advance to the finals. PFL Championship is New Year’s Eve with the winners of each title bout being crowned PFL World Champion of their respective weight class and earning $1 million. Viewers will be delivered next-gen stats never before seen in MMA through the PFL’s proprietary SmartCage™ platform and Cagenomics™ technology.
PFL is backed by an investor group of sports, media, entertainment, and business titans. Watch PFL live Thursday nights in the U.S. on ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes. PFL is also available in 130 countries around the world with leading local broadcasters.
For more info visit www.PFLmma.com and follow PFL on Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@ProFightLeague), and Facebook (/ProFightLeague).
About iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month – and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company’s leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms including 850 live broadcast stations; streaming music, radio and on demand via its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, TVs and gaming consoles; through its influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher globally. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics and attribution technology for its marketing partners, using data from its massive consumer base. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (PINK: IHRTQ). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
