It became official today that Ken Hershman will be the new head of HBO Sports, jumping ship from Showtime, where he held the same position. This is a major shift for the boxing industry, and it raises some interesting questions and new possibilities. One note that comes immediately to mind is whether or not Manny Pacquiao is the key to this massive change, which certainly appears likely to at least be at the top of a very long list.
After Greenburg left HBO, one of the immediate talking points was that it was directly related by his failure to keep Manny Pacquiao exclusively with the network. Pacquiao fought Shane Mosley in May, and did so for Showtime, after having plied his tried exclusively on HBO, where he built his star status. (While some pointed to Showtime’s smart business proposals and promotional ideas for the fight, it was likely also to do with Pacquiao-promoter Bob Arum making a point about who should get favorite status. But that was an article and discussion for another day.)
Pacquiao is back at HBO for his upcoming rubbermatch with Juan Manuel Marquez, but nonetheless, the shot across the bow was fired. Out went Greenburg. In comes Hershman. Who better to take over for boxing’s biggest player than the man who guided boxing’s second biggest player to near-elite status over the previous few years?
Of course, Pacquiao’s one-fight stint at Showtime was not the sole reason for HBO and Greenburg parting ways, or for HBO hiring away Hershman from their rival. The bottom line is that HBO has been outdone by Showtime in recent years. Sure, HBO has plenty of “wins”, and with a $35 million budget, you would expect them to.
But Showtime often steals their thunder, and for far less money. They put on a more consistent slate of better, more meaningful fights, and they do it for less money. They also typically don’t make fans shell out $50 for the privilege either.
Shobox airs competitive matches between two up and comers, showcasing big name prospects for low money in legitimate tests. Boxing After Dark airs meaningless “title” defenses by fighters HBO hopes to be big stars in a year or two. Showtime locks up intriguing, exciting fights for reasonable prices. HBO signs fighters to huge long-term deals and hopes they stay relevant and take on worthy challenges in the interim. Showtime puts together exciting tournaments such as the Super Six and the Bantamweight tournament, HBO talks about but ultimately fails in securing tournaments such as the proposed junior welterweight battle royale.
That about sums it up.
So now Hershman will be in charge of “big brother” in the ongoing HBO vs. Showtime feud. He already has Pacquiao back with the home team. He has the tens of millions of dollars to dole out. Let’s see what he does.
