By JG Blogs, Jul 04, 2014
ONE FC CEO Victor Cui, left, and CBS General Manager. (Photo courtesy of ONE FC)
Local television channel MyTV and parent company Cambodian Broadcasting Service (CBS), which also controls Cambodian Television Network (CTN), are bringing mixed martial arts to the forefront of Cambodian sports programming via a partnership with Asia’s largest MMA promotion, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC).
For long, CTN regularly televised live kickboxing action, including “The Best of ASEAN International Kun Khmer Boxing Tournament” which put the nation’s best fighters up against international fighters from Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and other western countries. This along with other kickboxing programs helped bring awareness to fight sports in the Kingdom, which until recently, enjoyed only moderate success.
The deal with ONE FC however, including a live event dubbed “ONE FC: Rise of the Kingdom” to be held on September 12 at the Koh Pich Theater on Diamond Island, promises to be the biggest spectacle the country has ever witnessed.
MyTV, a free-to-air channel launched in 2009, is taking care of the broadcasting. MyTV has long been providing Cambodia with both original local contents and international programming catering to the youth. MMA is the fastest rising sport in the world, particularly in Asia which has seen a substantial increase in viewership in the past few years.
Bernard Anthony, General Manager of CBS, is one of the “three pillars” of this scintillating partnership along with Mark Brown of NagaWorld and Vath Chamroeun of the Cambodian Mixed Martial Arts Assocation.
Anthony’s participation was crucial to the success of this deal, as he was responsible for facilitating the media backing in live action coverage of ONE FC. As such, it perfectly positions MyTV and CBS to deliver a heart-thumping night of spectacular MMA action to fight fans in Cambodia and around the world.
ONE FC is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promotion and features the best fighters from all across the region as well as those from the Americas. It’s previously held shows in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. ONE FC brings along with them a unique brand of excitement and entertainment, brought about only by mixed martial arts action. Currently,
ONE FC is broadcasted by pay-per-view to 70 countries worldwide with a potential viewership of a billion people.
Cambodians are extremely passionate about fight sports, given their rich culture and history. As such, the rising popularity of MMA is now expected to gain a foothold on Cambodian soil.
And not just the fans will benefit from this union, but the entire mixed martial arts community in Cambodia as well. With the deal, MyTV have inspired Cambodian fight sports athletes to aim for international recognition.
Cambodian fighters will now have direct access and the opportunity to fight for Asia’s top MMA promotion. A ONE FC fight card, which usually consists of 10 bouts, should include a handful of Cambodian mixed martial artists as well as the country’s first female MMA fighter. The fighters will get the chance to showcase their craft in front of thousands at the arena and millions on pay-per-view.
A few Cambodian fighters — Khim Dima, Tok Sophon and Long Sophy — have already competed overseas for ONE FC and are a few of the prospects being looked at to be included in the card.
ONE FC has much to do with the recent rise of mixed martial arts in Asia, and now MyTV plays a huge hand in it as well. This partnership between MyTV and ONE FC will be responsible for taking the sport of MMA to unprecedented heights. The CBS television network has always been at the forefront entertainment in Cambodia, and the deal with ONE FC is an absolute no-brainer.
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