For mixed martial arts fans, this means the loss of watching DREAM, Sengoku, M-1 Challenge, K-1 and select regional promotions. The aforementioned events all have exclusive North American television deals with HDNet.
In a report on Multichannel News, the Time Warner Cable director of corporate public relations Robyn Watson said the decision was due to the "limited appeal for the programming."
"In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough," Watson said. "We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."
HDNet co-founder Mark Cuban is not giving up just yet. Negotiations are ongoing, he says.
HDNet threw its hat into MMA in 2007 by promoting a live event October and a follow-up in December. HDNet would soon after decide to televise other promotions' events rather than organize its own fight cards. In addition to airing fights, HDNet has a weekly MMA program called "Inside MMA," hosted by Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice.
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