According to GLORY special numbers, over 100,000 people used pay-per-view on Saturday to witness the fight between Badr Hari and Benjamin Adyjoy. These numbers exceed the Kickboxing Association’s expectations.
People can watch GLORY 76 online for € 12.99 on Saturdays. “We have sold more than 100,000 channels and new numbers from various countries are still coming in,” GLORY CEO Robbie Timmers told NU.nl on Tuesday.
“We are very pleased with that. We have budgeted a number in advance and 100,000 viewers are above our best expectations.”
It was the first time that a GLORY event could be viewed as pay-per-view. “It’s totally normal in the US,” says Timmers, “but people in the Netherlands are not used to it.” “We expected we might need two or three events to convince the crowd. But it turns out that it’s catching up right away and we’re very happy about that.”
On the GLORY page on Facebook and Instagram, many complaints have been made about poor accessibility and broadcast quality. “Because so many people logged in at the same time on a Saturday evening, the payment system has faltered,” Timmers explains. “As for next month’s event, we’re going to expand it so it doesn’t happen again. But the feedback on the broadcast has been very positive overall.”
GLORY is based on Hari and Verhoeven
With no audience in the hall, GLORY was able to run a profitable event thanks to pay-per-view. The Kickboxing Association seems to be relying on the big names Harry and Rico Verhoeven for this.
“It would be difficult to ensure that other fighters would also become famous as Hari and Verhoeven,” says GLORY CEO, “but that’s definitely not impossible.” “Just look at Jamal Bin Siddiq, Verhoeven’s next opponent. He became known to many people in a short time.”
The 36-year-old Harry said after his defeat to Adyjoye that he was thinking about his future. “We had a brief contact with Badr after the battle. He will let everything sink in on the holidays and then look to the future,” said Timmers, the suitor and chief talent scout at GLORY.
Benjamin Adebwe will be honored after beating Badr Hari.
Benjamin Adebwe will be honored after beating Badr Hari.
Photo: Glory
Glory hopes Harry continues
GLORY CEO hopes Hari will remain active. “Of course we like to have Badr there. He is a great fighter that people love to watch. I am sure that every fighter still sleeps badly at night before a duel with Badr.”
Amsterdam hasn’t achieved any official victory in his name since switching to GLORY in 2016. Timmers says: “His recent numbers are not good of course. But if you look at the fights for yourself, you get a completely different picture. Hari made very hard for Verhoeven and he was also strong against Adegbuyi. “.
“But one hit changed that. That’s why so many people want to watch kickboxing live. Every hit can define a match, you are always on the edge of your seat.”
The upcoming GLORY event is scheduled for January 30th, with the main fight between Verhoeven and Ben Sadik for the world heavyweight title.
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