Pricey! Up To $99.95 To Watch Mayweather-Pacquiao On Pay-Per-View
LAS VEGAS (CBSNewYork/AP) — It's going to cost you.
Don't expect much change back from a $100 bill to watch the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight at home.
The suggested retail price for the May 2 pay-per-view will be $89.95, the two cable networks broadcasting the fight said Thursday. Many, though, will end up paying $99.95 because of a surcharge for high definition tacked on by many cable and satellite providers.
Like almost everything else about the fight, the pay-per-view price is a record for boxing. The previous highest was the $64.95/$74.95 charged for the 2013 fight between Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez.
The welterweight title unification fight will be televised by HBO and Showtime, using a combination of announcers. HBO's Jim Lampley will be the lead announcer, with Showtime's Al Bernstein serving as analyst.
Promoters are optimistic the fight will sell more than the 2.48 million buys generated by Mayweather's 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya, and it will almost surely surpass the $152 million in pay-per-view revenue record set by the Mayweather-Alvarez fight.
The retail price for the fight had not been announced previously as the networks negotiated with the pay-per-view distributors over the revenue split. Traditionally, promoters of the fight get 50 percent to 55 percent of the price for the pay-per-view, though that figure will be larger for this fight.
Depending on how the pay-per-view does, Mayweather could earn some $180 million and Pacquiao $120 million.
Tickets for the fight at the MGM Grand have yet to go on sale but will carry a record price of $1,500 to $7,500. Promoters say there will be some sales to the public, but they are expected to be very limited.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)