TV channel Dave wants more live sport following David Haye’s successful comeback — including potential super-fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
Boxing may not immediately seem like a perfect fit for the self-styled "home of witty banter", yet TV station Dave has got the live sport bug following its successful partnership with British heavyweight David Haye.
The channel chose Haye's first fight in three years against Australian Mark De Mori in January for its live sport broadcasting debut and was rewarded with its second highest audience ever, a peak of 3m viewers.
That demonstration of the appetite for big-name boxing shows beyond the confines of pay-per-view prompted the channel to team up with the London fighter once again for his bout with unbeaten Arnold Gjergjaj this Saturday – and has left it on the hunt for more live sport.
"We've had lots of different conversations with a variety of different sports, sportsmen and rights holders," Dave general manager Steve North told City A.M.
"A lot of sports are looking to build their fanbase and we can do that on free-to-air really effectively. I think there will be some great opportunities going forward for the rest of the year. Watch this space."
Haye obliterated Mark De Mori in one round on his return to the ring (Source: Getty)
Already promoter Frank Warren has teamed up with the UKTV-owned channel for coverage of the British Darts Organisation's World Trophy at the end of the month, and although Dave is open to a number of different sports, boxing remains at the forefront of the male-focused channel's thinking, such is the buzz surrounding Haye and his British rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
"We'll definitely be part of that conversation," North said when asked if Dave would be in the bidding for any super-fight between Haye and either of the two world title holders.
"We'll ensure that we're getting our nose in there. There's so many different permutations. What do the boxers want? What do the promoters want? Do they want free-to-air exposure? That's really important to David [Haye], to reach as many people as possible. It increases the interest in heavyweight boxing so would probably help Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury too.
"There’s lots of interesting, intricate British heavyweight stories out there at the moment which is hopefully driving even more interest in what David Haye is doing."