Former two-weight world champion David Haye broke broadcasting records this weekend for UKTV channel Dave, with a peak of 3 million viewers tuning in to watch The Hayemaker’s long-awaited comeback versus Australian Mark De Mori.
Dave, broadcasting a live sports event for the very first time, peaked a total of 3.02 million viewers for the fight – 14% of the UK TV audience – making it the top non-public broadcast service programme of the day. During the fight Dave actually experienced a higher share of the UK audience than Channel 4 and was only 1 per cent behind ITV. In addition, 100,000 viewers streamed the fight live on YouTube around the world.
In a first for boxing, the bout was broadcast live in 360°-video, via a multi-camera video production streamed on the Hayemaker 360 app. Highlights of this ground-breaking broadcast will be available on the Hayemaker 360 app from 11pm on January 18.
More than 16,000 spectators packed into The O2 to watch The Hayemaker deliver a his signature right hand to knockout top 10 WBA ranked Mark de Mori in what is Haye’s eighth first round KO of his professional career and 25th knock-out in his 27 professional wins. The packed audience included the stars of Hollywood including actor Benedict Cumberbatch and Luther star Idris Elba, proving it to be the hottest ticket in town.
Haye’s comeback was a huge success on social media, with #HayeDay trending on Facebook and Twitter throughout the evening and a Snapchat Live Story chronicled events from the fans perspective inside the packed O2.
Commenting on his successful comeback, Haye said: “When we set out on this journey, the aim was to bring boxing back to as many people as possible and we have certainly done that. We have worked relentlessly for the past 7 weeks to put together an amazing event and I’m humbled that over 3 million people tuned in and 16,000 came down to The O2 to see me in action.”
“This is just the beginning of the road back to regaining the heavyweight championship of the world. I’m thankful for all the support I’ve received so far and hope the fans stick with me because there is a lot more to come from The Hayemaker.”
Haye joined forces with entertainment, media and marketing company Salter Brothers Entertainment to promote the fight. They collectively devised ‘Haye Day’ with the goal of bringing the love and excitement of big-time boxing to a wider audience.
Co-promoters, Salter Brothers Entertainment, said: “We have worked tirelessly to make Haye Day a success and the numbers in attendance and watching around the world prove that. We wanted to bring boxing into the digital age and make Haye Day stand-out as a landmark event in the boxing world.”
“We partnered with some of the biggest social media outlets in the world including YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat. These partnerships were a huge success and resulted in Haye Day resonating with the public across broadcast, social and digital channels.”