Exciting UFC FIGHT NIGHT Drives FOX Sports 1 to Most-Watched Ad-Supported Cable Sports Net in Prime Time Saturday

Following a record January that saw Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) programming help lift FOX Sports 1 viewership 37% in prime time, another exciting UFC FIGHT NIGHT on Saturday, Feb. 14, delivered a Valentine’s Day gift to the network. UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HENDERSON VS. THATCH propelled FOX Sports 1 to be the most-watched ad-supported cable sports net in prime time, averaging 836,000 viewers from 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM, according to Nielsen.

The FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS at 8:00 PM ET drew 775,000 viewers, up 44% from the average of FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS to date (537,000).  The UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HENDERSON VS. THATCH main event at 10:00 PM ET, featuring six fights and culminating with an intriguing main event that saw former lightweight champion Benson Henderson move up a weight class and score a thrilling fourth-round submission victory over a much larger Brandon Thatch, averaged 913,000 viewers, up 3% from the average of UFC FIGHT NIGHTS on the network since launch (888,000). The viewership peaked with 1,070,000 total viewers in the 11:15 PM – 11:30 PM ET quarter hour.

In addition to UFC programming, programming from Daytona Speedweeks was also a hit on Valentine’s Day. Motorsports programming started at 10:30 AM ET with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice from Daytona International Speedway that drew 698,000 viewers, up 27% from the equivalent practice last year (551,000) and Saturday afternoon’s ARCA Race was the most-watched program of the day with 919,000 viewers.

The momentum continues this weekend on FOX Sports 1 with more live NASCAR and UFC programming. FOX Sports 1 presents live coverage of the season opener of the NATIONWIDE CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS SERIES tonight (7:30 PM ET) and NASCAR XFINITY SERIES on Saturday, Feb. 21 ( 3:30 PM ET). The UFC heads to Brazil on Sunday, Feb. 22, for a rare Sunday FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BIGFOOT VS. MIR, where two of the top heavyweights of this era, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Frank Mir, finally meet in the Octagon. More than six hours of coverage begins on FOX Sports 1 at 5:30 PM ET.