The Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight, meeting expectations that it will be the most expensive pay-per-view broadcast in history, has been priced at $89.95.
A television source who was unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter divulged the price to the Los Angeles Times, adding that operators, such as DirecTV, Time-Warner and AT&T U-Verse, will be free to charge extra for a high-definition signal, usually around $10.
The source said the price was set with the idea of making an event with worldwide interest accessible to a wide audience. Pay-per-view subscriptions for high-profile boxing matches typically are priced up to $60.
The bout will be broadcast by both Showtime and HBO, with a combined talent group led by HBO ringside announcer Jim Lampley, Showtime analyst Al Bernstein and reporters Max Kellerman and Jim Gray.
The May 2 welterweight title unification fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, pitting the unbeaten Mayweather (47-0) against the record eight-division-champion Pacquiao, is expected to shatter pay-per-view records for total subscriptions and revenue.
In 2007, Mayweather?s split-decision triumph over Oscar De La Hoya set the bar with a then-record 2.48 million subscriptions. Six years later, Mayweather?s more expensive pay-per-view bout against Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez generated a record $152 million in revenue.
Mayweather-Pacquiao is expected to generate at least 3 million buys, which would translate into revenues in the $270-million ballpark.
Mayweather will earn a 60% cut of the purse to Pacquiao?s 40%.
A limited number of tickets are expected to go on public sale soon. Face-value prices of tickets range from $1,500 to $10,000.
Reports this week had some tickets priced by scalpers at near $90,000 apiece.
