First Success Story in Internet Streaming?

Dave Meltzer recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Yahoo!'s streaming broadcast of the 9/29 Strikeforce show from the Playboy mansion drew roughly 350,000 viewers. The most shocking statistic was the that the average viewer watched for almost 60 minutes.

As the industry moves forward many people see a prominent role for internet streaming. With its considerable resources, financial and technological, and its commitment to MMA, Yahoo! is solidly poised to become a leader in the emerging medium. Of course, how far we are from viable (i.e. profitable) internet streaming remains to be seen. The obituaries for traditional pay-per-view may are beginning to look a bit premature in light of a record breaking year by the UFC in 2006, a mark that HBO boxing is likely to surpass this year.