With new cash and a new president at the helm, 24-hour digichannel The Fight Network has set its sights on international English-speaking markets for expansion in order to capitalize on the universal appeal of mixed martial arts fighting.

‘Our key priority is to go out and market our brand and form relationships and do deals in foreign territories,’ newly appointed president and CEO George Burger tells Playback Daily. A former Alliance exec, Burger was previously attached to Spotlight Television during its failed bid to become a pay-TV channel last year.

Fight Network, a Category 2 digital with 400,000 subscribers, recently received an undisclosed amount of money from investors including Louden Owen, chairman of McLean Watson Capital, and financier Ed Nordholm. Burger says the money will go toward exploitation of the brand, noting that the channel will not have to put a lot of infrastructure in other markets.

‘The intention is that we would be operating all of our technical and programming requirements from Toronto. We might partner up with someone in another market, like MTV did with CTVglobemedia to bring MTV Canada here,’ he says.

Launched in 2005, Fight Network covers all combatant sports including mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and kickboxing.