In a small win for California’s film and TV industry, mixed martial arts franchise Combate Global will relocate production from Miami to Burbank.
The franchise, which will air on Spanish-language network Estrella TV after a six-year run on Univision, will film 20 live events at Estrella’s new networks studio, starting in February. That space seats 500 people and has been used to film the talent competition show “Tengo Talento Mucho Talento.”
The franchise wanted to relocate to Southern California because of the bigger media market, said Campbell McLaren, chief executive of Combate Global and co-creator of the UFC.
The move is expected to create about 60 jobs, and is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $1 million on an annual basis for the 20 shows, which is up from the eight produced this year, he said.
“It’s a bigger market, access to more talent, access to more behind-the-camera talent, access to more on-camera talent,” McLaren said. “We feel we’re making a big, big step.”
The move also allows the franchise to target the large Mexican American market in L.A. — Combate Global currently has its largest viewership in Mexico — as well as others who have not been as exposed to the mixed martial arts events, such as the Korean community. The sport’s Japan vs. Mexico nights have also been popular and could find broad appeal in in L.A., McLaren said.
“It’s a move to super serve our core audience,” he said. “We’re going to have real audience traction.”
The news comes as California tries to lure film and television productions back to the Golden State after many have relocated to other states and countries in search of more lucrative tax incentives.
Over the summer, state legislators bulked up the state’s film and TV tax credit program and agreed to more than double the annual amount allocated to it. So far, dozens of projects have been awarded tax credits, including 22 series and 52 movies. (Combate Global did not receive a tax credit because sports do not qualify for the program.)
