Strikeforce ‘All Access’ Set for June 6 Show

By: Press Release | Posted: Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 pm.

NEW YORK (June 3, 2009)—SHOWTIME® will once again offer Mixed
Martial Arts (MMA) fans STRIKEFORCE: All Access, the cutting edge
online interactive experience, live on Saturday, June 6, for
STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs. Shields from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

The immersive digital initiative will stream simultaneously with the live SHOWTIME telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET*.

STRIKEFORCE: All Access debuted on April 11, 2009, when world-class
MMA promoter STRIKEFORCE brought Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz to
SHOWTIME.

“With our first event on April 11, we set the bar at a new level,”
said Ken Hershman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME
Sports. “From the quality of the fights, to the television production
and the interactive applications, our first offering of All Access was
well received.

This network has proven time and time again to be on the cutting
edge of sports entertainment. All Access further demonstrates our
commitment to leading the television industry in online, mobile, and
interactive content distribution.”

STRIKEFORCE: All Access will cost $24.95 per user and is available
for review and pre-order beginning Thursday, June 4, by visiting

http://strikeforce.sho.com.

With All Access, fans can be the director. Toggle between five live
cameras—including SHOWTIME Sports exclusive CageCam®—with full pause
and rewind capabilities.

Audio tracks will include the SHOWTIME telecast fight call by host
and play-by-play man Gus Johnson, and color commentators Frank Shamrock
and Mauro Ranallo, and the corresponding audio to the selected camera.
SHOWTIME is working with BitGravity, Inc . andEpisodic, Inc .to enable
this unique multi-camera experience.

CageCam, a small and high quality camera worn by the referee, takes
viewers inside the cage during the live fights. It is the closest and
most intimate viewing experience ever presented in MMA. CageCam debuted
on SHOWTIME February 16, 2008.

Users will also see a live Twitter feed from fans talking about
Strikeforce and following SHOSports http://twitter.com/SHOsports . Fans
can contribute content alongside SHOWTIME Sports’ behind-the-scenes
staff throughout the evening by adding “#strikeforce” to their tweets.

Through a Facebook® Connect application, fans will be able to make
predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and even talk
a little smack directly on the All Access page.

Other features include professional and amateur photography from the
spectacle in the arena. Photos from action in the cage, as well as
behind-the-scenes, backstage and fan interaction will all be posted.
Images will be uploaded during the live event via Flickr, the popular
image and video hosting website and online community.

The June 6 fight card features a showdown of top ranked fighters
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields in the main event. Lawler, a
world top-10 middleweight, and Shields, ranked among the top-5
welterweights in the world, will face off at a catch weight of 182
pounds. In a heavyweight showdown sponsored by Affliction, top-10
ranked heavyweight and former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will face
unbeaten sensation Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

Fresh off their respective thrilling wins in the premier of
Strikeforce on SHOWTIME (April 11), the versatile Nick Diaz and
knockout artist Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith will meet in a special
180-pound showdown. Additionally, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni
(13-10) will collide with Joe “Diesel” Riggs (29-10) in a 170-pound
contest and Kevin “The Monster” Randleman (17-12) will face Mike “Iron”
Whitehead (23-6) in a 205-pound clash.

*Telecast airs live at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME (delayed on the
West Coast); STRIKEFORCE: All Access will be webcast live at 10 p.m.
ET/7 p.m. PT.

CATEGORIES:MMA