TUF 4 Draws More Viewers Than MLB and NFL

2.3 Million Viewers Tune Into Season 4 Premiere

New York, NY, August 21, 2006 -- The premiere of the new season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback on Thursday, August 17 drew a staggering 526% more Men 18-34 than MLB on ESPN (739,000-118,000) and 373% more M18-49 (1.1 million to 239,000) featuring the team with the best record in baseball, the Detroit Tigers. The Spike TV series also drew more Men 18-24 (251,000-241,000) than FOX’s NFL pre-season match-up featuring the 2005 Eastern Conference champion New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs.

Overall, the Spike TV telecast delivered a 1.7 HH rating with a 2.2 in M18-49 (1.1 million), 2.8 in M18-34 (739,000) and an average audience of 2.3 million viewers. Compared to a year ago, The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback was up +330% in HH rating, +594% in M18-49, +473% in M18-34, and +369% in average audience.

Spike TV was the #1 among ad-supported cable networks from 10:00pm-11:00pm in all key male demographics including M18-49, M18-34, M25-34 and total viewers. The episode peaked with 2.8 million viewers during the last quarter hour featuring a dramatic victory for Shonie Carter over Rich Clementi.

About The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback

Sixteen of the world’s best mixed-martial arts fighters, eight middleweights and eight welterweights, will battle it out over 12 weeks for a guaranteed title fight and a six-figure cash prize. The special twist this season is all the contestants are former UFC fighters who are in a quest for a shot at a UFC championship belt that has always eluded them. The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback is hosted by Dana White, UFC President.

Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike TV are the show's executive producers. Brian J. Diamond is Vice President, Sports & Specials, Spike TV and Co-Executive Producer. Peter V. Symuleski serves as Executive in Charge of Production for Spike TV.

Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.