In a small win for the California film and television industry, mixed martial arts franchise Combate Global will move production from Miami to Burbank.
The franchise, which will air on Spanish-language network Estrella TV after six years on Univision, will film 20 live episodes at the new Estrella studio starting in February. This room seats 500 people and was used for filming the talent competition show “Tengo Talento Mucho Talento”.
The franchise wanted to move to Southern California because of the larger media market, said Campbell McClaren, 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 a year for 20 shows, more than the eight held this year, he said.
“It’s a bigger market, access to more talent, access to more talent behind the scenes, access to more talent in front of the camera,” McLaren said. “We feel like we're taking a big, big step.”
The move also allows the franchise to target the large Mexican-American market in Los Angeles—Combate Global currently has its largest audience in Mexico—as well as others who haven't been as interested in mixed martial arts events, such as the Korean community. Matches between Japan and Mexico are also popular and could find broad appeal in Los Angeles, McClaren said.
“This is a step towards superior service to our core audience,” he said. “We're going to attract a real audience.”
The news comes as California tries to lure film and television production back to the Golden State after many of them moved to other states and countries in search of better tax incentives.
State legislators in the summer increased the state program of tax incentives for film and television and agreed to more than double the amount allocated to it annually. To date, tax incentives have been provided to dozens of projects, including Episode 22 And 52 films. (Combate Global did not receive a tax credit because the sport did not qualify for the program.)
