Bravo For Mixed Martial Arts!

A long term programming commitment to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Alex Reid following his successful inaugural documentary series for Bravo earlier this year is to enjoy a further boost.
Bravo, part of Virgin Media Television is to build Reid as a regular face of Bravo and capitalise on his popularity, the channel will air a new and as yet unnamed 1 x 60 pilot in the autumn.
Also included in the non-exclusive two-year commitment with Reid, is an exciting new factual entertainment series slated for 2011.
All content will be produced by independent production company Pricey Media.
The news follows the announcement that Reid's wife, Katie Price will join Bravo's sister channel Living in an exclusive two-year content deal, also with Pricey Media, when her current contract with ITV runs out in November.
Alex Reid Fights Back (2 x 60), Reid's current documentary series, made by CPL Productions, will resume on Bravo with extended episodes this autumn and will focus on his personal battle to return to peak fitness in order to fight his nemesis after sustaining a severe injury earlier this year.
This will be followed by Alex Reid: One Hell of a Year; a 1 x 60 retrospective look at the rise of his career where he has been catapulted into the spotlight from virtual obscurity, winning over the hearts of the nation in Big Brother, and marrying arguably one of the most famous women in Britain.
The final 1 x 60 show, Alex Reid: The Live Fight will see him pitted against arch rival Tom Watson as he puts into practise all the fight techniques and skills he has mastered as part of his journey.
The series premiered in April and launched with a superb 254,000 adults, making it the most successful debut for a commissioned series on the channel so far this year.
Alex Reid commented: "I'm delighted to be part of Bravo's ongoing programming success. They've shown real faith in me and I can't wait to get stuck in to some new, creative ideas that will help show people who the real Alex Reid is."
Mark Sammon, Head of Commissioning for VMtv said: "Alex has proved he's more than just a MMA fighter and we have some really exciting plans in the pipeline for him.
"He really resonates with the Bravo audience and we're thrilled that he will be a vital ingredient in the channel's strategy to broaden its audience."
(BMcC/GK)