April 03--The May 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight, meeting expectations that it will be the most expensive pay-per-view broadcast in history, has been priced at $89.95.
A television executive who was unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter divulged the price to The Times, adding that operators, such as DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and AT U-verse, will be free to charge extra for a high-definition signal, usually around $10.
The executive said the price was set with the idea of making an event with worldwide interest accessible to a wide audience. Pay-per-view subscriptions for high-profile boxing matches typically are priced up to $60.
The bout will be broadcast by both Showtime and HBO, with a combined talent group led by HBO ringside announcer Jim Lampley, Showtime analyst Al Bernstein and reporters Max Kellerman and Jim Gray.
The welterweight title unification fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, pitting the unbeaten Mayweather (47-0) against eight-division-champion Pacquiao, is expected to shatter pay-per-view records for total subscriptions and revenue.
In 2007, Mayweather's split-decision triumph over Oscar De La Hoya set the bar with a then-record 2.48 million subscriptions. Six years later, Mayweather's more expensive pay-per-view bout against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez generated a record $152 million in revenue.
Mayweather-Pacquiao is expected to generate at least 3 million buys, which would translate into revenues in the $270-million ballpark.
Mayweather will earn a 60% cut of the purse to Pacquiao's 40%.
A limited number of tickets are expected to go on public sale soon. Face-value prices of tickets range from $1,500 to $10,000.
Reports this week had some tickets priced by scalpers at near $90,000.
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
