Rejoice! Versus back on DirecTV

What a surprise, Versus is back on DirecTV just in time for the UFC's debut.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2010 - DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.

"We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV.

"We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts VERSUS back in millions of homes with DIRECTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," said Jamie Davis, president of VERSUS. "We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."

Update: Michael David Smith talked to WEC Vice President, Peter Dropick, about Versus return to DirecTV.

What does the news that Versus is back on DirecTV mean to the WEC?
It's great news. There was a significant amount of homes, 14 million homes, that didn't have access to our programming and our live fights, and we're excited that the issues have been resolved, they flipped the switch and Versus is back on DirecTV.

You've done five shows since Versus was taken off DirecTV. Have you been disappointed with the ratings of those shows?
We haven't been disappointed in the ratings. WEC on Versus is still one of their highest-rated programs. But there was a noticeable downtick, which could have been attributed to a variety of reasons, from day of the week to competition, but after a few shows there was a pattern. So we're pleased we're back on DirecTV.

Add no Urijah Faber for six months to that list.

From a purely academic point of view it would have been far more interesting for Versus to remain off of DirecTV for UFC's debut card. That would've given us better data for a WEC (and MMA) vs. UFC fanbase comparison and it would've been a better gauge for the television presence of Versus.

But, from a fan point of view it is great news.