In the sporting world, one of the most recent examples of growth and success has been the UFC. According to a June 3, 2016, Forbes report, the league generated $600 million in 2015, which was up from the $150 million it accrued in 2014. However, following the league’s $3.77 billion sale in 2016 to WME-IMG/Endeavor, sporting analysts at Forbes and other outlets have noted that the UFC took a step back in terms of annual pay-per-view buys in 2017.
In the beer market, a similar parallel to UFC’s rapid gains and recent deceleration would be craft beer. Small and independent U.S. craft brewers account for 12.3 percent of 2016 beer volumes, according to data from the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association (BA). This is up from the beer segment’s 5.7 percent volume share in 2011. However, in the short term, the 2016 volume share was only up 0.1 percent from the previous year, based on the BA’s data.