• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 17, 2007

In a sign that limping MyNetworkTV has reduced focus on its anemic all-telenovela format, the network has reached an agreement to carry a fledgling martial arts league.

MNTV will offer 44 hours of coverage of the International Fight League, which smacks of the popular Ultimate Fighting Championship, later this season.

Word of the MNTV deal with IFL comes a day after the network named a new president, Greg Meidel--another sign that it's looking to upgrade its viability.

The IFL is expected before the May conclusion of the broadcast season--a successful run could give MNTV at least one positive story to plug to advertisers in its upfront presentation.

MNTV's deal is for 22 two-hour IFL broadcasts, but the network could split the programming up to run in one-hour blocks.

A spokesman for the IFL, which launches its competition this Friday, says its mixed martial arts differ from UFC. It uses a ring, not a cage; a team format; and outlaws dangerous moves, such as elbows to the head. MNTV is hoping to give the programming a reality-TV feel, with a focus on the personalities of the fighters outside the ring.

One possible negative: a boxing reality show that sought to delve into the backgrounds of the participants along with competition--"The Contender" on NBC--was a flop.

With the telenovelas failing to drive ratings, MNTV was believed to be looking to move--at least partially--into the reality sphere, a genre in which parent News Corp. has had considerable success. The telenovelas launched in September.

MNTV's deal is part of a broader News Corp. deal, in which cable sports network FSN will also carry the IFL, with an agreement to offer 22 one-hour late-night programs. The FSN deal also carries a slew of multimedia rights that could place the competition on VOD, broadband, and perhaps even News Corp.'s MySpace.

As a company, the IFL is six months old and has 10 teams in the U.S.--one in Tokyo and another in Toronto.

The IFL was represented by the William Morris Agency in its negotiations with News Corp.