MUMBAI: The boxing based reality show The Contender may not have done as well as expected on US broadcaster NBC but producer Mark Burnett has managed to find another home for the show.

The second season of the show will begin airing on ESPN from April 2006. The Contender deals with the lives, fears and hopes of 16 professional boxers as they compete for the chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love forever.

In India the first season aired on AXN. In the US The Contender will air under the ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) banner. ESPN has options to renew the series for two subsequent seasons. ESPN will also utilise the series across all media platforms on a worldwide basis. ESPN US executive VP programming Mark Shapiro says, "The Contender has all of the elements that make it the right fit for ESPN: compelling storylines, dynamic characters and suspense over the outcome.

"This series speaks to our viewers' love for competition and their appreciation for triumph over adversity. It goes without saying that the track record of Mark Burnett is exemplary -- a perfect match for the critical and ratings successes EOE has delivered in both scripted and unscripted drama."

Burnett said, "Our vision from the onset was to improve the entertainment experience of televised boxing for the fans. What better platform to achieve that vision than on the network that pioneered sports television programming."

Mark Burnett Productions will continue to handle the distribution of the series internationally, as well as the sponsorships and product integration.