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Will TNA's "Clash" shows help or hurt their PPV buys?

Scott,

Hope you are having a wonderful summer weekend. With TNA just having Destination X on free TV and with Hardcore Justice on free TV as well, do you think it will help or hurt TNA's PPV buys? If they are putting "Clash" style shows on free TV for 6-8 months out of the year, why would the casual viewer care to order the PPV's the other 4 months? We got a World title change on free TV at Destination X and probably another one at Hardcore Justice. I just can't see TNA building up a stronger PPV consumer base with them giving away free World title matches on a monthly basis on TV. While I love the free shows, I think it would be better if they used that show as a "medium" to build stronger feuds heading into the PPV's. 

O
h, the 4 PPV model has been a disaster on several levels.  Buyrates didn't go up, and now Dixie Carter is claiming that the cost of taping all the replacement shows in one shot is the reason for their financial woes.  Plus the show has been pretty aimless without monthly PPVs to build towards.  Even if they had cut it down to 8 they would still have direction.  Now they've got the problem with Bound for Glory of building it with a giant tournament where you don't even know who the main contenders are going to be!  April - October is just WAY too long between shows.  That's a huge commitment to ask newer viewers to make.  

Comments

  1. I think most fans today are spoiled to the fued-blowoff-new fued style today as opposed to what i grew up on where a walkout or turn at Survivor Series may not get blownoff until Wrestlemania. Slow burns are few and far between now.

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  2. Since this format, AJ Styles went from having Sting Crow '97 potential to being a complete loser (albeit with a cool moveset change)

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  3. Yeah, but you can't have a two-hour serialized format and still do things the old way. They're trying to do things both ways at once and it's not working. They want to be ratings-focused like the "new style" and PPV-focused like the "old style" and the end result is not much direction on either side.

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  4. I think 6 would have been better. 2 months is reasonable.

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  5. I think it's stupid when people suggest things like cutting down on the number of ppvs or slashing the price in order to increase revenue ("more people will buy the ppvs and that'll offset the price drop). You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, once you've hit a certain price point and a decent # of people have shown they'll pay it, cutting back won't bring in extra $$$.

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  6. You can't compare 1988 to 2013, it's apples and oranges (for the reason Scott gave).

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  7. Is Impact! Still a week behind on VOD? I feel like I should be doing my part to bail out the sinking ship but I hateeee being behind the times.

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  8. I think it is. The latest episode that was up when the Destination X show happened was the one where AJ & Joe went 15 minutes.

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  9. Waiting for Evyl (or whatever name he's using now) to chime in with "No, it's a brilliant business model and proves how TNA is pulling ahead of WWE, stop with your idiotic bias using facts!"

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  10. The Bound for Glory series started in April? You sure about that?

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  11. If TNA's future is equally as secure as it ever was (should we accept the premise that it's all up to Panda and such and they have no intention of pulling the plug) then I suppose they might as well mess around with their business model and the format to see if they can stumble into something that works. I mean, if you're basically playing with house money, why not?

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  12. I'm wondering if TNA would actually benefit from being the first company to try an "off-season."

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  13. He forgot about Slammiversary in June. BFG series started in late June IIRC.

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  14. What if TNA just dropped PPV's completely outside of Bound For Glory? Instead, they keep the Clash shows but make Bound For Glory extra special with big matches that are built up by Impact episodes and the 2-3 Clash shows prior to the PPV?

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  15. Possible revenue stream: How about having their house shows taped and available as cheap(ish) downloads? Just mix up the cards and book some local indy talent every now and then. It's not a great idea, but it's an idea. And don't run places where your champ can't get licensed to wrestle...

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  16. ChiKara had an off season, now they're out of business

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  17. Presumably it could be handled more...um, professionally? Oh, wait, this is TNA. Never mind.

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  18. I don't see why TNA just doesn't sign ROH guys and offer them a little more than they are making now. I'm sure they'd jump ship in a heartbeat. Richards, Edwards, Steen, Elgin, Strong, Cole, Ciampa, reDRagon can't be making THAT much money in ROH. Bring them in and just hold ship for awhile.


    I do like the idea of using local guys wherever they are during the week for Impact though. It's a cheap viable option for TNA. TNA can see which of those local guys stand out and possibly sign a couple. Get rid of Gutcheck and just replace it with that.

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  19. If it was vintage Elvy, he'd start with "Best business model ever!"

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  20. I actually like that idea, but I don't know about the production costs involved.

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  21. TNA needs to increase the amount of people watching their product. People just do not know it is out there and you aren't going to get people to shell out $40 for a promotion they don't know.

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