>
> Scott,
> Do you or anyone else on the BoD know if Vince and company ever explored the possibility of selling Wrestlemania to the networks like the super bowl? I know with the current model they are making approx.. $60 million in ppv revenue.
> The NFL tv rights are worth $3.1 billion a year across fox, CBS and NBC and that's for all games broadcasted including the super bowl.
>
> 2 years ago the super bowl brought in about $250 million in ad revenue. Could WWE draw a 3rd of that and get a network to pay $75 million for Wrestlemania? You would have to think you would get more eyeballs just because it's on free tv right?
>
> Curious to hear your thoughts.
>
The yearly WM special barely draws a million viewers, and their flagship show does 4 million on a GREAT day. Vince would be suicidal to throw away PPV revenue on that level when advertisers still treat our so called sport like its the ghetto of TV.
> Scott,
> Do you or anyone else on the BoD know if Vince and company ever explored the possibility of selling Wrestlemania to the networks like the super bowl? I know with the current model they are making approx.. $60 million in ppv revenue.
> The NFL tv rights are worth $3.1 billion a year across fox, CBS and NBC and that's for all games broadcasted including the super bowl.
>
> 2 years ago the super bowl brought in about $250 million in ad revenue. Could WWE draw a 3rd of that and get a network to pay $75 million for Wrestlemania? You would have to think you would get more eyeballs just because it's on free tv right?
>
> Curious to hear your thoughts.
>
The yearly WM special barely draws a million viewers, and their flagship show does 4 million on a GREAT day. Vince would be suicidal to throw away PPV revenue on that level when advertisers still treat our so called sport like its the ghetto of TV.
Has WWE ever thrown the kind of build and effort into a network special the way they do WrestleMania? Maybe the first-ever Main Event with Hogan/Andre?
ReplyDeleteIm mot sure they get as high as 10 million. World Series games sometimes dont even get 10. If Raw grabs 4 million on a good day, I think doubling that to 8 would be the best case scenario. I could be wrong though.
ReplyDeleteThat's the type of stuff I miss.
ReplyDeleteNFL pregame shows on Sunday morning get Monday Night RAW ratings.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Halftime Empty Arena match. I was hopeful that it would become an annual tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe one million people that buy Wrestlemania are all wrestling fans. They might be fans that don't keep up and are like "well let's get it cause it's the big one", they might be the younger fans that currently watch, the iwc that currently watch, the iwc who's intrigued at the possibility of Punk and Jericho having a *****, they may be nostalgic Attitude Era fans who are there to reminisce, but the fact is they all, to varying degrees, are wrestling fans.
ReplyDeleteThe 100 million people who watch the Superbowl encapsulates the biggest football fans, moderate football fans, women who want to watch the commercials, kids who think it's cool to watch this for the first time, local people excited that their team is actually there, women who want to watch the halftime show. There's just so much excitement about so many different things that almost every household in the nation tunes in.
My point is that Wrestlemania isn't near that level. I totally think it is a huge event, and that one million BUYS is a big accomplishment, and that it no doubt is a huge boost to the host city's economy and selling out an 80,000 seat stadium is a great feat, however, it is just nowhere near the Superbowl. Scott said that on a good week Raw has 4 million viewers. In my honest opinion, if the live broadcast of Wrestlemania is on network television, it does 10 million viewers.
It's better to stick with the pay per view revenue.
Since ratings are completely in the shitter for some of these stations (less than raw #s), I would put on a 3 hour clash type show instead of doing another ppv that gets almost zero ratings. If they really built it up like advertising rock, undertaker, and other part timers wrestling, then it could hit high numbers for the wrestling event
ReplyDeleteThe Main Event in 1988 drew 33 million viewers, for basically one match.
ReplyDeleteA Rock vs Cena level Wrestlemania show on free TV could draw at least a third of that easily.
Id argue Hogan in 88 was a bigger draw then Cena today, and Vinces cross promotional stuff and the general excitement in the product was much higher back then as it is now. That being said, you could be right, they could pull out all the promotional stops and do 12-14 million if everything well perfectly in place. My guess would still be 8-9 though
ReplyDeleteWrestleMania on free tv = more people get to be bored by a Triple H match
ReplyDelete1988 was eons ago in TV terms. The TV audience is much, much, much more fragmented than it was in 1988.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are three of them..
ReplyDeleteThis is a laughable suggestion on so many levels. What advertisers, on what planet, make it worth it for Vince to even try that? Not only that, but which network would look at the disappointing Raw ratings and say "this sounds like a winner!"
ReplyDeleteRemember, it would get amazing ratings for a wrestling show. Great ratings for wrestling nowadays don't approach decent ratings for Prime Time network television.
That was huge hype and a pretty big f'deal. I was 8 at the time and it was anxiety all day since my parents wouldn't buy wrestlemania 3 on ppv for me. Also, the rumble just a few weeks earlier was pretty big too.
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but watching David Ortiz turn into Playoff choke artist Alex Rodriguez is a thing of beauty.
ReplyDeleteHogan hung out with stars like Mr. T, Cindi Lauper, and Andy fucking Warhol.
ReplyDeleteOf course he's a bigger draw than Cena today, who is seen occasionally with the cast of Psyche or some Nascar hicks.
Raw was still the #11,14 and 15 highest rated cable show last week, so the ratings aren't as bad as everyone says. The numbers smaller, but they've redone how they create the number, that in addition to the fact all tv viewership is way down and continuing to drop thanks to video games and the internets.
ReplyDeleteOnly things on cable that beat it were Monday & Thursday Night football, Some MLB playoff games, a Nascar race, Duck Dynasty, Sons of Anarchy, and the Sunday night Sportscenter with Football recaps.
Well, that comment sure looks funny now.
ReplyDeletethat first one was ATROCIOUS.
ReplyDeleteYou may have revenue confused with profit. If 1 million people spend $60 on the show, yes, it generates $60M worth of revenue. Take away the incurred costs to put on the show (PPV, production, etc.), and then you have your profit.
ReplyDeleteBenoit is killing the Tigers.
ReplyDeleteHe will choke
ReplyDeletethere were 2 dozen channels in 1988, *if* you were fortunate enough to have cable offered in your area & could afford it. now there are hundreds. it's an entirely different animal.
ReplyDeleteThe show must go on.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't confusing revenue with profit. The WWE (or any ppv company for that matter) doesn't make 1 million times 60 because they never get the full sixty to begin with due the ppv companies taking their cut first. I never pay WWE for a ppv; I pay the ppv company which then pays the WWE.
ReplyDeleteWorst. Comment. Ever.
ReplyDeleteSo what you are saying is the WWE is right behind the NFL in popularity?
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should have said Prince Fielder.
ReplyDeleteNot quite, just saying it is still a very high rated cable television show.
ReplyDeleteNice! I remember the regular Attitude commercial but have no recollection of the beauty pageant one...wow was that terrible.
ReplyDeleteDoes that dude ever open his eyes to catch a ball?
ReplyDeleteThis might have been a good idea, for like WM 15 or something. Back when they charged less and got less PPV eyeballs, but had a better share of the TV pie. Not now, it's a money machine. First off, I don't think there's anyone that would give them 4 hours on Sunday in March
ReplyDeleteRumble? There wasn't a Rumble in 87.
ReplyDeleteI think he meant the Rumble a few weeks before The Main Event TV special.
ReplyDeleteDuck Dynasty? Are you fucking serious?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia there was, but it was at a house show and drew a shit crowd. One Man Gang won, for those curious.
ReplyDeleteAnd wrestling is a hell of a lot less popular than it was in 1988.
ReplyDeleteIs this a serious question, or just one of those "Hey, here's something to discuss" kind of things? I mean, maybe if Raw moves from USA to regular network TV we can consider even talking about this, but until then... The WM special does total dogshit for ratings, as Scott mentioned, and I think the SNME shows they did in the late 2000's did similar numbers. They won't show wrestling unless it's after the 11PM news on Saturday night. That answers the question right there.
ReplyDeleteIf Vince can't get an attractive offer for a regular weekly show on free TV, no reason for Wrestlemania. I'd personally float bringing back SNME a couple of times a year as an infomercial for big PPVs, but nothing beyond that until the networks pay what wrestling is worth.
ReplyDeleteAnd Shawn Michaels could earn an Emmy nomination for most hamfisted overacting on a broadcast special.
ReplyDeleteI vandalized that page ten minutes before you got there just to fuck with you.
ReplyDeleteWWE has eyes from across the globe.
ReplyDeleteNFL is watched by... well, really, just Americans.
Do the math.
(WWE doesn't look great after doing math.)
By the way, Colin's awful-made-up-name was Marv Gresto, just to let you know.
ReplyDeleteI, myself, preferred 'Ken Fresno'.
Hey! Some Americans live overseas!
ReplyDeleteThe Superbowl is watched around the world, even in places that don't watch the regular season. It is a phenomenon in and of itself
ReplyDeleteDuck Dynasty draws huge ratings, believe it or not.
ReplyDeletewww.tvguide.com/news/most-watched-tv-shows-top-25-2012-2013-1066503.aspx
According to TV Guide it's the 2nd most watched cable show (behind Monday Night Football) and almost in the top 20 of shows overall (cable and over the air)
Yep, but the comment I was responding to talked about 'eyes from across the globe'.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I actually meant a few weeks before the NBC main event special in January 88. There were actually a few trial run rumble matches in California over the years, as it was a popular gimmick used by the bookers there. Patterson didn't invent it, he actually saw it used often there.
ReplyDeleteWOW...I didn't make that connection at all that's actually kind of...dare I say it...clever.
ReplyDelete