...and the stock is plunging as a result. WWE didn't actually announce the real number, merely that all the TV deals put together total $200 million, which puts the value of the new deal around $160 million, or even lower than I guessed. It's an increase, but nowhere near the double or even triple they were promising for months. So, uh, not good. Hopefully they don't start purging the roster now.
Now that's what I call a sticky situation!
ReplyDeleteI was happy about all of this until I read the last line. I hate to see the workers suffer, especially those on the bottom of the totem pole, just because the company makes bad decisions and inflate expectations. But that's stupid Capitalism for you.
ReplyDeleteAny news about if SD and RAW will be uploaded immediately to the network?
ReplyDeleteAlso, WWE seems to be overestimating a lot of their projects. First the WWE Network subscriber number now this.
Which talent is going to take the blame for this? WWE never admits fault and/or failure on a corporate level. My guess is there top 2 reasons will be "Not enough Big Show" and "that wuss who decided to go home instead of taking painkillers and jobbing to HHH."
ReplyDeletePunk.
ReplyDeleteOh, there's gonna be some firings. Hopefully it's just in the corporate end and not on the end talent end, but history says which group is probably gonna get the worst of it when they need to cut costs fast.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about the stock market, so I don't quite understand the impact on overall business. What I do know is that a company that raises expectations to a high level, only to have real numbers fall short of that level, need to reconsider the employment of the moron who they hired to set those expectations.
ReplyDeleteNo, they're being really evasive about everything. No real numbers, no announcement of Smackdown moving or staying on Fridays, no update on the digital distribution agreements.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder why they even made the announcement in the first place. I'm sure they are high-fiving in the TNA locker room, though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen ANY numbers released yet and i've checked proper sources like Deadline and Variety.
ReplyDeleteCan i get a link?
Falling short OVER and OVER again. Someone will end up canned out of this.
ReplyDeleteIt's behind the paywall on the Observer site.
ReplyDeleteYeah, a > 50% in one of their biggest revenue streams is a tragedy for everyone.
ReplyDeletePretty sure it'd be hard to fire Vince, all in all.
ReplyDeleteThis is business as usual. Budgets and projections are never slashed because it shows weakness in the market and a lack of confidence in your product. Some cost-cutting measures are taken, maybe a head rolls and life carries on as usual a week later.
Yes, because they were basing the loss of PPV revenues on the expectation that they'd make the money back on the TV deal. It was supposed to shift the dynamic of the business, and now it's not happening. This is very, very bad for them.
ReplyDeleteI only imagine Vince in a board room looking over a stat sheet handed to him and saying "Are you sure? Are you positive?".
ReplyDeleteIf a guy is not on TV/house shows for 1-2 years like Ezekiel Jackson, just get rid of those people and save some money.
ReplyDeleteAnd as noted, they didn't actually release numbers. They released a press release noting the total value of the US, UK and Thailand deals was $200 million, which works out to approximately $160M for the US deal according to Dave.
ReplyDeleteThey've actually been incredibly generous with guys like Tatsu and JTG, letting their contracts roll over for years without cutting them. It's kind of out of character for them.
ReplyDeleteWe appreciate you posting the info, Scott. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo let me get this straight: if a company makes bad decisions (however, they think it would benefit them) and loses money because of them, they should keep every worker so no one gets fired/pinkslipped? If the wwe did that, they should keep the xfl, wbf, and wcw all running?
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the press release completely downplays the TV deal, instead pushing that if they hit 1.5 million subscribers for the Network, they'll break even, and if they get 2.5 million they'll make $100 million in profits by the end of 2015. So they're REALLY trying to bury this number.
ReplyDeleteAre they really that embarrassed by not getting at least double?
ReplyDeleteI thought 1,000,000 was the break even point
ReplyDeleteYes.
ReplyDeleteEven Meltzer was saying that getting double would still probably cause the stock to drop
Yes, because they killed the PPV business on the expectation that the TV business would make up the lost money.
ReplyDeleteI'm not just sure. I'm HIV-Positive!
ReplyDeleteApparently plans have changed there, too.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I miss from 411 was JP Prag breaking down numbers like this
ReplyDeleteName-calling, eh?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they got offers from any other networks and NBC Universal matched it.
ReplyDeleteMookie should have something up soon and I'll link it when he does.
ReplyDeleteSheesh. They must've really banked on this, or told all their investors that they'd get more.
ReplyDeleteOuch. So they have just over 1/3 of their required subscribers to break even AND they have the renewal coming up in a couple months where people will probably drop. Do I smell a price increase?
ReplyDeleteHere is another update from Meltzer:
ReplyDelete"The stock at 6:50 p.m. Eastern time, less than two hours after the close of the market, was down to $15.31 per share.
The company in theory dropped 23 percent in value since the NBCU deal was announced."
If they needed a 100% increase, then yeah, it's not great at all.
ReplyDeleteWhen they reported their first quarter results recently, they gave a $40.6 million figure for their tv rights, presumably that's a worldwide figure.
ReplyDeleteSo basically they barely even got a raise from NBC. Oh and Thailand? What a random tv deal to throw in there, what about the Canadian rights?
With Sportsnet getting the NHL and planning near blanket coverage in addition to still having MLB and some NBA coverage i wonder if WWE is safe even on Sportsnet 360. With TSN expanding to a comical 5 networks this fall, would they be interested in WWE again? With 5 channels they can actually guarantee airing Raw live this time around and they'll be desperate to add some guarantee ratings anchors.
No I mean CM Punk will get blamed.
ReplyDeleteVince all but guaranteed a doubling of their fees or he'd let the investor who posed the question put him in a "hammerlock".
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what happened. No hard info, but Meltzer kind of hinted that Fox Sports made an offer and NBCU matched it.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, you won't see this stuff anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteNBCU is probably glad then that Fox Sports didn't offer that much.
ReplyDeleteThe 1.5 million is the number to break even with the COMPLETE 100% collapse of the PPV market.
ReplyDeleteThat collapse IS coming, but it's not here yet so they have some time. 400K US Mania buys attests to that.
When it was the Score WWE owned a not-insignificant portion of the station, but I don't know if Rogers bought them out of it when it changed hands.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow could be a bloodbath.
ReplyDeleteWWE could easily cut 25-30 WWE/NXT guys and no one would notice.
ReplyDeleteWhich again is why it's SO stupid to basically throw away the PPV business like they have. September - January has been a total wasteland and it's just flushing money down the toilet for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI was simply talking about the stock.
ReplyDeleteDont worry... I got it.
ReplyDeleteOh. You think it'll take a major hit?
ReplyDeleteNearly every black guy has been kept on for the past few years since the michael hayes incident.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they get 40 million subscribers they'll all be taking golden showers!
ReplyDeleteAnd if I get a 10,000% raise at my next review, I'll buy the whole lot of you!
Honestly, I'd consider <$10 in play. If there's a major sell-off early, it could snowball.
ReplyDeleteMost of them have jobbed to Rusev, by now.
ReplyDeleteVince, who never makes outrageous and bombastic statements, especially pre-IPO (e.g. 93,000)? The same guy who told an analyst he could put Vince in a hammerlock if it didn't at least double? Part of the same company that produced the survey suggesting there were 40 million (perhaps not that absurd of a number) people with an affinity for WWE in the US?
ReplyDeleteApologies if I missed the sarcasm in your post.
Scott gets off on shit like this.
ReplyDeleteI think there will be investors that will be paying attention to the Observer's interpretations of the deal, and are selling off as a result.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess they just wanted something out during NBCU's upfronts, even if all of the details haven't been worked out. Once the rumor mill about making an announcement today started earlier this week, both probably felt pressure to announce something today.
ReplyDeleteThe company finances are fine.
ReplyDeleteIt is only the stock price (actually, futures betting on the stock price tomorrow) that have fallen.
For all of Vince's successes in building WWE into a virtual monopoly in the world of professional wrestling, he is a terrible CEO of a publicly traded company. Overpromise and underdeliver is the stuff of pump-and-dump pink sheet stocks.
Who has two thumbs and predicted 160? This guy.
ReplyDelete*claps*
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering, was the late selling the majority, or only the beginning? I don't think they'll plummet to an all-time low, but a 52-week low is possible.
ReplyDeleteWhat site is that again? I'd like to look over some of his previous breakdowns and numbers one more time.
ReplyDelete" I'm sure they are high-fiving in the TNA locker room, though."
ReplyDeleteunless they're all like cena's sister or bad new's brown daughter
Does... does this mean TNA won?
ReplyDeleteUm... no? Although I guess being "safe" for now on Spike could be considered a "win"...
ReplyDelete"If a guy is not on TV/house shows for 1-2 years like Ezekiel Jackson, just get rid of those people and save some money."
ReplyDeletebye-bye, linda!!!
Haven't received any texts from the fan club yet
ReplyDeleteTheir 52 week low is $8.96 according to my stock app. If they hit that, Titan Towers will look a lil something like this tomorrow.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCwb5yoQtw
EVERYTHING IS FINE
ReplyDeleteBut... maybe they can't afford the text-messaging fees?
ReplyDeleteand jobber
ReplyDeleteTHE PTA HAS DISBANDED
ReplyDeleteFan club is pay to join
ReplyDeleteThen they *definitely* can't afford the text-messaging fees!
ReplyDeleteThey'll send the texts out 2 months late
ReplyDelete"Can i get a link?"
ReplyDeletenope, but here's an amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7cUsYXa4yw
I like the way Snurb thinks!
ReplyDeleteare wwe ppv's permanently on the network in the US still a thing then?
ReplyDeletethere's no way they could ever switch back the traditional model now that that pandora's box is open
Jobber was being a smart-ass.
ReplyDeleteMinus the sex.
ReplyDeleteCould always increase the sub. price to $12.99 or so.
ReplyDelete"Do I smell a price increase?"
ReplyDeletethat's been talked about since the launch of the network
Also, minus smiling Vince.
ReplyDeletehttp://variety.com/2014/tv/news/wwe-closes-deal-to-keep-raw-smackdown-on-usa-network-syfy-exclusive-1201181154/
ReplyDeleteThis says WWE doubled it.
hermie sadler just showed up in asylum!!!
ReplyDelete“Over the past six months, the company has negotiated television
ReplyDeletedistribution agreements in the U.S., U.K. and Thailand, and is in the
midst of discussions regarding the distribution of WWE content in
India,” it said in a statement. “The company estimates that it will
increase the average annual value of these key television agreements to
approximately $200 million, representing an increase of more than $90
million, that is nearly three times the increase achieved in the
previous round of negotiations.
“Management believes that the new agreements more fully reflect the
value of WWE content, including significant first-run hours, a
passionate and loyal fan base, and 90% ‘live plus same day’ viewership,
in the U.S., which makes WWE content, like sports, ‘DVR-proof,’” WWE
said.
That was just speculation from this morning.
ReplyDeleteNo, it says Wall Street analysts BELIEVED the figure was doubled as of around 10am this morning.
ReplyDelete... so being off of Spike would be a "win"? Damn.
ReplyDeleteOr two-tier it: $9.99 (or more) for all but "special events", and $19.99 (or more) to add the events.
ReplyDelete(Semi-random numbers)
That's possible They could do like a Bronze, Silver, Gold package
ReplyDeletei wonder if wwe has more value overseas than it does in the us
ReplyDeleteHigh fiving about what? The ramen noodles they have to eat for dinner?
ReplyDeleteThey run shows overseas, but have never truly penetrated any of those markets. Not in recent years, at least...
ReplyDeleteReally, NBC wasn't hot to pay up for that Kane/DBry angle?
ReplyDelete"hhh met with the locker room this afternoon and told everyone that in order to maximize their earnings, talent will have to spend 4 months out of the year touring europe and asia
ReplyDeletehe added that business is down right now, and it's expected that talent will cover travel and lodging costs themselves"
the drop is stock is proof that dbry and roman reigns are best for business. with dbry on the shelf and reigns roughed, investors panicked and sold
ReplyDeleteMoral of the story : A company with a 95% plus market share monopoly, that's profitable year on year for over 15 years, is obviously a very BAD INVESTMENT.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're trying to be witty or whatever you call what you're trying to do but you do really understand that wrestling angles had zero to do with it right
ReplyDeletetheJawas requests that you all rise, and respect his singing of the Soviet National Anthem.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're wrong. Wrestling angles have a lot to do with rights fees.
ReplyDeleteSteven's about to walk into the Lion's Den.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're trying to be anti-smark or whatever you call what you're trying to do but you do really understand that quality has a lot more than zero to do with it right?
ReplyDelete... so NBC paid for what, then? Is the WWE getting totally out of "wrestling"? Will they become "World Entertainment?" John Cena and Daniel Bryan in a new "Bosom Buddies"?
ReplyDeleteObviously this just means they have to double down on more John Cena.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the arena!
ReplyDeleteSo I know I'm just a gimmick or I'm just not as insightful as you fine folks when it comes to.........This business. But why is it that when someone says something logical like Cena's merchandise numbers making it so he can't be a heel or that Bryans merchandise and house show numbers are much lower than Cena or even any thing else to do with the business side of things the people on here either blame the wwe for shitty merchandise for bryan even though it's widely reported the guys are free to come up with their own stuff. Or you guys say "I don't care about the business I don't have any WWE stock I just want to be entertained by the things and people that entertain me. Yet we are over 100 posts in this thread about something you all claim to not care about. No wonder you guys bitch about "the product" you can't figure out what makes you happy or even what you want. One minute the WWE business side is irrelevant and the next you're all speculating about it. I would expect this from women being all indecisive, hypocritical and overall whiny but I expected more from the mothers basement dwellers of the world.
ReplyDeleteOnly when they foolishly overstate how much money they will make.
ReplyDeleteThey paid for the 4 million viewers they get every week no matter if it's D bry vs. Kane or the build up to wrestlemania. Wrestling fans watch no matter the product and no matter who is on top. So yeah this has nothing to do with Dry vs. Kane or any other angle. But hey that's not near as fun as making this about how miss treated poor D Bry is with these shitty angles he's stuck with!
ReplyDeleteNXT is my fav. part of WWE right now, and I know I'm alone.
ReplyDeleteNo no, not necessary. I'm just assuming that Vince is surrounded by people who do these things for him, and he is just going on what his Yes men tell him. I'm not on a board of directors and don't even pretend to know the inner workings of these things. All I do is watch TV.
ReplyDeleteAgain take your favorite angle over the last decade then take your least favorite I bet the number of viewers are the same so again I'm right. Seriously guys do you display this level of delusion and ignorance to everything in life or just to the world of sports entertainment?
ReplyDeleteHHH is that you?
ReplyDeleteTo me, the real question is this: how much more money would WWE have gotten if Hogan walked out of Mania 30 as champion? How many more people would've signed up for the Network based on the extra publicity from Hogan pinning Orton on news reports all over the world would?
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't agree with me, expect WWE to lean on their tried-and-true moneymaking part-timers even more. They need the goodwill buzz from drifted fans.
Can't wait to see Cole shill the price increase!
ReplyDeleteI did live in my Mother's basement until I was 21.
ReplyDeleteAnd then she showed up to my workplace to tell me that she'd sold the house and that the new house would only be big enough for 1 fewer person.
Since then, I haven't lived in my Mother's basement.
Just like Netflix!...but more expensive!
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympics_Triplecast
ReplyDeleteZack Ryder?
ReplyDeleteI would watch every show and attend every event if hogan was champion and I'm not joking. My all time favorite wrestler and it's not even close. I'm all in let's set up an Internet petiton I hear those work.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that me and your mother felt it was time for you to fly from the nest or....leave the basement as it were. No hard feelings kiddo.
ReplyDeleteTNN bid big on RAW because of the Kurt Angle-HHH-Stephanie love triangle and because of how heated the crowd was for the 10-Man Tag.
ReplyDeletesexism and an anti-smark gimmick. He's the total package!!!
ReplyDeleteHere is a few Cena numbers for you, price of PPV when he started on top: 40 bucks. Price of PPV now, 10 years later with him still on top: 10 bucks.
ReplyDeleteI retreated from society for a little while and lived in an isolated mountain cabin.
ReplyDeleteI relate the story Steve, because it made a man of me. I learned to be independent, self sufficient, and generally a respectable member of society.
What's your story Steve? What turned you into a steaming pile of douche?
I can't imagine anyone who owns significant shares of WWE stock has any fucking clue what the Observer is.
ReplyDeleteYou don't really think the people who negotiated this deal on behalf of NBC weighed in on the Kane angle and let it affect their decision do you? LMAO that was just a joke, right?
ReplyDeleteThe local cable provider says otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHey, if you want to grossly overpay, feel free.
ReplyDeleteYep. I fully expect Cena to become the new champion now that Bryan is out of the picture for a while. Just like they hot shotted the title back onto Cena when they could've done Rey Mysterio-Cena @ SummerSlam for a good buyrate.
ReplyDeleteI admit to not being a financial guy so I don't understand why this would hurt so much. Did WWE overspend or something? This is worth more than the last deal, but not as much as they were expecting, still doesn't explain the 'sky is falling' atmosphere surrounding this.
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing a lot of jokes about more Cena or giving the belt to Hogan and a discussion about whether angles matter to network execs. Ultimately it is an interesting discussion. I think wrestling companies have to balance these philosophies. I think network execs may enjoy an angle now and then, hear a good buzz, etc. but ultimately they care a heck of alot more about numbers than how those numbers appear. As long as you don't give them reason to get pissed about content (advertiser or viewer complaints) then if 2 hours of Kane beating Bryan down gets 4 million viewers, then great.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time execs know certain names. We saw this a lot with TW and WCW. It's joked about that the only person Ted Turner really knew when he bought WCW was Flair. It's been said that NBC demanded that Savage and Hogan get featured to make a deal happen in 99 (ultimately it didn't anyway as the NBA lockout ended). Big names past their prime can generate publicity and they can appease execs with little knowledge of wrestling. Bischoff says that regardless of the cost of Hogan and whether he moved ratings and buyrates, his mere name opened up doors for licensing and advertising that they never had before. But as we saw with Hogan, it pissed off some old time fans. More Cena or Hogan as champ would be the same type of thing. Would the goodwill of execs or the extra publicity be worth pissing off a segment of your fanbase? Might be, might not.
WWE is attempting to replace ppv revenue from transferring customers to the Network. Currently, regardless of the Network both major satellite companies no longer carry WWE ppvs. In order to replace all the ppv revenue from 2013, WWE would have to have 1.5 to 1.6 million subscribers averaged for a year. They currently have approximately 667k before the first renewal period. They were hoping to make a bunch more of TV rights because live sports is one of the few things on TV that is somewhat DVR proof. WWE tried to sell themselves as live sports.
ReplyDeleteThe sky falling makes sense now. That's a hell of a lot of lost revenue. Any idea why they didn't get as much on the tv deal? The it's just rasslin can't be all there is to it.
ReplyDeleteIt's mainly because a fair number of people inflated WWE stock off of (unrealistic?) expectations... and now that WWE's "underperformed" in not getting what those speculators were hoping for, a LOT of them are jumping right back out.
ReplyDeleteRemember Vince being a billionaire? Not anymore, and probably not anytime soon with the hit the stock's taking and going to take.
that's the million dollar question. I'm sure there are all kinds of things. DVR numbers, how much they think they can recoup from advertisers, expectations of lost subscribers due to "cutting the cord", how it is as a lead-in for other shows and if you can advertise other shows in WWE programming and have it work, abilities to cross merchandise and cross brand, etc. Ultimately wrestling continues to lag far behind in ad dollars for similar ratings to more "prestigious shows." We can argue until we are blue in the face if that is correct or accuate but it is fact for the TV game. Rumors also say NBC, who owns a significant part of the ppv market through comcast (or rather comcast owns NBC) was pissed about that as well.
ReplyDeleteNot enough demand for their product. Sure, they can bring in solid ratings, but I bet the ad rates are poor compared to other shows.
ReplyDelete(MAKING UP NUMBERS, JUST FOLLOW THE LOGIC)
I'm willing to bet there are cable shows that get half of WWE's ratings, but because of how the ratings "skew" (more "desirable" groups watching the lower show) the ad rates attached to those ratings are higher, possibly high enough to offset the higher rating that WWE gets.
This makes sense.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely. The numbers for golf are atrocious compared to many other things, but golf gets premier ad dollars from high end companies like Lexus, Mercedes, insurance, etc.
ReplyDeleteAt least two different ways to look at things.
ReplyDelete1- The sky is somewhat falling for the stock (at $15.20 after hours, a roughly 50% drop from 2 months ago)...depending on when you invested (it's still 60% up from a price around $9 a year ago). It's not clear what drives investors, but my opinion is that the stock got inflated because (1) WWE anticipated at least doubling its US TV rights deal and (2) WWE Network, particularly with inflated expectations about subscriber counts. Neither happened, so the short term investors/speculators bailed, hammering the stock.
2- The deals aren't necessarily bad for the health of the company in the future...unless WWE spent like it thought its internal projections were actually going to be met. I don't know enough about the numbers to know if that's the case with WWE.
That's why I could see this stock staying level (HIGHLY unlikely, but maybe the speculators have washed out), or bottoming out tomorrow. Or anything in between.
ReplyDeleteFuck, a "WWE Stock Price" guessing game would probably get evenish odds all between $9 and $15.
I believe NBCU was pushing for the McMahons to become more involved on TV in the last year or so, so that thinking still exists. Of course, if you had pitched Hulk Hogan to an exec in the early 80s (assuming he didn't follow the AWA, of course), you would have gotten a lot of people wanting Bruno to get the title back.
ReplyDeleteWe talk about this in the live thread sometimes but has the WWE ever tried developing a block of programming around Raw? Not just a lead-in but a scripted show that fans might actually stick around for? I don't know what that would be but I don't think they ever produced anything for USA
ReplyDeletetough enough was a lead in to Raw. Not exactly scripted (although not unscripted either).
ReplyDeleteHow did that do? I admit I never actually watched an episode
ReplyDeleteVince will be back on RAW in the next two weeks. Guaranteed!
ReplyDeleteWWE fans have a rep of watching Raw but only Raw, regardless of what USA has put around it. I'm not necessarily sure a wacky sitcom produced by WWE (even featuring WWE stars) would do that well, and would you really want a 4th hour of WWE content on Monday (whether the additional hour was wrestling or not)?
ReplyDeleteAnother possible reason nobody else wanted WWE too badly. And probably a "hidden" reason WWE went to three hours at USA's request.
ReplyDeleteI think the foolish part was going public in the first place. Doesn't really fit their business, and lots of very profitable, large business are held privately. No shame in it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a tough sell though. Thinking about it, I doubt many of us have the same interest outside of wrestling so finding something to make us all stick around would be difficult.
ReplyDeletedidn't seem foolish at the time when it made Vince a billionaire.
ReplyDeleteFor like six months.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the 2011 season with Stone Cold averaged 2.75M viewers (at a time when Raw averaged 5.21M and was not 3 hours). Not sure why it was cancelled/not renewed.
ReplyDeletehttp://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/12/usa-dominates-landscape-with-unprecedented-six-straight-years-as-1/113512/
"Hopefully they don't start purging the roster now."
ReplyDeleteIn other news, WWE officially signs "Prince Devitt". Whoever the fuck that is...
Ah the 'ole WWE binge 'n purge. The snake just keeps eatin' it's own tail.
ReplyDeleteDevitt is one of the best wrestlers in the world. He can do 5 star matches in his sleep.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he's very good. I just don't see many WWE fans knowing who he is. I hope they let him be something special and don't make him "earn it" for years because they seem him as some indy-level geek.
ReplyDeleteSo I don't feel like reading this thread all the way, but does this new deal at ALL give WWE the option of putting Raw and Smackdown live on the Network as well?
ReplyDeleteFor what they got, I bet the answer is NO.
ReplyDeleteI think this could get really ugly in the not-so-distant future. I just don't see the WWE Network maintaining subscriptions. Eventually, fans are going to get all the available pro-wresting content worth seeing. You can only watch Wrestlemania 17 or Bash '89 so many times before the $120+ a year becomes better spent elsewhere (for a lot of fans anyway). The novelty will wear off once all the Clashes and other gems are released for consumption. In, say, two years, do you all see yourselves re-upping in perpetuity? I just don't see the Network being sustainable, even if it does really well the first couple years or so. The problem is, you can't unring that PPV bell and there could potentially be a BIG windfall of revenue if the Network doesn't sustain itself for the long haul.
ReplyDeleteViewership went down the last time Hogan was champion in the WWE.
ReplyDeleteCrap.
ReplyDeleteMake that on money this week.
ReplyDeleteWWE fans have known every indy star that comes through.
ReplyDeleteIt was some cunt higher up at USA network. Can't remember her name.
ReplyDeleteBonnie Hammer.
ReplyDeleteShe also demanded Cena be brought to Raw and drop the rapper gimmick.
Geez, that was longer than a worst in the world post.
ReplyDeleteHaha, suck it Farva. Enjoy 5th place.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting point. Based on 24/7, you have around 200k fans that love the old stuff and are willing to pay for it. I don't think their "reality TV shows" are going to generate more subscribers either. I think the big fear is that they value this "original content" over the archive and end up driving off the true diehards that want more vault stuff and then they've got a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how things play out after the first subscription period ends and people have to renew around August.
Congrats, gonna be fun seeing you 2 try to avoid jobbing to me.
ReplyDeleteSure Steve, sure.
ReplyDeleteCongrats man.
ReplyDeleteI think the WWE should cease being a publicly traded company. Would that really hurt it? I guess they'd have to buy up all of the stock that has been sold to the rest of the market, but wouldn't it just be better in the long run?
ReplyDeleteWin
ReplyDelete$0? Considering he's north of 60 and can't take a bump?
ReplyDeleteFor me, it really comes down to how much I spent on PPV's. I always purchased WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble, and USUALLY got at least one other show (typically SummerSlam and/or Money in the Bank). So as long as it stays within the range of $120-$140, it'll be worth it just because I'll get those shows PLUS every other show. If they ever dumped the PPV's, or even just WrestleMania, I probably wouldn't re-up.
ReplyDeleteI don't know tons about financials of publicly traded companies, but I do know this. It doesn't matter how much the deal is for, it matters how the deal stacks up to what they thought it would be. They could have bumped it up to $1 billion dollars a year, but if Vince projected they would get $1.5 billion, the stock would have dropped.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing this is the last time they'll let the "Did You Know?" people do their negotiating
ReplyDeleteHe had a sex tape and no one cared. A SEX TAPE! That's the thing that made Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton famous!
ReplyDeleteWhy did no one believe me when I was saying all that in February?
ReplyDeleteYeah, it'll always be worth it for me too just to watch all the PPVs, and (hopefully) have a single repository for any show, documentary, and/or other release at my fingertips. We're a minority here, for sure, but as long as these 2 conditions are met, I'm a lifer.
ReplyDeleteWhere can you buy a single WWE PPV for $10?
ReplyDeleteYou're fine just because you called it "this business"
ReplyDeleteslightly oversold. I'd say the stock stabilizes around 17-18.
ReplyDeleteIs somebody sad? Did I hurt your mountain manly man feelings? Poor guy ill.be more sympathetic to your basement dwelling ways in the future.
ReplyDeleteDude don't look at sex tapes for the dudes.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if the Bella Twins released a sex tape with both of them in it...
After doing an edition of WOL from a WCW show once, Meltzer said he totally understood why executives who weren't knowledgeable about wrestling were so influenced by Hogan. Basically, the pop Hogan got at that show was so enormous that anyone just casually watching would assume that Hogan had to be the top star.
ReplyDeleteThat's absolutely what I expect them to eventually do. The model has been used by a lot of pay sites, so it's already out there. Honestly, I think they should have done it that way from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine I won't be renewing my subscription for years to come, assuming they don't get crazy with the monthly fee. I can't speak for anyone else, and certainly not casual fans, but it's worth it for me to be able to watch whatever ppv randomly pops in my head on a given morning.
ReplyDeleteI think there's still a good chance that the network will be fine long-term. More and more, people are demanding to be able to watch/listen to whatever they want right fucking now, and I think this is the natural next step in WWE providing entertainment to its fans. People are sometimes slow to come around on new technology like this, and there are always the people who let others try out new things like this, before jumping in themselves.
Yeah, that was a big deal for me, too.
ReplyDeleteNo Steve, I DON'T live in the basement. I'm not even in the basement as I type this.
ReplyDeleteThat was the whole meat of my first post.
Try and keep up Steve.
You ask too much.
ReplyDelete*jumps out of window*
ReplyDelete"Hopefully they don't start purging the roster now."
ReplyDeleteAren't they overdue for their year run of firings?
LOL. I knew it was a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteHow will that translate to the WWE style when he becomes Willis McHammerhead or whatever the WWE name generator comes up with?
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's the plan. Inflate their projected numbers, drive the stock down, buy it all back up.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see Bryan do the dance of joy.
ReplyDeleteWell if worst comes to worst, wouldn't they just shift ALL of their non-WWE Network content to the Network?
ReplyDeleteYou wanna watch Raw and Smackdown? Fine, but it's gonna cost you 10 bucks a month.