TNA Wrestling will survive for another two years, if the latest reports on their new TV deal are true.
As reported over the weekend, Spike TV is getting out of the wrestling business and Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling will be the final first-run episode of Impact on Spike, ending their 9-year relationship.
TNA has been finalizing a new TV deal with a smaller network, believed to be Destination America, which is available in far fewer homes than Spike TV (just over 50% of US households). Many people are under the impression that it’s a “done deal.”
The new TV deal will bring in far less money than their Spike TV deal. The upside is that TNA Wrestling will be the flagship show of the their new TV partner and TNA will get a lot more promotional support than they did with Spike. It’s very possible that we’ll see TNA have additional programming on the new network, beyond the weekly 2-hour Impact Wrestling show. Dixie Carter did an interview this summer where she stated TNA will “die on the vine” if they continue with the status quo and do not add additional programming, so it looks like TNA will get their wish.
Moving forward, TNA will be working with a much tighter budget than in recent years, but the company is confident they can produce a good product by spending a lot less on each show.
An announcement has been expected “any time now” for weeks and that’s still where we’re at.