– WWE issued a statement today in response to a report on Saturday by PWInsider.com indicating that the WWE Network could launch as early as February 24, 2014 (according to a source in the organization).
“As discussed on WWE’s last earnings call, we continue to aggressively pursue the launch of a WWE Network in 2014 via traditional and non-traditional distribution models; however no launch date has been confirmed,” a spokesman stated to the website.
– World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio’s brutal Cross Armbreaker is featured in the latest 30 Second Fury! video.
– WWE’s long planned cable could debut as early as early next year, according to sources within the sports-entertainment organization. One source specifically states that a target date is set for February 24, 2014, which is the day after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event. While the date has yet to be confirmed by a second source, people in WWE are working under the assumption that the WWE Network will be launched within the first quarter of next year.
– SLAM! Wrestling has published a review of WWE’s Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection DVD and Blu-ray, which the columnist labels “all action, no words.”
“The great question heading into this review was whether or not the Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection would at least contain some interview clips with Bill Goldberg that would provide some insight on his career,” states Matthew Byer. “Unfortunately, there are absolutely none and that is really a shame because Goldberg in the late 1990s was at times rivaling Steve Austin in terms of popularity.”
– Antonio Cesaro’s swinging of Tensai on Raw is featured in this week’s “WWE Raw Slam of the Week.”
-WWE is looking to fill yet another position in the company. This time, WWE posted a job opening for “Supervising Producer” who will be responsible for overseeing all production of original programming for the WWE Network. If interested, visit Careers-WWECorp.icims.com.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross posted the following tweet on his official Twitter account today:
Heading to NYC today. Another adventure hopefully begins. One book closes & another opens. Life us about our 'today's,'
Earlier today, WWE’s CFO George Barrios gave a presentation at the Citi Global Consumer Conference in New York City. Here’s what he said about the WWE Network:
“The program grid for the network will center around our monthly Pay-Per-Views [except WrestleMania], so those will become the culminating events of storylines and so on. We are also going to create retrospective content from our library. So that’s not just running library footage. That’s creating kind of compelling stories around past areas of WWE.
So for example one of the series that we’ve created is called the Monday Night War, so it’s takes a look back at both what’s happened inside the ring and outside the ring when Vince McMahon and Ted Turner were battling in the late 90s, so that will be a 15 episode series thereabouts and it’s tested really well. So that’s an example of content of mining our library.
What we are also going to do in the original content, I mean for example we announced a reality series with E! recently called Total Divas, it’s a reality series anchored around our Diva superstars, so we know we can create reality series. I think you would see things like that on the network.
So it will be a different flavour than RAW and SmackDown, which will be our anchored program and broadcast lively. The network will be for those hard core casual may be some less fans to get that little bit extra at a price front that we think is just a lot more interesting than that $45 or $55 monthly [PPV price], which we think is just tougher for big player to consume.”
– Monday’s taped WWE RAW from London, England drew a 3.14 rating with 4.4 million viewers. This is up from the previous week, which did a 3.08 with 4.15 million viewers.
– On Monday, WWE the new reality TV show “Total Divas” will begin airing on the E! Network this summer. According to f4wonline.com, there were a lot of people in WWE who were surprised by the news, since the divas reality show had been one of the top original shows planned for the WWE Network. Total Divas airing on E! left many employees feeling that the WWE Network launch will get delayed once again.
WWE CFO George Barrios spoke to 4-Traders.com today and revealed some new details on the WWE Network. Notably, the subscription will run $12.99-14.99 per month, the break-even point for WWE is around 1 million subscribers and the company will eventually phase out pay-per-view events entirely. Here’s the full transcript of what Barrios said about:
Where WWE’s Future Growth Will Come From:
“Well, over the last few years our core business has been performing well. We generate $75 million to $95 million of EBITDA. Those EBITDA margins have been 16% to 19% so the core business performed well. We have invested a lot in the last couple of years to take advantage some of that growth that we see. And the big strategic thesis for us is the value of content. There is more and more distribution alternatives available. Netflix is one everyone talks about. YouTube not being part of just social video but now real original content. So there’s more and more distribution alternatives and it’s on a global basis. As a content creator and owner, which makes us unique, we own 100% of the rights of our content. We license them out, we’ll license windows but we own it all. And that’s a unique position to be in. We think the rising distribution opportunity is driving up the valley of content. In fact, you look at what HBO does to produce Game of Thrones, right? You’re talking $10 million to $20 million an episode for 13 hours, right. So now you’re in the $150 million to $200 million. That’s incredible value. Raw and SmackDown are two franchised programs, average more viewers than any cable network average of prime time. So USA is a number one cable network in the US. It averages about 3 million viewers a week in prime time. Raw and SmackDown, our two top programs, averages more than that. We create a lot of value with the content. That’s going to be a big driver for growth.”
How WWE Will Monetize The Network & The Break-Even Point:
“Sure. So on the first part, continuing on with our core products, we’re going to keep them fully distributed. We think that’s a great platform for a network. And we think there’s a lot of value as those shows come up for renewal. Our four biggest contracts will be renewed over the next three years. We think that’s a great opportunity for us because of the value we deliver. Then to the network, we said we’re going to take our pay-per-views. We’re one of the preeminent pay-per-view providers today and our pay-per-views are priced anywhere between $49.95 and $59.95 today and we’re going to make that the core of a value proposition with a lot of other new content and put it on a premium network so that our fans can subscribe. We said the price will be somewhere between $12.99 or $14.99, to be determined as we go to market but we think that’s a real great opportunity. And to your question about breakeven, about a million subscribers because the pay-per-view buyers will migrate over to the network. That’s our belief. About a million subscribers, we breakeven at 2 million, it’s a really good business; at 3 million to 4 million, for us it’s transformative.”
Will WWE’s Pay-Per-View Business Eventually Go Away?
“We believe over time. We believe the value proposition will be much more powerful to subscribe to a network at $12.99 to $14.99, 24/7, you have the pay-per-views, a lot of great content, our library, a lot of retrospective programming that we’re doing that’s testing really, really well, we’re producing it right now so over time, I think the pay-per-view does go away.”
– WWE.com has launched a photo gallery of “The Kids from OVW that Changed WWE.” Ohio Valley Wrestling, once the developmental territory of WWE, produced some of the industry’s top performers, including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton & Batista. OVW is now the developmental system for TNA.
– WWE.com has also published a top 10 list of the most dateable Superstars & Divas.
– NBC Universal announced on Monday that they are partnering with Esquire Magazine to re-brand their G4 cable network. The new “Esquire Channel” will launch soon as “an upscale Bravo for men.” The news is relevant to the wrestling world because as recently as last summer, WWE was interested in purchasing G4 in hopes of re-branding it as the WWE Network. One of WWE’s biggest hurdles in launching the WWE Network has been getting clearances from cable companies – and acquiring G4 would have helped with that.
As noted over the weekend, satellite provider DirecTV is surveying their subscribers regarding the launch of a new premium, subscription-based WWE Network that would run original programming, classic footage and all live WWE pay-per-views except for WrestleMania.
At one point, the UFC was also interested in buying G4 to launch their own network.
A survey sent out to DirecTV subscribers this week reveals new details about the upcoming WWE Network.
The survey states that WWE Network will be available for a monthly fee and 11 of WWE’s 12 annual pay-per-view events will be available for viewing to subscribers. WrestleMania would be the only pay-per-view event not offered as part of the WWE Network package. Individual WWE pay-per-views will still be available for purchase for fans who do not subscribe to the network.
DirecTV also requested viewer feedback on potential original WWE programming, including shows about the Monday Night Wars, classic matches, games shows and documentaries.
DirecTV asked fans what they thought about different monthly price points for the network, including $29.99, $24.99, $19.99, $16.99 and $12.99. DirecTV customers were also asked if they would still order Wrestlemania on PPV if they subscribed to the WWE Network, which would not carry WrestleMania.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is expected to discuss the new developments regarding the WWE Network during WWE’s next quarterly financial report on February 28.
AdAge.comhas published a new article noting that YouTube is preparing to launch a new paid subscription service that would offer customers the chance to pay from $1-5 per month to subscribe to premium content channels. The article notes:
YouTube has reached out to a small group of channel producers and asked them to submit applications to create channels that users would have to pay to access. As of now it appears that the first paid channels will cost somewhere between $1 and $5 a month, two of these people said. In addition to episodic content, YouTube is also considering charging for content libraries and access to live events, pay-per-views, as well as self-help or financial advice shows.
It’s not clear which channels will be part of the first paid-subscription rollout, but it is believed that YouTube will lean on the media companies that have already shown the ability to develop large followings on the video platform, including networks like Machinima, Maker Studios and Fullscreen. YouTube is also looking outside its current roster of partners for candidates.
While the WWE Network is not specifically mentioned in the article, it appears that WWE could be one of their premium partners. WWE, which already has a multimillion dollar deal in place with Youtube, recently ended several of its popular Youtube shows, including Zack Ryder’s Z! True Island Story, WWE Download, Santino Marella’s Foreign Exchange and Are You Serious, it’s very possible the company will be changing gears and offering the WWE Network exclusively through YouTube.
– It was reported last week that WWE was talking to at least one investor group about partnering up for the WWE Network launch. According to a source in WWE, those reports are false and WWE is still looking to launch the project by themselves.
– Former WWE superstar David Hart Smith, who is currently wrestling over in Japan for NJPW, met with the legendary Dynamite Kid last week when he was in England for Christmas. Dynamite Kid is, of course, the former tag team partner of Smith’s late father, Davey Boy Smith. Dynamite Kid said there is no chance of him going into the WWE Hall of Fame.
– Randy Orton is currently dealing with his latest shoulder injury after dislocating it at the recent Tribute to the Troops tapings earlier this month. Orton suffers from a condition called hypermobile shoulders, which allows his shoulders to stretch back in a much greater range of motion than the averge person. The downside of the condition is that he’s more prone to dislocating his shoulders and his shoulder joints will wear down much faster than the average person. This could result in more health issues when he gets older.
With the WWE Network launch still on WWE’s radar but without a definitive date, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE is in negotiations with at least one investment company about joint venturing on the new television channel.
According to their source, WWE’s plan for how the Network will be presented has changed dramatically in recent months and people will be “stunned” when the plans are revealed.
Aside from the XFL, when WWE partnered with NBC, Vince McMahon rarely partners with companies for major undertakings like this. While WWE likes to have as much control as possible with their projects, the upside is that WWE will be able to share a lot of the costs associated with launching and running the Network.
WWE will also be saving a lot of money by featuring most of their own content on the Network, which saves them the need to license expensive shows. There is still a lot of upside to the WWE Network, but there is also fear in WWE that the company is at risk of over-exposing the television product even further.
– Here’s the latest episode of the “Santino’s Foreign Exchange” YouTube show:
“On this episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” The Milan Miracle puts the pressure on foreign correspondent Toshi Yatsu – uh, we mean Yoshi Tatsu – in an attempt to hone his interviewing skills.”
– The Watts family’s Universal Wrestling website confirms that they have sold their tape library to WWE but will continue to sell Universal merchandise and remaining DVD titles that are still in stock.
– Sources close to the WWE Network report that officials are looking to hold Network-exclusive Supershow events in places like the UK and other countries overseas.
– Jake Roberts posted the following video on Thanksgiving talking about what he’s thankful for:
During Thursday morning’s WWE investor conference call as part of WWE reporting it’s financial results for Q3 2012, Vince McMahon officially announced that the WWE Network will be a “premium subscription model” – similar to HBO and Showtime.
This is a change from WWE’s original model, which was a standard cable channel, where cable networks would have given WWE a nominal monthly fee based on the number of cable subscribers. WWE’s difficulties getting picked up by cable providers has been widely reported this year.
No launch date was given for the network an WWE did not provide specific information about how much the network will cost WWE.
Vince McMahon emphasized that the WWE Network will be “the most interactive network out there.”
– In In preparation for the upcoming “Jim Ross Appreciation Night” edition of WWE RAW, JR will be doing a lot of media appearances in the Oklahoma City market. JR was on Fox 25 this morning and appeared at Hudiburg Toyota this afternoon.
– As of this week, the WWE Network project is still alive, with Vince McMahon thinking about offering the Network in Europe. The latest idea is offering the Network as a paid “premium” channel like HBO and Showtime.
– Reality TV star Honey Boo Boo is crossing over into the world of professional wrestling. Honey Boo Boo (and her family) will be appearing for Global Championship Wrestling show this Saturday night (9/29) in Pell City, Alabama.
The appearance is already getting local media attention and it’s expected that cameras will be there to record footage for her hit show.
The official website of Los Angeles Times has published an article reporting that WWE is leaning toward launching a pay-TV channel with its fledgling WWE Network.
WWE originally hoped to launch the channel on the basic cable tier and receive a subscription fee of approximately 20 cents per month per subscriber. However, space is limited on most cable and satellite systems and the amount of WWE content already available limited the growth potential of a stand-alone commercial network.
“Clearly the cable operators didn’t view what they brought to market as compelling enough,” said Brad Safalow, an analyst with PAA Research who took the organization to task last month during its second-quarter-earnings call for not sharing more information on the network.
WWE is now focusing its efforts on creating a commercial-free, pay-subscription channel similar to HBO and Showtime that consumers would order at their discretion, according to people familiar with the sports-entertainment organization’s mindset.
If WWE goes forward with a premium channel, it would likely feature most pay-per-view events on the network to entice people to sign up. The exceptions would be major events, most notably WrestleMania.
“Subscribing to the network would be a ‘no brainer’ for the company’s hardcore fans,” Safalow stated in a recent report.
He anticipates a subscription price of $14.95 for the channel and that WWE should be able to instantly garner 400,000 subscribers and almost double that amount in two years. He projects that in 2014, a pay channel could add as much as $141.6 million in revenue to the company.
WWE remains mum on its plans for the network. “The WWE Network in any form is a transformative opportunity if we execute it right,” said George Barrios, WWE’s Chief Financial Officer. “It is taking the appropriate amount of time for us to identify the best strategic and financial opportunity.”
– Following a poor reception to the WWE Network from both cable distributors and consumers alike, WWE’s plans for the fledgling channel are being revamped, FightNetwork.com’s Live Audio Wrestling reports Friday. The project has undergone some major changes behind-the-scenes with the entire concept being revamped, a WWE source told the website.
Cable and satellite-television providers have expressed little to no interest in carrying the wrestling-centric channel due to the belief it’s not viable. And while WWE has considered making the network a pay-subscription channel, the internal belief is that it would be extremely difficult to make the venture profitable in today’s climate.
Despite these dilemmas, WWE plans to eventually get the project off the ground in some form or fashion. Details are scarce but the company is expected to make an announcement in the future regarding some sort of partnership.
– Their are numerous accounts on Facebook purporting themselves as Kaitlyn. The popular WWE Diva confirmed Friday via Twitter that she does not have an account on the social networking website: “Guys I don’t have a Facebook or an instagram account OR a Lisa frank dream diary! (it’s NOT a diary… It’s a journal).”
– WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch announced on Facebook that she will appear at Saturday’s EVOLVE 17 iPPV event in Voorhees, New Jersey. Sytch, who recently completed a rehabilitation program sponsored by WWE, is also scheduled for an autograph session at the event. (Event Details)
Vince McMahon’s dream to expand his sports-entertainment empire through a dedicated cable channel appears very much in doubt.
Faced with numerous outstanding hurdles, Wrestlezone.com reports Thursday that plans for the WWE Network have been indefinitely placed on hold. Although WWE’s television shows draw strong ratings, the organization has yet to strike a single deal with a cable or satellite-television provider to carry the channel one year after officially announcing its formation. And while WWE has considered making the network a pay-subscription channel, similar to HBO or Showtime, internal studies have shown less than 100,000 homes would be willing to pay a monthly fee.
WWE was expected to hire approximately 200 employees, including a general manager to run the channel. According to sources close to the head of its Human resources department and Vice President of programming, the company has issued a hiring freeze. It is said that any recent hires are in jeopardy of being terminated.
WWE initially timed the launch of the network for April 1, 2012 to coincide with its pay-per-view extravaganza, WrestleMania. The company even had a clock counting down to the April launch date on its site, which eventually disappeared. The launch was reportedly pushed to November 2012, then February 2013. Now, with the infrastructure set up as it is, the network will be virtually impossible to get off the ground within the next year.
– WWE filmed a lot of footage for the upcoming WWE Network over the past week at WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. The latest time-frame for the Network’s launch is early 2013.
– Triple H did not work last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Green Bay, Wisconsin, despite being advertised.
– Green Bay Packer wide receiver Donald Driver was in the crowd for Tuesday’s SmackDown show.
– The dark match that took place after Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings saw World Heavyweight champion Sheamus defeat Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio in a triple threat match.
– Following last night’s SummerSlam kickoff party in Beverly Hills, WWE talent will be taking part in various community service activities today, with wrestlers visiting hospitals in the Los Angeles area and anti-bullying rallies taking place at schools.
Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio will be visiting Watts, a part of South Los Angeles known to be a violence-prone and impoverished area.
As part of WWE’s community service work this week in Los Angeles, Sheamus, Hornswoggle, Eve Torres and Alicia Fox visited the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA on Thursday afternoon and handed out Mattel toys to the kids.
– WWE recently sent out a memo to fans asking for ideas for Classics On Demand in 2013. Since WWE won’t be launching the WWE Network until after Classics on Demand concludes, that’s another sign the Network won’t be launching this year.
– During Thursday’s conference call for 2012 second quarter results, WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, said he hopes to make an announcement concerning the WWE Network in three months. “I hope next quarter I will be making an announcement on our Network,” McMahon said.
McMahon acknowledged a delay in announcing details on the WWE Network. He stated at the last conference call in May that he expected an announcement to be made “within the next three months.”
– Jim Powers, who appeared for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, will undergo hip replacement surgery Thursday due to the years of abuse he put his body through while working in the professional wrestling industry.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, Maria Kanellis will appear at T’s Zone at the Enfield Square Mall 90 Elm St. Enfield, Connecticut on September 29 from from noon to 3:00 p.m. Call 860-756-6522 for more information.
The planned WWE Network might have been delayed yet again. The original launch date was earlier this year during WrestleMania 28 weekend. When WWE failed to secure clearances from the big cable carriers, the launch was delayed to this fall. Now, the latest is that the network launch will be delayed once again.
Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer was interviewed by a newspaper in Stamford this week about the fledgling network and said that he does not think it will launch until next year.
The newspaper reached out to WWE for a comment, but did not get a response. With a 2013 launch now looking like the likely scenario, WWE will likely hold off until WrestleMania 29 weekend, when the company will have the most eyes on their product from the WWE Universe and the mainstream media.
In preparation for the eventual launch, WWE continues to digitize their library of footage, with employees still being hired for the massive undertaking.
– For the past ten years, video content from WWE’s “Attitude Era” (1998–2002) has been edited due to a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature over the WWF initials. All WWF “scratch” logos and references to the initials had to be blurred or edited out. This directive has now changed, at least in part.
In regards to the former “scratch” logo appearing unaltered in video packages on Monday’s Raw, multiple sources within the company say use of the symbol in flashback sequences is now permitted, so brief clips no longer have to be blurred. However, it is unclear whether the permission extends to complete matches and other archival footage. One source believes the company wants to develop a strategy to cease the logo blurring before the launch of the WWE Network.
– KPLR 11 St. Louis has a story on WWE celebrating 1,000 episodes of Raw with remarks from Stephanie McMahon.
“It beats The Simpsons, believe it or not Lassie and Gunsmoke were the last record holders and we beat the pants off them,” said McMahon.
She also says that her father, Vince McMahon, is her idol and mentor.
“He’s taught me everything that I know basically. He has many, many, mantras and some are not repeatable. But, the bottom line is you have to work hard, play hard. Live hard and love hard. As long as you do all those things you’ll be successful.” she said.
– Kelly, has been Active with WWE Since 2006, was given time of to spend time with her family and boyfriend. She last appeared on television on the May 21 Raw SuperShow, losing to Beth Phoenix.
– Sources indicate the WWE May have a 30 minute to one hour Raw pre-show to air on the new WWE Network. There’s also talk that some of the WWE YouTube shows will be produced on the WWE Network as 1/2 hour episodes. The WWE originally expected to launch the Network April 1st 2012, however that date was moved to the ambiguous “Fall 2012”. Insiders are speculating that may be pushed back now to early 2013.
– WWE recently sent Gerald Brisco and Canyon Cemen were to recruit new WWE Talent in Colorado Springs, CO. Bobby Lashley & others train MMA in Colorado Springs.
– FCW star Brad Maddox is new FCW Jack Brisco 15 Champion. Richie Steamboat was the former champion.
– Here are some recent WWE Supershow attendance figures:
* 6/29 from Monroe, Louisiana drew 5,700 fans for $180,000
* 6/30 from Lafayette, LA drew 4,600 fans for $165,000
* 7/1 from Hidalgo, Texas drew a sellout 7,000 fans for $260,000
– The latest on the WWE Network is that WWE is planning to have all pay-per-views except WrestleMania (and possibly SummerSlam) air on the network. Fans who do not subscribe to the WWE Network will still have the option of buying individual pay-per-view events.