TNA Impact Wrestling Going Live This Summer

[Dale]

After teasing that a major announcement was about to be made on Twitter, TNA President Dixie Carter has announced that Impact Wrsetling will be going live starting on 5/31 and continue "through the summer." Here's the official announcement from TNA:

TNA’S IMPACT WRESTLING CELEBRATES SUMMER 2012 BY GOING LIVE!

SPIKE TV TAKES HIGHLY RATED SHOW LIVE AND TO 8:00PM/ET BEGINNING THURSDAY, MAY 31st

NASHVILLE, TN - (May 17, 2012) -- TNA IMPACT WRESTLING President Dixie Carter and SPIKE TV President Kevin Kay announce today that the highly-rated “IMPACT WRESTLINGâ€￾ will be going Live! from Universal Studios beginning May 31st and continue through the summer. This announcement coincides with the recently announced new, one-hour earlier time slot change of 8:00-10:00pm/ET every Thursday night beginning May 31st.

“We are excited to take IMPACT WRESTLING Live! all summer long, and have our first Live! summer show launch our new 8:00pm/ET time slot,â€￾ says TNA President Dixie Carter. “Summer of 2012 is going to be remembered as the most momentous time in our company's history-to-date. Stay tuned."

Gotta think this is a crucial point for TNA now and the ratings MUST go up a couple of points for this to be deemed a success as it's surely going to cost significantly more?

 

[John McHenry]

As a video production major I wouldn't think live would cost anymore same equipment same people your just putting more stress on them cause if anyone involved fucks up in can't be taken back. I think the numbers will rise at least a little

Makes me wonder though why not move to monday actually if they'd been monday at 8 ten they'd have at least got that 8 hour cause most fans would have been like hmm why not then switched to usa. Just like with WCW

 

[Dale]

I was always under the impression that going live cost considerably more money, which is a big reason why WWE tapes SmackDown?

 

[John McHenry]

Most high end gear runs just like home made gear and if you can stream something in real time it's just as easy to tape and stream it which is basically all your doing in tv but the equipment cost more than at home.

 

[Ben]

It has to cost more to do it, otherwise they and WWE with Smackdown would of done it long ago.

Anyways this is great news, hopefully they can get some solid storylines going as this will def help in the ratings.

 

[Heisenberg]

It's a strong step forward on their part but I just don't see this lasting very long for them. They should get out of that theme park first before going live too.

The question is what is TNA going to do now? They won't be able to use fake crowd reactions when their audience is bored to death. They probably will have to pay the audience to make them scream louder or sound like they care.

 

[Rated R Superstar]

It'll probably cost more money than they make. Unless they make seats a reasonable price. I wouldn't mind going to a show if they came to Canada.

 

[John McHenry]

It's a strong step forward on their part but I just don't see this lasting very long for them. They should get out of that theme park first before going live too.

The question is what is TNA going to do now? They won't be able to use fake crowd reactions when their audience is bored to death. They probably will have to pay the audience to make them scream louder or sound like they care.

Why not WCW did it. They would also move the crowd so they were on the opposite side of the tv cameras to make the arena seem full at tapings. But I agree they need to start touring

 

[The New F'n Show]

The cost isn't in the production its in that fact this will be weekly right now they tape a few shows in a night.

 

[Rated R Superstar]

They also have to rent out the buildings they use, correct? That could be costly.

 

[Ben]

They also have to rent out the buildings they use, correct? That could be costly.

All the shows are at the Impact Zone in Orlando, so there good on that front, actually think they use that set up for free, just can't charge admission.

 

[Rated R Superstar]

All the shows are at the Impact Zone in Orlando, so there good on that front, actually think they use that set up for free, just can't charge admission.

Whoops, totally misread the OP, thought they were touring live. My bad.

 

[rcoot93]

I think this could help in the long run but there isn't going t be an instant ratings boost. Obvisously having no spoilers will help but at the same time they have to draw fans in other ways, espicially considering one of their biggest ratings was because of a spoiler (storm wining title)

 

[Heisenberg]

[video=youtube;0XbYrFR4Spk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XbYrFR4Spk[/video]

 

[Troy]

Fantastic move by TNA to go live. Taped shows do hurt ratings and going live should have an impact on the ratings in the long term. I am very happy to read that they are going live on Thursday nights rather than going Monday nights again. That experiment in 2010 set the company back 18 months, if they had gone live on Thursdays back then it would have been a much better result for them.

Excellent news for wrestling fans in the past week to get Impact live every week and RAW adds another hour each week as well.