WWNLive speaks up about WWE Network

[GrammarNazi82]

This week's WWNLive alerts addressed what the WWE Network means to the WWNLive family and independent wrestling as a whole. Here is what they had to say about WWE's latest announcement:

Everyone is talking about the WWE Network, and rightfully so. It is an out-of-the-box, game changer. WWE is basically sacrificing its DVD and PPV revenue in an effort to gain leverage to negotiate sky high TV rights. They believe their future business model will depend on TV right fees and not the traditional DVD/PPV market. They might be right, this might backfire on them, but either way this is the gutsiest thing they have done since the late 90s and the biggest game changer since Vince McMahon wiped out the territories and went national in the 80s.

So where does this leave independent wrestling?

Promotions like Dragon Gate USA, EVOLVE, SHINE and Full Impact Pro are as mom-and-pop as it gets. WWE is Walmart. The WWNLive Family are the neighborhood grocery store that prides itself on delivering the highest quality and more personal service while adding to the community.

We are dependent on your DVD, iPPV and ticket sales. There will never be a huge TV deal in our future. You can see what happens when networks get involved. Then we wouldn't be who we are. So we are not in a position to take the gamble WWE is sucking us all into with the WWE Network.

Just like Walmart did to the mom-and-pop, WWE is giving you a product at a price that the small guy can't compete with. WWE's goal is to use all this content for $10 a month to bump up the subscribers and then leverage that into more TV fees. In the process, they are lowering the price expectations consumers have for DVDs, PPV and iPPV, similar to what Walmart did for a loaf of bread.

Now we can whine and cry, beg for your business cause we "deserve" it because we bring you good wrestling, or we can do something about it. We can get fired up and figure out ways to produce a more interesting, exciting and creative product to you. This is our attitude going into EVOLVE tonight,tomorrow and Sunday nights.

Whether we like it or not, WWE just aggressively changed the game. They are taking a major risk and doing it balls-to-the-wall. We must adapt to keep your support and interest.

Evolve or die.

The alerts' email then went on to briefly promote Evolve 25, 26 and 27 taking place this weekend.

 

[Stopspot]

WWN is dependent on DVD sales? One wouldn't think so considering the rate Gabe puts them out at.

 

[GrammarNazi82]

Seriously; that's one of the saddest things I've heard. :haha: If they're THAT dependent on DVD sales you would think they'd put forth their best effort to get them out in a more timely manner. (Even $5 Wrestling gets DVDs out quicker than that.) Being dependent on iPPVs and all I could see, but not so much the DVD sales.

 

[Stopspot]

Seriously; that's one of the saddest things I've heard. :haha: If they're THAT dependent on DVD sales you would think they'd put forth their best effort to get them out in a more timely manner. (Even $5 Wrestling gets DVDs out quicker than that.) Being dependent on iPPVs and all I could see, but not so much the DVD sales.

$5 wrestling is basically Highspots. If any promotion should get DVDs out on time its them.

 

[Snowman1]

Smart of them to say this and use it as motivation to make their shows better, but I doubt the WWE Network will have much of an effect on WWNLive. The dedicated fans of Evolve, DGUSA, Shine, etc will still be buying those shows since they already go to them for stuff that WWE doesn't deliver. And it's not like it isn't affordable for most people to do both, etiher.

If anything else the concept of online streaming for wrestling may somehow make marketing easier for the little guys.

 

[Testify]

WWNLive went HD this week, wonder will that do them good.

EVOLVE 25 is HD and getting srsly good reviews, willing to spend some money on it.