WWE news: WWE Network subscriber numbers disappoint, changes announced

[big dog cowboy]

WWE news: WWE Network subscriber numbers disappoint, changes announced
October 30, 2014

Today is the day that a lot of people have been waiting on as the WWEannounced their updated subscriber numbers for the WWE Network. The increase in subscriber numbers was nowhere near what many hoped, and this has caused the WWE to make a big change to the subscription model for the WWE Network. According to PWInsider on Thursday, the WWE only added 31,000 subscribers in the third quarter and have chosen to eliminate the six month commitment that they originally required.

In the beginning, a six month commitment was required to sign up for the WWE Network. In their last update, the WWE added a $12.99 price point for month-by-month subscribers, with the six-month plan still costing $9.99. Now, the $12.99 plan has been eliminated and starting in December, the WWE Network will by $9.99 for everyone with no commitment, similar to Netflix and Hulu Plus.

The new WWE Network subscription numbers sit at 731,000 active subscribers. This is just an addition of 31,000 subscribers in the third quarter, with 30,000 of the new subscribers coming from international subscribers as the company continues to roll out the WWE Network across the world. The WWE released their Earnings Release, and stated that they had brought in 286,000 new subscribers, meaning that the difference between numbers involved a number of original subscribers not renewing.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/wwe-news-wwe-network-subscriber-numbers-disappoint-changes-announced

 

[Yakuza Rich]

The problem is that the current product is awful and the technology behind getting good, streamed footage is still fairly expensive. They can't do much about the latter, but they can certainly make the product better.

They can start by scaling back on their corporatization of the product. The divas are being used so much because they have Total Divas...a show that draws a whopping 0.5 to 0.8 rating on the E! Channel. Yes, that is a nice ancillary benefit to the company, but not enough to make it at the expense of their main product. And they either need to give Cena a break (give him an injury angle or a loser is suspended angle) or turn him heel.





YR

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I read on the WWE website that the entire month of November (Which you can sign up for starting tomorrow) will be free to new subscribers.

 

[CashMan]

The problem is that the current product is awful and the technology behind getting good, streamed footage is still fairly expensive. They can't do much about the latter, but they can certainly make the product better.

They can start by scaling back on their corporatization of the product. The divas are being used so much because they have Total Divas...a show that draws a whopping 0.5 to 0.8 rating on the E! Channel. Yes, that is a nice ancillary benefit to the company, but not enough to make it at the expense of their main product. And they either need to give Cena a break (give him an injury angle or a loser is suspended angle) or turn him heel.





YR

They really should do something, where they bring like a WCW back, and have them "compete".

 

[Yakuza Rich]

They really should do something, where they bring like a WCW back, and have them "compete".

WCW is old and dead and I don't think the angle would have worked anyway even back when they first purchased WCW contrary to popular opinion. I think the issue with a WCW v. WWE feud back then was WCW was viewed as far inferior.

I think they need to get back to wrestling 101. If heels like Bray Wyatt are very over with the fans, turn them face. Build long term plans. Use veterans to put the younger players over. They need to be more consistent with their patience in bringing up NXT wrestlers (Paige was brought up way too early, Sammy Zayn is being brought in way too late). Put the focus on 4 wrestlers to push and continue to push them.

The problem we often see is that because it is a publicly held company, they want to tie $$$ to everything they do instead of looking more long term at not worrying about initial success. Wrestling has never worked when a company is looking for the quick, cheap pop. And it makes for bad decision making.

The Miz continues to get a push because of his ties with reality TV. But, it doesn't account for the fact that he's not over, nobody cares about him and nobody has ever really cared for him. Meanwhile a wrestler like Drew McIntyre who was heavily over in Europe and Japan and has shown some real potential and has the look, gets put in comedy matches and eventually gets released. Kane still gets work despite his age and his gimmick falling flat and Luke Harper is basically a mid-carder.






YR

 

[BoysFan4ever]

Is that other company still around? I forgot the name.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Is that other company still around? I forgot the name.

Todays news:

http://www.inquisitr.com/1571354/tna-news-tna-wrestling-said-to-have-finalized-a-new-tv-deal/

 

[BoysFan4ever]

It's too bad TNA isn't very good because WWE would be forced to be better if they had strong competition.

They don't so they just throw anything out there.

 

[maxdallasfan]

They need to make it real again. Like it was in the 80's.

 

[big dog cowboy]

 

[Phoenix]

Hearing a few rumors lately:

1. Steph is pregnant which is why suddenly the loser of Team Cena vs Team Authority, if the loser is Authority, they lose power and go away. WWE does not want Steph on screen if she is not in perfect shape

2. Something about Stone Cold coming back? Maybe as GM in the vacuum of the Authority...?

3. Something about....return of.....at Mania 31.... GOLDBERG...?????



Hmm. Probably nothing to any of this but thems is whats I hears. From very unreliable rumor mills.

 

[khiladi]

They really should do something, where they bring like a WCW back, and have them "compete".

That was horrible and what made it worse is it followed that great "Attitude Era"... I tuned out when that happened.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

The fact that they suddenly announced that if the Authority loses Sunday causes them to lose power does make me think that they're going to make some changes to the on screen "ruler" of the show.

It has me wondering if HHH is possibly thinking of a small time in ring return heading into Mania. I could see him, and the McMahons in general, thinking that HHH is needed in the main event scene as a wrestler to help them with this slump.

The problem is what it's been for years now. It's two fold.

No competition, at least no real competition, and refusing to listen to the fans and push who, and what, they want.

The people running WWE are so arrogant, and full of themselves, that they believe that they know better than the fans themselves what they want. If they'd kept with CM Punk in the main event, and built around him, they'd be in so much better shape right now.

Instead they screwed around with him, screwed up everything he'd been building (Especially in regards to the importance of the WWE title), and wound up losing him (Most likely for good) and thus pretty much everything that they could have built with him.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

That was horrible and what made it worse is it followed that great "Attitude Era"... I tuned out when that happened.

It was horrible because Vince was an idiot, and ego maniac, and instead of doing the angle and showing WCW on equal footing, and actually booking it to be real competition with his son they instead booked it for the WWE to absolutely demolish, dismantle, and destroy the WCW.

That was just flat out dumb by Vince.

 

[Phoenix]

The fact that they suddenly announced that if the Authority loses Sunday causes them to lose power does make me think that they're going to make some changes to the on screen "ruler" of the show.

It has me wondering if HHH is possibly thinking of a small time in ring return heading into Mania. I could see him, and the McMahons in general, thinking that HHH is needed in the main event scene as a wrestler to help them with this slump.

oh yeah....I had totally almost forgot that little face to face thing that HHH and Rock had recently and talking up a possible rematch on air...maybe that's where things are heading then

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Rich is right. The product is weak.

There simply aren't enough good wrestlers because there aren't enough house shows.

In 1980, there was a house show going on in probably 20 cities every single night. And these were jobber-filled cards either... you had world champs, US champs, area champs and state champs at all these events. The result was the guys at the top were very good and the guys just underneath them, the Greg Valentines, the Roddy Pipers, the Bruiser Brody's, the Don Muraco's were all terrific and they weren't world champs.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

They need to make it real again. Like it was in the 80's.

I realize there's some tongue-in-cheek there but honestly if there was more kayfabe practiced from the top down it would benefit the product and how its viewed.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Hearing a few rumors lately:

1. Steph is pregnant which is why suddenly the loser of Team Cena vs Team Authority, if the loser is Authority, they lose power and go away. WWE does not want Steph on screen if she is not in perfect shape

2. Something about Stone Cold coming back? Maybe as GM in the vacuum of the Authority...?

3. Something about....return of.....at Mania 31.... GOLDBERG...?????



Hmm. Probably nothing to any of this but thems is whats I hears. From very unreliable rumor mills.

Stone Cold? Goldberg?

Maybe they could stage a Bruno/Hulk match.

 

[big dog cowboy]

1. Steph is pregnant which is why suddenly the loser of Team Cena vs Team Authority

I saw that and believe it is the truth.

The people running WWE are so arrogant, and full of themselves, that they believe that they know better than the fans themselves what they want. If they'd kept with CM Punk in the main event, and built around him, they'd be in so much better shape right now.

I agree that the WWE brass is extremely arrogant but WWE didn't get rid of Punk he quit so they couldn't keep him.

 

[Biggems]

WCW is old and dead and I don't think the angle would have worked anyway even back when they first purchased WCW contrary to popular opinion. I think the issue with a WCW v. WWE feud back then was WCW was viewed as far inferior.

I think they need to get back to wrestling 101. If heels like Bray Wyatt are very over with the fans, turn them face. Build long term plans. Use veterans to put the younger players over. They need to be more consistent with their patience in bringing up NXT wrestlers (Paige was brought up way too early, Sammy Zayn is being brought in way too late). Put the focus on 4 wrestlers to push and continue to push them.

The problem we often see is that because it is a publicly held company, they want to tie $$$ to everything they do instead of looking more long term at not worrying about initial success. Wrestling has never worked when a company is looking for the quick, cheap pop. And it makes for bad decision making.

The Miz continues to get a push because of his ties with reality TV. But, it doesn't account for the fact that he's not over, nobody cares about him and nobody has ever really cared for him. Meanwhile a wrestler like Drew McIntyre who was heavily over in Europe and Japan and has shown some real potential and has the look, gets put in comedy matches and eventually gets released. Kane still gets work despite his age and his gimmick falling flat and Luke Harper is basically a mid-carder.






YR

It would be nice if the could use the young up and comers to build the tag team division. Not only that, try and keep the tag teams together for at lest 4 to 5 years and really build that division. I miss the days of the strong tag teams like the von erichs, freebirds, demolition, LOD, Steiners, Harlem Heat, Doom, Hardys, Edge and Christian, the Rockers, etc.

This will allow them to polish their in ring and mic skills, as well as build a strong gimmick. Then, after a few years, a couple of them can break away from the tag team ranks and get a solo push, because they have proven themselves worthy, similar to HBK.