Taking inspiration from this column by George T. Conway III. I believe WWE re-imagined its content and puts smiles on people’s faces. I believe AEW and NXT viewership bounced back better than Raw and Smackdown after the initial Covid bump simply because they’re new, and not any other commonality. I believe ratings are down because … Continue reading I Believe WWE, And In WWE
The rise of John Cena in 2005 was the last time WWE made a star whose value strongly drove consumer metrics. Despite branding all of its talent "superstars", it was the last time the company created a major star, or strong -- what the media industry might call -- intellectual property. I'm thinking about the … Continue reading WWE Hasn’t Created Strong New IP In Over 15 Years
WWE's Q2 earnings report is tomorrow, July 30, after the market closes for the day. Expect documents to release around 4pm ET with a conference scheduled for 5pm. The report will cover the period from April 1 to June 30. This will be the first quarter where the period took place entirely within WWE's events … Continue reading WWE Q2 2020 Earnings Report Preview: Predictions & Suggested Questions
To my knowledge this is the first time the shareholders meeting, which was held virtually this year rather than in-person, has been made available to the public and accessible on WWE's corporate website. The annual shareholders meeting on July 16 opened with a sizzle reel highlighting WWE's business success and brand presence, including many guest … Continue reading WWE Annual Shareholder Meeting (7/16/2020) Summary
The metrics we've followed throughout the last few decades of wrestling television history have changed. In the "Monday Night War" era, amid the competition ultimately won by WWF Raw over WCW Nitro, reports dwelled on TV ratings: a number with one or two decimal places. Those numbers measured a program's total audience. But around the … Continue reading Key demo and total audience: What are they and how much do they matter?
When I came on board in 2009, one of my responsibilities that Vince [McMahon] gave me was running our infamous pay-per-view business… I came from the NBA, I came from the world of tennis where the vernacular, even a business model of pay-per-view didn't exist, so of course when I was given the responsibility to … Continue reading Rumors of Pay-Per-View’s Death Were Greatly Exaggerated
ouworldindata.org Despite a pandemic, many wrestling companies are running wrestling events for video or TV purposes, without fans in attendance. The safety of those events varies and depends on factors, including the prevalence of COVID-19 in the local area, whether individuals participating are otherwise at risk of being infected, and the precautions being taken in … Continue reading COVID-19 Cases Tick Back Up In Florida Counties Where WWE and AEW Run, Rising In Mexico; Japan Easing Restrictions
It’s evident my earlier estimate of WWE profitability was too low. I estimated that the company would record $121 million in operating income for 2020, in the scenario that there were no more live events for the rest of 2020. After a more detailed estimate of WWE’s revenues and expenses, and with improved knowledge learned … Continue reading Despite COVID-19, WWE Will Set Profit Records in 2020 If TV Fees Remain
The short-term effects of COVID19 to WWE’s, and maybe AEW's, finances may actually be positive, not negative. The inability to run normal live events actually reduces costs. TV rights payments to the company from broadcast partners, related to flagship programs Raw and Smackdown, appear unimpeded. In other words, the cost of producing programming has been … Continue reading Will Audiences That Turn Off Empty Arena Shows Come Back?
There’s understandable suspicion that there’s a connection between Linda McMahon’s pro-Trump super PAC, America First Action, allocating $18.5 million to Florida on the same day (April 9) that Florida governor Ron DeSantis amended his stay-home order which allows WWE to run tapings at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. As dubious as it seems, and … Continue reading WWE Deemed Essential in Florida May Be Unsafe But Probably Isn’t Result Of A “Bribe”
