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DID VINCE APPEASE WALL STREET, IS THE NETWORK DEAD IF WWE MOVES THE PPVS, WHERE IS THE MOST LIKELY HOME FOR THEM AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2020-02-09 12:00:00

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I was hoping that Vince would make me feel better about my WWE stock ownership on the conference call.  He didn’t so I sold and took a modest profit.  Do you think he made the stockholders feel better?

Given that the stock dropped after his call and the next day, I think more people felt like you than didn’t.

If WWE moves the PPVs off of the Network, will it die?

I think it’s pretty clear that most people buy the Network to get the monthly PPVs for $9.99 a month.  I think if those get taken off, they would have to lower the price, probably to $4.99 a month.  Even at that, they will take a hit.  I would think Vince would work it all out though and if he does sell the PPVs, he gets a figure that would make it worth his wild.

Do you think, if WWE takes the PPVs off of the Network, they could replace it with other content that would keep the subscriptions close to where they are now at the same price point?

Honestly?  No.  They can only do so many Saudi Arabia type of specials.  If they are going to sell the PPVs elsewhere, then they really can’t compete with them by doing a lot of PPV-like shows on the Network as well.  I think they have to realize that if they sell the PPVs, they have to go on with the Network in a new direction.

If WWE sells the PPVs to another service, should they just shut down the Network?

At this point, no.  As long as they can keep the Network profitable, it’s a great fail safe to have in place in case the OTT deal falls apart or worst case scenario they can’t get a good TV deal down the road.  Also, if the PPV deal only affects the US market, they can use the Network to deliver the shows to the rest of the world.

Which service makes the most sense to get the WWE PPVs?

To me, the services that make the most sense are ESPN+ or the new Peacock network.  ESPN could use the events as a draw, similar to how they use the non-UFC PPVs now.  Peacock could use WWE as a draw for its new service, plus they could use Raw and NXT to plug the service to viewers of those TV shows.

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