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WWE announces Network numbers, Wall Street unimpressed.

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/41858-wwe-network-update-and-lots-of-news

1.3 million subs for the Network, stock drops almost $3.00 as a result.  That's kind of a disastrous number, actually.  Unless Wrestlemania did about 700,000 regular PPV buys, there's not really any way to spin this as a positive.  Plus they're doing another free month in April.  I'm sure Chris Harrington will chime in shortly and I'll link there when he does, since he actually knows what he's talking about with this stuff.  

Comments

  1. "Vince McMahon had a great quote about Sting saying they took a character from obscurity and made him one of the main eventers at WrestleMania."


    Wow.

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  2. why is a wrestling company publicly traded?!?!?! I'll never understand that.

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  3. Reigns = money... For HBONOW

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  4. Monthly Takeover = overexposed watered down PPV's of the future

    *sigh* And it was so promising...

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  5. In fairness, a lot of people would watch Rock & Wrestling.....unfortunately, those aren't the people who pay 9.95 for the Network. There in lies the problem. The other shitty shows listed here....well......no thanks lol. Any idea on Legends House?

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  6. Probably don't have the cash to buy back the stock.

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  7. Why do they need 700,000 ppv guys again?

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  8. Champagne B.arry arthurMarch 30, 2015 at 1:10 PM

    COMING SOON TO WWE NETWORK IN 2015

    TWO'S A CROWD
    Rikki Lake hosts a one-on-one interview series with guests discussing the best and brightest shits they've ever taken.

    THE CUSP OF FOREVER
    A soap opera starring Gerald Brisco as a loveable alcoholic and Johnny Ace as his tenacious son, determined to keep him out of trouble.

    MEAN GENE WANDERS AROUND AIMLESSLY
    Ok, this isn't even sarcastic anymore, it's just flat out better than their ideas now.

    A VAUGE AMOUNT OF OLD SHOWS
    Coming next Thursday! Or maybe November 14th!

    CHRIS JERICHO'S SOFT SERVE SHILL PODCAST
    Hold on to your seat for this thriller

    ALL THE SHIT THAT'S ALREADY ON YOUTUBE
    Hold on to your seat for this thriller

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  9. Everything is fine.

    Diva search-= 3 million new subs, guaranteed

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  10. I thought he looked great getting the fuck beat out of him.

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  11. "SWERVED – COMING IN MAY: WWE teams up with the Director of Jackass and Bad Grandpa, Jeff Tremaine, to give you the hilarious original series, Swerved. Swerved is a half hour series and will premiere in May"

    WHAT THE FUCK IS IT, Jesus. It must be terrible

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  12. This is interesting...
    Is there a value to which the stock can drop low enough, at which point they will have the cash to buy it all back and take it private again? What would that stock price be?

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  13. Champagne B.arry arthurMarch 30, 2015 at 1:14 PM

    They shouldn't have low-balled Judge Mills Lane

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  14. Goddammit this will be the third free month I've still had to pay for

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  15. I had the network from day one, but actually let my sub die off a few months ago and didn't pine for it even when Mania geared up. Given these numbers I guess I wasn't the only one that felt that way.

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  16. Champagne B.arry arthurMarch 30, 2015 at 1:18 PM

    I've cancelled until they put something I like up, I've seen everything I've wanted to see. It's high time they be the ones to eat the puke they've served.

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  17. Agreed.....sidenote: Why does the man CRY SO MUCH?????????

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  18. This is the best they can come up with?

    They have the podcast shows once in awhile with Austin and now Jericho, but why not have a show every week? Maybe have a host from that does a studio show once a week. Maybe have a WWE Star guest each week and just have a conversation. Could be kayfabe or not.

    Or..why not have an "Event Center" like in the old days where an announcer hypes up and goes over the PPV cards?

    Also, novel concept, but why not bring back LiveWire? Have a call in show like talk radio? Have it live once a week and then have the recording on demand.

    Maybe....maybe they could even once every few months send a camera crew to a house show and film it for the network?

    What about profiles of wrestlers? They stick some of their DVD documentaries on there, but why not have a half hour show that highlights the careers of certain wrestlers? Really useful for those unfamiliar with some of the legends.

    This concept is probably even more out there, but for the PPVs, why not give the viewer a choice between commentators? I know that most of us hate the current commentary, but maybe have a more a crew that caters to the more hardcore fan? I know they would never do it, but would be a fun idea.

    I like the network, but I think their original programming is pretty terrible and has a lot of clip shows with fluff around it or just bad reality.

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  19. Certainly not. They'd need assistance with that. Just surprised they haven't yet. Don't see the long term value for them as a public co

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  20. Eh, the old man and sense parted ways a few years ago.

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  21. I wish WWE Network was an MMO. I would gladly pony up for a lifetime subscription. Especially now with dat divas search.

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  22. Not sure but a good example of a company going public and then reverting to private is Dell.

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  23. Triple H told he once he was a guy

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  24. I guess the strategy is fling a bunch of shit on the wall and hope something sticks.

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  25. Ghost written by vince russo

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  26. Oh lord. Not sure i'm gonna be able to handle the internet anymore. The bitching about what's not on the Network could drive you to drink now, dealing with everyone complaining about a slate of non-wrestling shows? Im not blaming you, mind, I just cant face it. Please lord will WWE just sell a series if flash drives with everything on their archives so people can get it all at once and end the arguments forever? Please?

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  27. What would that be?

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  28. Another free month. LOL!


    It just launched in my neck of the woods last week, i'm sure all the new subscribers must be thrilled to have to pay for a month that the latecomers will get for free.

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  29. Champagne B.arry arthurMarch 30, 2015 at 2:03 PM

    Older shows, territory stuff, 1997 Raw/Nitro, ect. Around 80% of their wrestling library basically. Disc 2/3 of the DVD's would be nice as well.

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  30. Amen. There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe how great it is to attend WrestleMania weekend.

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  31. so (dunno if someone has written on this at length) is the company's scope just too broad or something? didn't they used to make tons of profit? seems like all they do is lose dough

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  32. so I got the free month in Feb, but cancelled before it could extend into March - haven't yet paid for the Network - so does this still mean I can get the April free month? I will laugh my ass off if that's the case.

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  33. CM Punk said it best.

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  34. Perfect booking. Reigns had Brock beat, Rollins screwed him, and then beat Reigns. So Lesnar's still undefeated post-Taker, Reigns took a beating like a man, and they both want Rollins. That's Summerslam booked already surely.

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  35. I figure it would cost them less money to upload the old shows while they try to figure out what kind of programming subscribers would most like to see. This willy nilly variety show shit they're flinging at the wall makes no sense.

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  36. No. If it drops low enough some capital group or hedge fund will forcibly buy it out and sell off the assets.

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  37. This is where that whole "90% satisfaction rating" thing drives me mad. I get what they're saying.....90% of their current subscribers (or the portion of that number that they actually survey) say they're satisfied with the Network. But anybody with any common sense whatsoever would tell you that that can't possibly be true, when a significant portion of their subscriber base lets their subscription expire. Or they outright cancel it. And yet they still spew that garbage every opportunity they get. With a straight face.

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  38. Can someone explain why with the 1.3 million subscriptions they'd need 700,000 additional PPV buys? Where does that number come from?

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  39. Sting's first promo was all 'I'VE BEEN WAITING 14 YEARS FOR THIS MATCH.' Dude wrestled in TNA for over a decade. I think it's fair to say Vince see's TNA as the equivalent of a hands off lapdance from a goat.

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  40. ANYTHING is better than constant reruns of Legends House.

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  41. The return of the Diva Search is fine, NXT will need some new faces by this time next year at the latest so why not?


    Christy Hemme,Candice Michelle,Maria,Michelle McCool,Ashley Massaro,Layla,Rosa Mendes,Maryse,Brooke Adams,Brie Bella,Nikki Bella,Eve Torres,Taryn Terrell plus a half dozen others who had cups of coffees with the company.


    Not a bad crop especially when you consider they're simply hiring hot chicks, not all of them can become Trish Stratus.

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  42. Same. When the Network's rollout to Canada was announced to be delayed for I think less than a year, I was still on board as a guaranteed customer. Then they announced HOW it was being rolled out here and they instantly lost me.

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  43. 1.3 sounds like a good number to me considering how bad the build was.

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  44. WWE's own absurd sales projections. But honestly, 1.3 million subscribers is huge., That's a great Mania level number every month.

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  45. if you make a new account with a different email address, I don't see why not.

    meanwhile, they cancelled my subscription at the end of february (as in my recurring subscription couldn't be renewed), I renewed last week and now they're doing another free month...

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  46. CruelConnectionNumber2March 30, 2015 at 2:19 PM

    NXT is not promoted whatsoever on WWE TV, on purpose. You can delete that match.

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  47. You're such a cool and dreamy rebel.

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  48. What study/survey/focus group did WWE pull from to create this list of new programming? Because I want to know who specifically asked for this bullshit.

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  49. 915,000 paid subscribers. So, yeah, that's not good.

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  50. A. Wrestlemania should not be on the network, but at the same time, I don't know how many PPV carriers that got snubbed when the WWE did an end run around them by launching the network would agree to carry a WWE PPV again, but only one. What's done is done, but goddamn, what a dumb idea to not at least try to make WM30 a one-time tease/bonus for early subscribers.

    B. This fucking company gives more freebies than Costco on Sample Day. No. Stop. That's not how you make money.

    C. At what point do they accept that there's a ceiling for the number of people who will pay $10 a month to watch old WCW PPVs, that they're probably right at that ceiling now and the only way to increase subscriptions to their monthly PPV streaming service (because that's what it is, for all intents and purposes) in any meaningful way is to improve the quality of the modern product, not relaunch the Diva Search or compile whatever bullshit fluff they tape for the app into a "gritty, real look behind the curtain?"

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  51. The cable company setup in Canada is even worse than it is in the US. I don't know how much blame to put on the WWE for the Canadian version of the network. For pure logisitical reasons, I'm sure they would have preferred to have it work exactly the same way worldwide, but Rogers calls the shots.

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  52. Do these numbers mean anything with the free months they've been giving away?

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  53. In a perfect world, WM/SS/Rumble/MITB should have been PPV exclusive while the rest are network exclusive. Best of both worlds.

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  54. Jerry Springer. In 2015.

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  55. If you choose to do a Jerry Springer show in 2015, you deserve a drop in stock price.

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  56. From what I understand, the original concept of the wwe network in the US was for it to be a regular cable tv network but it was a tough sell to US distributers. so they went with the over the top solution. In Canada Rogers offered them a partnership to make it a traditional channel and the wwe jumped on it. Hence why we don't have the full over the top deal here.
    A lot of content on Canadian websites require a traditional cable subscription in order to access (tsn GO, etc...). Which to me defeats the purpose of the internet which is to untether us from traditional media. But old ways die hard...

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  57. Its basically WWE Talking Heads reacting to YouTube videos.

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  58. Because Vince.

    Vince wanted to be the owner of a publicly traded company.

    That's the answer.

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  59. Plenty of companies never went public and do fine.

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  60. and Host Michael PS Hayes and Co-Host Bottle of Jack Daniels

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  61. November was free, February was free, April will be free.

    You play your cards right you can get the WWE Network for $9.99 every OTHER month

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  62. Better than 914,000 I guess...

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  63. Well of course. That's why the crowd was chanting "Who are you?" when Sting was wrestling as opposed to the "You still got it!" that we only THOUGHT we heard.

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  64. They said they have 10 million female fans and 100 million "wwe homes" world wide. This is what they do.

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  65. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:37 PM

    Problem is that's the high water mark for the whole year. They're not gonna have anywhere near that subscribing in May or June for instance.

    In the end the network ends up being them selling Wrestlemania to pretty much the same amount of people for one-sixth the price.

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  66. They'll stop doing free months when they stop resulting in spikes in subscribers who continue renewing the service after the free month ends. These free months are making them money.

    New content is primarily about retaining subscribers. Not about attracting new ones.

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  67. If they HAVE to keep him around and have him be the imposing favorite all the time in the Royal Rumble ("WEEEEELLL!" and Cole says "OHHH My!" and the people in the ring go wide-eyed), then maybe having at least ONE bit of precedent for winning SOMETHING along similar lines isn't bad. This is useless short-term but is an impressive sounding talking point in the future. I'd rather a different big man get it and have longer to use it, but if they insist on Big Show, this may as well have gone to him.

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  68. Stock drop happens after every Wrestlemania because investors have come to see that as the yearly high point in the stock value. They sell high and will buy back in at a low before selling again next spring.

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  69. Where are they pulling this 1.3 million from? The article says that the average for the quarter was 918K. How they get their numbers is extremely confusing (I'm guessing that's intentional).

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  70. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    They absolutely have to figure out a way to charge people separately for Wrestlemania next year. It's insane that they're just giving it way for one-sixth the old price for zero benefit, now that they're doing month to month rather than trying to lock people into multi-month cycles.

    If I'm them, I'd take Mania off the "free" part of the network, and do a thing where Network subscribers can order Mania through the Network for an additional $15 or something. So it'd be another tab on the Network interface that you pay that once a year premium price for.

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  71. If they doubled the price to 20 month but tossed on THE WHOLE archive how many hardcore's would keep it, and for longer? I know I would. They might be able to get twice as much cash from a good chunk of that 900k paid base. And without wasting a dime making cheap and bad tv shows. Then maybe have a lower tier for people who just want the ppv. Say for 10 bucks you get the ppv that month, you can watch the live stream and maybe have a limited rotating library like the old 24/7 service. Then you get guys like me to pay like 20 for the gold package which is the archives.

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  72. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:42 PM

    1.3 million was the total they have as of today, which will be their high water mark for the year.

    The average is based on what they've done in Jan, Feb, and March.

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  73. They don't. SK is looking at the network numbers in a vacuum and comparing it to how much past WMs have earned. That's not how the company is looking at it. They know they take a hit on WM earnings, but they will make that back as long as they retain subscribers through the rest of the year compared to how the rest of PPVs did in the past. They are evening out their yearly revenue rather than getting it all at once once per year.

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  74. I thought Seth Green's studio was Stoopid Monkey?

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  75. Well they could just give it away for free every month!

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  76. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:44 PM

    I think $20 a month leads to massive cancellations at this point. The value of the monthly PPVs just isn't there (you're creeping back to traditional PPV prices) and the amount of people who give a fuck about the archives and watching old Superbrawls is pretty low.

    As I said below, I think the best think they can do is charge a premium price, say an extra $10-$15 for that month, to watch Mania and maybe even Summerslam.

    Keep everything as is, $10 a month, but to get Mania you have to pay an extra $15 fee one time.

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  77. So Q2 average will likely suck, since that 918K average includes the WM-inflated 1.3 million (which comes in the "Monthly" subscription of March.


    That means that January and February had an average of 727K each. Isn't that actually DOWN from last quarter?

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  78. SS I wouldn't give a shit about but they could definitely get an extra $10 out of me for RR and Mania

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  79. A lot of people signed up for WM so they're counting them. Many of those will likely be cancelled next month.

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  80. I could see them doing $9.99 for the live stream or $9.99 for the archive... or both for $18.99.

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  81. See they could get an extra 10 a month from me for 80's nwa syndies...

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  82. Let's be honest here: WWE wouldn't be even close to a million subs had WrestleMania not of been included.

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  83. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Yeah I really think that's the way to go. The archives don't appeal to enough people, that's not the premium content. Mania 100% is, and yeah Rumble too.

    Though I think Summerslam works better because it's basically 6 months away from mania, and you can do Summerslam as a yearly Mania-esque card with the part-timers and such.

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  84. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    But there's way less people who'd think that way as compared to people who would pay for Mania.

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  85. The problem with A is that wrestlemania is the only thing they have that the casuals will drop cash on. If you take that out its just us guys watching old ppvs in the evening threads

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  86. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:48 PM

    The archive subscriptions would drop to almost nothing though.

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  87. Oh sure if they actually made SS a big deal, why not

    Just as it stands right at this moment, Rumble and Mania are the only things I'd pay more for

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  88. 90% of subscribers are satisfied that they can subscribe and cancel whenever they want to watch a show for 1/5 the price.

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  89. I said this in the daily thread, but I'll repost it here: wall street hates decisions that don't immediately make money. WWE announced more non-wrestling related ventures. WWE SUCKS at non-wrestling related ventures; they tend to not make money.


    Any time you announce not making money, stock prices will drop. Committed investors will be somewhat happy - they will see it as an opportunity to buy more stock at a reduced rate that will (probably) normalize.

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  90. The problem is they don't have the infrastructure to pay for that. The Network needs a million paid subs a month to break even and they're not even there yet. They're putting as little money as they can into the Network to keep it running. They're not about to put a ton more money into it to make tiered service so 10% of the consumer base pays an extra $10/month.

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  91. I have it on my cable but I haven't subscribed to it, just watched the free months. Without the library it's pretty much useless to me.

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  92. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:52 PM

    Network subscribers should be able to get Mania for an additional fee ($10 or $15) that month.That way they can at least monetize the one giant asset they actually have.


    It's insane that Mania costs $10 and you can cancel the next day.

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  93. So guessing that WWE got about 200,000 traditional PPV buys, they would need 3.2 million WWE Network subscription orders to equal the1 million traditional buys that they normally would have had. So looking at the total subscriber numbers at 1.2 million now, they were 2.0 million Network buys short.

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  94. Theres a least a couple hundred k who they could be selling more stuff too though. I just think they might as well try to think of ways to get paid off those archives before they throw money into new programming. Awhile ago I shared this article where these analysts were predicting the wwe wouldn't be able to pay stock dividends because they burned all their cash on non wrestling endeavors. To me it feels like the course they claim to be going is just digging a deeper hole.

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  95. Regarding Mania ^^^

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  96. Don't do the math and I'll owe you one, pal!

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  97. How much dough are they wasting on these new TV shows? I can't believe they see that as the answer. (OK I can but still...)

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  98. The Network has never ever made sense to me.



    As a fan it's the greatest thing in the world so I shut up and love it, but as a profitable distribution model it has never made even the slightest lick of sense.

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  99. I knew it wouldn't work when Art/Burt cancelled. He loves watching old wrestling. If he isn't good for 12 months solid, who is?

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  100. Yeah, they say it is just for new subscribers, but I canceled after the Rumble and then they gave me February for free.

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  101. I'm guessing monthly NXT live just means they'll air one episode of each taping cycle live.

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  102. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 2:58 PM

    Oh dude, them announcing all this new programming is just insane. Not a single fucking person will order this thing (or stick with it) because Jerry Springer is introducing old clips. If Jerry Springer costs them one penny to make that show then it's a huge fucking waste of money.

    The thing with the archives is,that audience is so small that it's a waste of fucking time. WWE On Demand was a premium cable channel (way easier barrier of entry than internet streaming) and at only what, $12 a month their high water mark was 100k subscribers? Catering more towards them isn't gonna make an extra money. The archives are the bonus content, the premium content is the new monthly wrestling shows.

    The problem is of course their current product is God awful, their audience overall keeps shrinking because of that, and the fans who watch the TV aren't particularly compelled to wanna watch the PPVs because their current roster/angles are dogshit. Hence no matter how low the price is, their subscription rate year round is gonna be low.

    So to me, their one big piece of premium content is Mania, and maybe Summerslam or the Rumble. If they made Mania it's own $15 add-on, I'd bet the overall year round average subscriber count would stay about the same, and you'd have an additional million people every year paying an extra $15 bucks to watch Mania.

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  103. For what it's worth, the word in all the financial articles is investors don't believe WWE can hold on to the subscribers they have. There was some skepticism about the free months inflating the numbers no matter how many stay signed on afterwards.

    Here's one article I read on it:

    http://www.thestreet.com/story/13095125/1/wwe-gets-pummeled-as-investors-fear-subscriber-numbers-will-fall.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

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  104. They'll probably use some of the NXT women who haven't debuted yet as part of it I bet.

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  105. I already owe you one thanks to the Stand reference in your username.

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  106. Reading over the notes from their call today, they totally believe these new shows are the answer to get them to "3 or 4 million" subscribers a month.

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  107. So, keep offering free months, keep bluffing, and hope that somehow everything works out is the plan?

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  108. That makes sense. They said today on the call they think they can get 3 - 4 million subscribers a month.


    Meanwhile, your math has them significantly in the red for what used to be their Black Friday. This company....

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  109. Meltzer predicted the 1.3 million number last night, which he thought was good, but he also predicted the stock price would go up.

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  110. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:03 PM

    I think it makes total sense as a delivery system for monetizing the archives and for making more money off the B-PPVs (which is pretty much every PPV aside from Mania, Summerslam, and the Rumble.)


    Their big mistake was in not keeping Mania, Summerslam, and the Rumble as additional premium content, and in not finding a way to bundle the other months.


    The thing now though is you can't get the toothpaste back in the tube. If they suddenly took Mania, Rumble, and Summerslam off the Network or turned them all into premium add-ons, the customer base would freak out. Whereas if they did it from Day 1, fans would still look at it as a major bargain that the 9 B-PPvs were $10 a month and the 3 premium ones were now $25 ($10 sub plus $15 premium cost).

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  111. 1. Create the Network
    2. ?????
    3. Profit!!!

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  112. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:05 PM

    It's a shame that WWE has created this system where now the day after Mania is pretty much their worst business day of the year.

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  113. Biff Kensington Has a PosseMarch 30, 2015 at 3:06 PM

    I think it should be noted how pissed off a lot of late subscribers are with the Network and this free month bullshit. I didn't get the Network until October, and I prepaid six months to avoid a draft payment monthly (fixed income and all that jazz). I wound up paying two months that other people got for free, and now if April's free than that makes THREE out of my SIX months that I paid for for no reason. Remember too that before the free months started, you were locked in to your commitment, and now that's shed as well. As a paying customer, I and a lot of other people feel like the biggest dunces in the world for giving this company an extra $25-30 for no reason. When I complained to Customer Service, I got no response.

    Well, that's fine. They just wont get any more of my money.

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  114. Still think you should commit six months to get Mania at 9.99 or go with your model for those who won't.

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  115. I think they have to worry about the damage the inflated numbers from free months are doing. 915,000 paid is below the break even number they themselves gave. That seems to be why investors are fleeing the ship.

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  116. Is Hogan going to get a new TV show called Hulk Hogan Knows Nothing?

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  117. I cancelled my sub a while back and re-subbed just for Mania. I put in a notice to cancel it again this morning and I'll sign up again in a few days for my free month. It's working out pretty well.

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  118. 1) they aren't gonna make as much money as they did last night for the rest of the YEAR (no more $12 Million dollar gates) so that might explain some of the dip in the stock price.

    2) Does anyone ever ask on the investor conference calls exactly who these programs are supposed to appeal to? It would be like Apple announces they were suddenly selling car tires at the Apple store. Whether they're the best tours in the world or not, who is going to buy them?

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  119. Wow...I think you have something there. That's crazy!

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  120. If it went that low they'd be filing for bankruptcy. They'd need to borrow to buy it back and go private in any meaningful manner

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  121. Do these tires have Apple logos on them?

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  122. Meltzer also called it possibly the best WWE event ever, rivaling WM 17. He must really love Ronda Rousey.

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  123. I think it will in the future, as more and more cord-cutters lose the ability to order PPV. It was (IMO) one of the few times WWE was actually ahead of the curve on something, and they got a great start on building what should be a big thing in the future.


    I just would have kept WM strictly PPV in the meantime. Actually, I would have a thing where if you order WM, you get a discount on the Network for six months or something. UFC does that for Fight Pass.

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  124. I get why they aren't just saying "start with a free month" all the time like Netflix does, but they should, and just specify that the "free month" doesn't include the ppv, and if you want to watch that live special then you have pay.

    It's not like a potential subscriber doesn't know what a WWE ppv looks like.

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  125. Dave's a little weird sometimes.

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  126. Under this plan, when do the premium shows become part of the archive. As of now, one could have skipped WrestleMania, but sign up and watch it for free three days later.

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  127. I think it's quite forward looking actually. PPV and Cable are dying models and the WWE is actually ahead of the curve on this. I just hope they didn't fire to early and miss the mark, because at some point in the not-to-distant future we'll all be talking about PPV and even cable as we do with VCRs and walkmen

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  128. He felt the overall consistent match quality put it above most WrestleManias that had up and down matches. Though he actually said he thinks it was *maybe* the best, while Alvarez felt it was the best he'd attended live.

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  129. I'm all in for Rock N' Wrestling, Camp WWE, and Renée's show. Because Renée.

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  130. sorry I would rather see Rock/Brock 2 then another rock/hhh match so much better backstory with lesnar pretty much sending rock to hollywood with the beating he gave him and rock finally get his rematch.

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  131. Assuming my numbers below are correct (roughly 727K for Jan and Feb), that means that the uptick of around 550K users is a HORRIBLE thing for WWE. That means more than half of their WM audience signing up just for WM.


    Assuming that WM does "1.25 million 'buys'" (including Network numbers -- not everyone already with the network watched WM, but let's assume 50% did). That means that roughly 915K (550K new subs and about 365K current subs) of the 1.25 million watched it for $10.


    So, 915000 x 10 + 335000 x 60 = ~$30,000,000


    Compared to 60 x 1,000,000 from years prior = ~$60,000,000


    Ouch, that's not healthy. And that's being super generous to the Network.


    I'm extremely curious to see the actual PPV buy numbers.

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  132. Whoa! Now THIS! This is news that is entirely relevant to me as a viewer and impacts me greatly. Man, there's nothing like knowing how much a company I'm not financially invested in is doing.

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  133. yeah didn't sting-hhh feel like starrcade 97 all over again with sting failing against the evil empire why the hell did they bring him back for that?

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  134. yeah scott is overselling that rock/hhh segment it was not that great and dragged a lot

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  135. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:21 PM

    This is about as dumb as a post can possibly get

    ReplyDelete
  136. To be fair, when I was a big Transformers comic reader from Dreamwave, it became very interesting to me once it looked like their business practices were going to result in changes that would affect my enjoyment of the product. some of this stuff has impact as well.

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  137. My argument for why it should work: most people are getting at most 2 shows under the offer model, but WWE got 1/2 that cash. Now of those people are converted to year long subscribers to the network, they pay the same amount but wwe gets 80-90% of the money they spend (if my understanding of how the monies from how the network subs are being split).

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  138. Weak sauce, troll.

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  139. Keep the Rumble, Mania and Summerslam on PPV. Every other PPV on the Network. I would have been down with that. Throwing those in the Network too just ain't fair.

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  140. What's next? You gonna call me a poopie head?

    Enlighten me....what's so dumb. I'd love to learn.

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  141. Once they have a steadily base off subscribers I'm sure that's what happens.

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  142. the booking made no sense in the sting match as pointed out by paul the nwo hated sting and fighting with him makes little to no sense as they're also hhh's buddies outside of hogan

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  143. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:24 PM

    Immediately goes into the On-Demand archive for the person who paid the premium price.

    For everyone else, I dunno let's say the day after the next PPV.

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  144. As a Mania, it was consistent but unspectacular. I think low expectations going in helped a lot. Though, I guess I prefer my Manias to have higher highs, even if they have lower lows.

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  145. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    You're on a wrestling website dipshit, and you're going out of your way to complain that someone posted information about the wrestling business.

    ReplyDelete
  146. You're right. We should be talking about Seth's ridiculous hair.

    ReplyDelete
  147. The stock drop after Jon Stewart left the daily show was a major national news story for a week. Did that matter to the quality of the show? No.

    Was it still a fascinating news story for people with an education above 11th grade? Yes.

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  148. I think the problem is that, though it's forward-thinking, it's also not.


    As much content as WWE has, it isn't an infinite amount. Plus, it's VERY specialized content that very few people are actually interested in.


    If they want to make money off of this, they would do the smart thing -- offer a plan to Indies to use their service. The Indies get money for every "view" of their content.


    It's a win/win for all involved. Indies get more exposure and money, WWE gets some more subs (I know -- technically not a ton, but it's something. If I got the option to see PWG and ROH and Chikara content in addition to WWE ECW and WCW, for SURE I'd subscribe) and an instant viewport into what people are watching.

    ReplyDelete
  149. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:27 PM

    I dunno man, they gotta figure out how to make more money off of fucking Wrestlemania is all.

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  150. Troll? For pointing out that this news is completely irrelevant to us? I can only guess at two reasons why this would matter to anyone here.

    1) To find out how well your stock is doing. Which would make you a poor investor as there are far better resources for that.

    2) To gain enjoyment from this development. Which is schadenfreude. Which kinda makes you a rotten person and a masochist for continuing to watch.

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  151. I mean, that's at least relevant to enjoyment of the product.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    Being irrelevant to you isn't the same as "irrelevant to us" as evidenced by all the other people here who enjoy reading about and discussing this stuff.


    Jesus christ you're a tool. I imagine you just visiting every website on the internet, clicking links to articles you don't want to read, and taking the time to comment "Why does this exist??! I'm not interested!"

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  153. The Cory Graves show will be nice, but I'm a fan of 'travel documentaries' so thats an easy sell.


    The Divas search is always nice.


    The other stuff might be just filler, but at least they are -trying- to do new things, and it will help keep people having jobs.


    Still doesn't understand why the WWE Studios movies aren't on the network..

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  154. No...its not. Besides the fact that an established host of 15 years leaves the show causes speculation and fear of turmoil would make a very obvious dent in the stock. (Which someone with an education level of exactly 11th grade would predict.)

    Tell me. What fascinates you about it?

    ReplyDelete
  155. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:31 PM

    And that #2 reason there is pure troll bullshit. People can just have a genuine interest in reading about and discussing the business end of something they watch.

    So if the stock price was good news then it'd be ok for people to read about it and discuss?

    ReplyDelete
  156. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:32 PM

    I love that your whole argument is "I'm personally not interested in this, so it shouldn't exist."

    ReplyDelete
  157. No...I'm going out of my way to question why a wrestling website has now ventured into economics and stock news. Still trying to figure out how the finances of shareholders influences my entertainment. Feel like filling me in on that one?

    ReplyDelete
  158. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:32 PM

    So this Jake guy has gotta be actually retarded, right?

    ReplyDelete
  159. A drop in stock price prompts changes in business. Changes in business affect what we see in the final product. Are you saying the product we get to see is irrelevant?

    ReplyDelete
  160. Well, present a counter argument. What interests you about it and how does it affect you?

    ReplyDelete
  161. I'd hate to be...

    less than Jake

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  162. Why does it have to influence the entertainment aspect?

    The wrestling business and the a wrestling show are different entities, a person can be fans of both.

    I'm a fan of various newspapers as well as the print industry as a whole.

    .....why in the fuck am I bothering with this lmao....

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  163. Interesting idea, not sure how much it would generate. The content on the network sucks overall from a "new show" perspective. The idea of having their own network though is very fwd-looking. They're too focused on the wrong things I think - that dopey second screen, all the new content like the divas stuff and these new shows that look awful. Get back to core fundamentals, improve the product and then this great medium they have to distribute it will mean a lot more.

    ReplyDelete
  164. I prefer the term autistic, if you don't mind. I hate being lumped in with those with downs syndrome, als, cerebral palsy or any of those other mongoloids.

    ReplyDelete
  165. *Fry face*

    Not sure if possible....

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  166. This is pretty important to a lot of people, buddy

    ReplyDelete
  167. I'm not your buddy, guy

    ReplyDelete
  168. I'm interested in what the stock does the day after Vince dies / gives up control / is committed. Will people be excited for NXT2, or will they assume no Vince = no money?

    ReplyDelete
  169. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    So every wrestling website should just make sure to focus on what, breakdowns of finishing moves? John cena's lists of what foods he eats to stay strong?

    I can't even understand how to communicate with you, you seem so incredibly dumb.

    Here's the gist: lots of people are interested in topics that you personally are not. Some of these topics, unfortunately for you, end up on websites that you find yourself visiting. It's a shame, but that's life you tremendous dummy.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    Oh this guy is out of fucking control special

    ReplyDelete
  171. I am learning many lessons on how morphine affects me today, apparently I get angry easily with people I like and will bite on just about any lame troll's shit lol

    TIL

    ReplyDelete
  172. Won't matter because if they're smart the day after he dies is the day the company goes private.

    ReplyDelete
  173. Watch it, fella.

    ReplyDelete
  174. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:37 PM

    It doesn't affect me. Human being take an interest in reading about and discussing lots of topics that don't directly affect their day to day lives, you fuckwad.

    You really need to be told that someone would take interest in learning about and discussing the business end of a particular industry? Because some things are fucking interesting, you incredible idiot.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Man, Scott posted something about something. THAT is news that is entirely relevant to me as someone who does something and impacts me in some way. Man, there's nothing like knowing something about something that I something something.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:38 PM

    Damn, pass that shit yo

    ReplyDelete
  177. Don't think that HHH won't have that programmed into the heart rate monitor.


    "Once this flatlines, it'll automatically send a message to go private!"

    ReplyDelete
  178. I still know nothing, so you're one up on me.


    I think...

    ReplyDelete
  179. Worst_in_the_WorldMarch 30, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    Ok retard

    ReplyDelete
  180. I've always sort of assumed they are aimed at the Total Divas type audience. Someone who is aware of wrestling and maybe likes the characters, but doesn't like the rasslin part.

    ReplyDelete
  181. I would think it would be the first step. There's no reason to be public other to be able to say they are.



    Long term it's only going to fuck with their horse shit "independent contractor" thing even more

    ReplyDelete
  182. I just took my first pill, prior to that I was high on the stuff from the IV they gave me at the ER....

    THis shit is much better lol

    ReplyDelete
  183. I don't understand really how they think they can triple or quadruple their current number. I get the idea that some people are early adopters ,etc. but really, the math they are using is very fuzzy. Now, if the Divas search turns into a TV-MA program, all bets are off.

    ReplyDelete
  184. My guess is the stock drops temporarily then slowly rebounds to what it was before news of his death went public. Could they sustain the brand and continue to grow it? Probably, but I doubt I'd be willing to invest in them to see if I'm right. I just have issues thinking Vince has the right people in place to take things over when he's no longer in the picture, like, say, Warren Buffett does (who has largely relinquished control of Berkshire Hathaway anyway). I mean, we're talking about someone who's so hands on with just about everything associated with the WWE, right down to yelling in people's headsets.

    ReplyDelete
  185. Yeah, this is true. Wall Street wants to know what you are going to do to make an extra nickel this quarter.

    ReplyDelete
  186. I'm not your guy, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  187. I don't think Rock's body can handle the beating anymore. He was all banged up after the Cena match two years ago Can he possibly take a Lesnar-beating full of suplexes and F5s?

    ReplyDelete
  188. Give me Raw
    Give me Nitro

    ReplyDelete
  189. Basically......what I just said

    ReplyDelete
  190. post mania should be the exciting start of a new "season"

    instead it's the time where everyone stops trying until next January

    ReplyDelete
  191. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMarch 30, 2015 at 4:04 PM

    Correction: If they're smart, the day he gets a bad physical from whatever doctor he sees is the day they make an effort to take the company private again.

    ReplyDelete
  192. A very wordy agreement, more in response to the above post.

    ReplyDelete
  193. Fair enough, I'm pretty pilled out today

    ReplyDelete
  194. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarMarch 30, 2015 at 4:06 PM

    Maybe your family should start making an effort to take the company private.

    ReplyDelete
  195. That seems wrong, as there's going to be a certain floor for Mania anyway, and the losses aren't going to be super great when the gate and other ways to monetize it that aren't TV buys are factored in. In theory, if they could put out a product that was worth watching OTHER THAN MANIA, they could make more money leveling everything out at the lower price point.

    ReplyDelete
  196. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!March 30, 2015 at 4:25 PM

    So... you're saying that there's something???

    ReplyDelete
  197. At least you know that you know nothing, and that puts you one up over 90% of society.

    ReplyDelete

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