The PG is more of a Hasbro (toy deal) thing than a TV thing- that won't be changing
The UFC just got a multi-year deal with ESPN to air 15 cards that will feature no one you have ever heard of for $150 million a year.
They are going to do just fine
They are, but the reversal is still startling. FOX is going to WWE after trying the UFC. They are giving them a billion dollars for 5 years. Not many would have predicted this change.
Guess we all better get used to the Big Dog Era.
Now, does Smackdown become Raw 2.0, or will it continue feeling somewhat different/better paced than Raw?
So, a billion dollars for a shitty scripted reality TV show.
What kind of ratings does WWE do? I feel like I don't know a single person in real life who watches it.
So, a billion dollars for a shitty scripted reality TV show.
What kind of ratings does WWE do? I feel like I don't know a single person in real life who watches it.
Truly the greatest commissioner.
#5YEARS
#ONEBILLION
LOL.
Holy fuck what an overpay.
Smackdown is the B show and it's a Billion dollar show.
What a world.
Don't confuse comicbook movies with comics. 20 years ago the top 5 books were doing 500k-million a piece books sold a month. Nowadays you are lucky if the top 5 are doing 500k combined. Sales have gotten better, but no where near what they use to beWas a little bummed about Friday night and it not being live anymore (most likely?) but I have a baby on the way in a fw months and definitely not going out on Fridays anymore... so who knows... might actually start watching WWE weekly TV again.
I'm not in the comic world, but from an outsider it would seem like the comic world is in much better shape today than it was 20 years ago. When I was a kid/teen, being into super heroes and comics was something that was very niche and part of 'nerd culture' (which wasn't nearly as acceptable as it is today)... and... Today, comic book super hero movies are the highest grossing movies every weekend, with still packed theatres week after week.
Similarly, WWE TV is pretty shitty, but my 7-year-old nephew who doesn't even watch wrestling and they don't have cable, knows who John Cena is and knows his slogan and does his taunt. Likewise, when I was a kid, WWF was struggling to fill up the Hartford Civic Center for Wrestlemania 11, meanwhile today, they're selling out the Louisiana Super Dome.... and the last 5 Wrestlemanias have all been in the top 10 of overall Wrestlemania attendance... outselling Hogan v. Ultimate Warrior or Stone Cold v. The Rock. Likewise, like pro wrestling -- from really niche to really mainstream -- gets covered in mainstream publications like The Ringer, Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and more... Like, Bill SImmons will have a half hour on his show talking about wrestling after PPVs, something that would have never happened 20 years ago even during the height of the Attitude Era or NWO era. Like that's a time when pro wrestling was as hot as ever... yet... ESPN might show a clip or two from Wrestlemania the day after, but sort of snarky and joking, making fun of the people, where as now CBSSports will have a rundown of the Backlash card with match grades and potential story line changes the night of the PPV.
It's definitely a weird phenomenon.
Wrestling industry in general is a weird one that's tough to pin down. Wrestling fans are weird ones that are tough to pin down. Trends in wrestling and wrestling fans don't often match stereotypes and expectations.
Isn't friday one of the worst days to put shows on? I remember a bunch of shows being moved to fridays and then cancelled. Wonder if smackdown will get better ratings than smackdown on upn.
On a mainstream broadcast network you will take fridays. I bet its live if they're paying a Billion for it.Isn't friday one of the worst days to put shows on? I remember a bunch of shows being moved to fridays and then cancelled. Wonder if smackdown will get better ratings than smackdown on upn.
WWE is probably the best reality show out thereSo, a billion dollars for a shitty scripted reality TV show.
What kind of ratings does WWE do? I feel like I don't know a single person in real life who watches it.
#5YEARS
#ONEBILLION
LOL.
Holy fuck what an overpay.
Smackdown is the B show and it's a Billion dollar show.
What a world.
I was mad at first when I saw singing promo and I thought you were disrespecting Rusev Day...then I remembered the video where all the "superstars" sang.I have a theory that everyone secretly likes wrestling...though I still want to crawl in a hole whenever I have people over to watch a PPV and they do things like that singing promo.
On a mainstream broadcast network you will take fridays. I bet its live if they're paying a Billion for it.
And Pyro is totally back.
Why would you pay 1 billion dollars and then promptly put the show in the Friday death slot?
Vince is probably happy WWE is going to be on regular broadcast TV, though.
They actually loaded up Smackdown recently, obviously to help sell it.
Everyone's getting mediocre ratings now. Thats why relatively high live ones are prized.Wow absolutely insane. Good on them.
Their product is trash but even the mediocre ratings on a consistent wekkly basis provides great ad revenue.
Now they're getting $200 million a year for 5 years..."If [SD Live] gets anywhere from $80-$160 million, they're on easy street. They don't need to sell house show tickets, merchandise, PPVs & network subscriptions anymore, because the TV money is going to carry them to extreme profitability, and that's why the stock is so high, because people kind of see that. There should be no or slight added TV costs, and instead of making $160m revenue in the US, they'd be making $300-$400m."
- Meltzer
Depends on the show,Isn't friday one of the worst days to put shows on? I remember a bunch of shows being moved to fridays and then cancelled. Wonder if smackdown will get better ratings than smackdown on upn.