Disappointing WWE Q1 2019 Financial Reports Include $5.3m Revenue Drop

Lowlights aplenty in WWE's latest earnings report.

Stephanie McMahon Business
WWE

WWE have today released their latest set of financial reports (Q1 2019), and for the first time in a long time it isn't all sunshine and rainbows for Vince McMahon's once-bulletproof business team.

A disappointing earnings report brought a $10 drop in the promotion's premarket stock price overnight. The numbers, of course, remain untouchable by any other wrestling company, but there are some worrying trends within these vast reports.

Most notable is a 2.8% drop in revenue from Q1 2018 to Q1 2019, which comes in at roughly $5.3 million. Operating income of $28.6 million turned into a loss this time around, which WWE attribute to "a decline in revenue and increased fixed costs, as well as higher stock compensation costs driven by increases in the company's stock price," per the reports.

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Raw and SmackDown viewership numbers are down by 14% and 13% respectively, which is far higher than the national cable average of 5%. There was an 11% fall in live event attendance compared to Q1 2018 as well, with such shows producing a loss of approximately $200,000.

How do WWE intend on reversing these trends? By "increasing fan engagement over the next few years" to "enhance WWE's brand value and strengthen long-term growth."

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Good luck to them with that.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.