10 Reasons Why WWE Live Event Attendances Are Shrinking
WWE's empty arena problem isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Drawing unwanted media attention is nothing new for WWE, but the promotion were left red-faced when unflattering images of this week's SmackDown crowd hit the internet on Tuesday.
The photos show that the venue was nowhere near full, with entire seating sections on the hard camera side taped off. Sadly, this isn't the first time this has happened. Raw and SmackDown have been dogged with similar images throughout the year, with live attendance figures declining in-line with the company's ratings, which have reached record lows on more than one occasion in 2017.
WWE's North American attendances declined from an average of 6,000 per show in 2015 to 5,800 the following year, as per their latest annual report. They combated this by booking more events than ever before, but crowd numbers, like ratings, have plummeted since the Attitude Era, with the company averaging 11,556 paid attendees in 2001.
The images are jarring, and while not entirely harmful to WWE's business in the short-term, these shrinking crowd numbers could have ramifications in the long-run. They're a direct consequence of a number of factors, some of which are outwith the company's control, though many could be fixed by WWE themselves.
10. Sky High Prices
The first factor behind WWE's dwindling attendance figures is a matter of simple economics. Whether it's a TV taping, house show, or pay-per-view, these events aren't easy on the wallet, particularly when you consider the dubious quality of what you're getting in return.
Prices for an upcoming live event in Arlington, Texas currently sit between $20 and $105. Opting for the lowest price tier means you'll be sitting on a far flung corner of the arena with an awkward view of the action below. Floor seats are somewhere between $95 and $105 (hefty, for a house show), while a good seat in the first tier of bleachers is a minimum of $65. For a family of four, that means a total of $260 plus booking fees.
It gets worse for pay-per-views and TV tapings, with Hell In A Cell tickets starting at $50.00 for nosebleed seats.
The high prices are the sole reason WWE have been able to maintain a respectable level of live event income in the face of declining attendances. Still, it's hard to believe crowds wouldn't swell if the tickets were a tad more affordable, particularly for throwaway house shows.