6 Things We Learned From WWE's Fourth Quarter Earnings

6. 2016 Broke All Revenue Records

Perhaps the most impressive figure presented in WWE’s latest financial reports is the company’s jump in revenue. Unsurprisingly, it’s the very first thing mentioned in the release, and Vince McMahon is understandably delighted with the number. Revenue increased by 17% to $194.9 million in comparison to 2015’s fourth quarter, with the year’s total revenue sitting at $729.2 million.

This is the highest annual revenue figure in WWE history, and features big increases across most sources. Network revenue alone jumped from $159.4 million in 2015 to $180.9 last year, with the company also reporting increases in digital media, live events, and television revenue. Home entertainment was the only segment of WWE’s media division to report a downturn in revenue on the previous year, but this reflects the shift away from physical media as a whole.

The figures are in-line with WWE’s corporate guidance, and the company expect further growth in Q1 2017. McMahon spoke of how WWE were “super serving” their Network audience during the conference call, and cites the streaming platform’s continued success as a big reason for their financial growth. As easy as it is to criticise the company’s business practices in 2017, they had no trouble bringing money in throughout 2016.