WWE Raw To Become More Profitable Than PPVs By 2019?
So says the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer.
WWE's weekly TV shows have existed primarily to build towards big pay-per-view blow-offs for decades now, but a paradigm shift may be on the horizon.
As was reported yesterday, NBCUniversal are keen to retain Raw's TV rights in a deal worth up to three times the current contract's value. If this happens, the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reckons that the average episode of Raw will generate significantly more revenue than a pay-per-view, prompting WWE to switch focus.
Theoretically, the company will prioritise whatever makes the most money. If this is Raw, then they may start using pay-per-views to build-up television, rather than the other way around. This could mean less big matches on PPV's, and more on Raw, but as Meltzer notes, the company would still need to save some content for PPVs.
Big events like WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble would still hold more value than the average Raw. On the flipside, the likes of Backlash, No Mercy, and Extreme Rules may turn into filler-packed transitional shows.
The WWE Network's growth has prompted a major shift in the old model, with PPVs now accounting for a smaller revenue share than ever before. Should Meltzer's hypothesis prove true, their importance may plummet further in 2019, when the TV rights renewals are due.