10 Clues That WWE Network Has Been A MAJOR Error
3. Television Rights Are Still HIGH
It's remarkable and genuinely impressive just how many millions WWE have increased the value of both Raw and SmackDown in the years since the Network launched. For all that folk may have access to more pro wrestling than ever before thanks to the on demand service, there are still apparently enough viewers for both Fox and USA to pay big for live content.
Just how much of that did WWE leave on the table when they left pay-per-view behind?
WWE's audience skews older than the coveted 18-40 demographic now, and have perhaps grown comfortable with the traditional way of watching wrestling - or at least that's a more credible reason for relative security than the actual f*cking storylines and characters.
No wonder the company felt the need to be so abusive in instructing people to make the switch to the Network for pay-per-views - it was probably better to shame them into the decision on a show they're conditioned to watch rather than just letting them know all the cool features and savings.
It could be argued that the output needed an overhaul long before the 2014 launch as a way of freshening up that which had grown stale, but was this more about actual content than delivery method?