10 Major Problems Facing WWE In 2017
8. Fan Burnout
Between Raw, SmackDown, 205 Live, NXT, and Main Event, WWE currently produce 8 hours of originally weekly television. Add pay-per-views and in-studio productions like Talking Smack to the equation and you’re looking at 11-12 hours. That’s a whole lot of commitment for anyone who wants to keep up with each individual brand, and the fanbase has never been stretched so thin.
WWE are producing more content than the average working customer can realistically consume, and oversaturation is a very real problem. Viewership figures have declined for a number of reasons: burnout sits near the top of the pile, and the sheer volume of programming almost forces fans to pick and choose between their favourites.
The company must be extremely wary of this heading into 2017. The newly announced UK tournament (and potential weekly show) will throw even more programming at us, and they’re set to present 18 individual PPV events next year. The days of two pay-per-views in as many weeks are far from over, despite the problems posed by declining ratings and low event attendances. The last thing WWE need is to lose more fans to apathy at this point, so here’s hoping they find a way to make the gruelling schedule work.