10 Remedies For An Ailing WWE Network

9. Fill Key WWE Network Executive Positions

During the past three months, WWE lost some key individuals who were strongly associated with the WWE Network. In particular, both Perkins Miller and Matthew Singerman no longer work for WWE. Perkins Miller was the Executive Vice President of Digital Media and he left WWE to join the NFL as their new Chief Digital Officer. Matthew Singerman, formerly the Executive Vice President of Programming, was removed in May after only six months. Singerman was responsible for launching and guiding the WWE Network €“ this included strategy, marketing, sales, publicity, programming, scheduling and more. What's clear is that the WWE Network is too enormous of a project for this company to just be a tertiary responsibility for the CEO, CFO or Chief Marketing Officer It€™s crucial that WWE fills these positions. WWE Network needs dedicated leadership and guidance. With the latest cost cutting objectives, WWE cannot afford to make uneducated purges. It€™s imperative WWE retains clear priorities and they don€™t continue to half-ass this endeavor. In the past few months, we€™ve seen some launch programs such as €œOld School€ stagnate. While the company may not care, it sends a message to the dedicated fans of that programming that WWE doesn€™t care about them as subscribers and fans. When Singerman was hired, he came with traditional television experience (NFL Network, Back9 Network, Nuvo TV, Reelz, TV Guide Network, Fox News Channel). This made sense since the WWE Network was originally being positioned as traditional television network (available either as a Premium channel or a Cable channel). Things changed. WWE made the decision to pivot and becmoe an Over-the-Top Network. Suddenly, there's a different experience level required for someone to lead the WWE Network. For their next hire, WWE needs to focus on people that have experience in digital media spaces. They'd do well to hire someone from a powerhouse such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix or even streaming arms of NBA, NHL, MLB or UFC. So much rests on the success of the WWE Network. There is a lot for this company to learn. They need to be willing to pay for the management talent that has the experience in turning around difficult ventures. And they€™ll need to give the creative and logistical space to those executives so that they can execute long-term and clear strategic thinking.