Why WWE Are Losing Money On House Shows
The idea of a $14.99 Network tier has been bandied ever since an October 2016 user survey first mentioned, and WWE Chief Financial Officer George Barrios spoke about it on the conference call, claiming it'll probably come to life in 2019. We've heard the company make statements like this before, of course, but their decision to tape a recent Boston house show came with the suggestion that they were doing so as trial run for the new price point. Such events would be a selling point, and it's thought that WWE were testing for viability.
"Special" nights like Boston and the upcoming Starrcade show (24 November) could form the basis of McMahon's re-imagined vision. They carry more significance than the average, throwaway live event, and that's critical. House shows are fun, but almost nothing that happens of them matters, and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. This is almost certainly part of the downturn.
The WWE live event experience is sterile and placid, and with little variation from show to show, there's no real incentive to attend more than one every couple of years. They're "fun," sure, and you might get a good atmosphere in the building, but you're parting with hard-earned cash to attend a show on which literally nothing matters.
Title shots end with predictable victories for the champions or on screwy finishes. Wrestlers will test out lesser versions of matches they're planning for television or pay-per-view. Most will work well below 100%, which makes sense, but doesn't exactly make for compelling viewing. Storylines won't be advanced in any tangible way. The list goes on.
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