It’s been about two weeks, and as with any new program there have been growing pains, but as time has gone forward the WWE Network has faced and addressed these problems as quickly as possible. (deadline) As an investor, the debut of the Network has been a giant positive as stock prices have gone up incredibly since the day the WWE Network was announced at this year’s CES. (examiner) The original estimate had been that WWE Network would have 350,000 subscribers within the first 3-6 months, but it appears they got those in just day one, which is the likely reason for the lag on the Network to this point. (wrestlingnewsworld) The target goal is to hit 1,000,000 subscribers in order for the Network to become profitable for the WWE and once it rolls out to other countries throughout the year, they’ll hit that number with no problems. (bleacherreport) There are some who are already pushing a terrible outcome for this venture, claiming that the WWE Network will be a failure, one such article claiming that the concept has failed once already with the old 24/7 format that WWE offered, the one problem with that being the lack of avenues to receive the 24/7 on demand platform that has since passed away. (motleyfool)
The other part of the debut of the WWE Network is how this changes things for those of us who have been fans of pro wrestling for a major portion of our lives. Growing up as a fan of the business I fell in love with the over the top characters and presentation that came along with the world of pro wrestling. (wwenews) Looking at the history of the profession it’s no surprise that when WWE decided to move forward with their Network idea that they would go for the over-the-top setup, considering that’s what the business has always been built upon, going over the top. (latimes) Getting every WWE Pay-Per-View throughout the year, including WrestleMania, for the small $9.99 price tag is an amazing deal, especially when you consider the typical $50-$60 price tag for the shows. (wwe) What’s even bigger to me is being able to go back and watch the old shows, things I may have watched growing up, or even better the events that I may have missed due to them being before my time or just out of my families price range in the early days. (wwe) The WWE Network is a true revolution in how things run in the world of wrestling, or as Vince McMahon calls it sports entertainment, and being a fan for life I can’t wait to see where this is going.
