Professor Chaos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Bringer of Destruction and Maker of Doom
Posts: 16,332
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Post by Professor Chaos on Jul 2, 2014 22:48:53 GMT -5
This thread title reminded me of Lana promo. The American President has never even acknowledged the WWE Network. If the Network were to come to Mother Russia the great Vladimir Putin would make everyone subscribe.
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Post by "Cane Dewey" Johnson on Jul 2, 2014 23:09:34 GMT -5
I'm interested in getting the Network once it makes its way to this heathenland called 'Canada', but my decision will depend on the quality of the content. Give me all the old Raws and Nitros and I'm good. The only current WWE product I only kind of care about is Wrestlemania. But splitting Wrestlemania amongst a few people but also avoiding the 6 month commitment seems like a far more practical option if/when the time rolls around.
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Post by lildude8218 on Jul 2, 2014 23:59:33 GMT -5
I can definitely afford to renew my subscription, however if they don't start adding some more "Vault" stuff then I'm going to not want to stick around for another 6 months. I actually haven't viewed anything on the network outside of the PPV since Legends House had its season finale.
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Post by Non Banjoble Tokens on Jul 3, 2014 5:23:05 GMT -5
I really would love to be able to get the Network, but at this point in my life, I'm really running out of money and I honestly don't have the disposable income I need to subscribe. Also considering that I would need to pay for a type of device to get the network on. Maybe whenever I can get my financial situation figured out, I can get on board. That's of course if it still exists by then.
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Professor Chaos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Bringer of Destruction and Maker of Doom
Posts: 16,332
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Post by Professor Chaos on Jul 3, 2014 5:53:39 GMT -5
Americans would rather go to the Cheapskate Factory and sip on a Diet Mountain Dew for 3 hours than buy the WWE Network. This is why Mother Russia is #1 and the World's Greatest Leader is Vladimir Putin.
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Post by Red Impact on Jul 3, 2014 6:02:08 GMT -5
Am I the only one who doesn't get why the current product determines whether or not someone buys the Network or not? I bought it purely for the archive material and while I do watch the live PPVs I don't really give a toss about whether the current product is good when it pertains to the Network. You don't get it or it just doesn't matter to you? Because the reason why the current product matters to most is pretty simple, only the most hardcore of hardcore are really interested in archive material in the first place, and only a segment of that would be willing to pay $120 a year to see that old wrestling footage. For those who are fans of past WWE and want to watch reruns without trying to track down a good video on Youtube, it's great, but that's going to be a relatively small portion of the current audience.
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Post by doinkmark on Jul 3, 2014 11:22:52 GMT -5
For me it was a matter of technical issues, not price. I'd have purchased the Network a lot sooner if the first (or even second) Free Trial had worked out okay.
Once WWE Network comes to Russia, I'm sure fearless leader Vladimir Putin will make it run smoothly from the start.
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Post by Slammy Award-Winning Cannibal on Jul 3, 2014 11:38:00 GMT -5
Sorry, can somebody explain to me why it's a flop? WWE Network has been active 4 months. They've projected they would have about one million by the end of the year. They're over 600,000 currently, no? So they have half a year to reach their goal still. So yeah... how does it make sense to be defining it as a flop?
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Mecca
Wade Wilson
Posts: 25,061
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Post by Mecca on Jul 3, 2014 12:33:58 GMT -5
Sorry, can somebody explain to me why it's a flop? WWE Network has been active 4 months. They've projected they would have about one million by the end of the year. They're over 600,000 currently, no? So they have half a year to reach their goal still. So yeah... how does it make sense to be defining it as a flop? I'd assume that number is more likely to go down than up when the first set of subscriptions expire, that's the problem. International will most likely get them to their number but who knows how long that will take and how many more tape libraries they'll need to purchase for those areas. I think the only thing that is going to spike numbers would be for wrestling to get hot again and they don't seem to be anywhere close to that.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Jul 3, 2014 12:37:48 GMT -5
Does anyone else see this thread title now and then and read it as "American is full of cheesecake" and then think "Mmm cheesecake" in your best Homer Simpson tone.
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Post by Slammy Award-Winning Cannibal on Jul 3, 2014 15:21:26 GMT -5
Sorry, can somebody explain to me why it's a flop? WWE Network has been active 4 months. They've projected they would have about one million by the end of the year. They're over 600,000 currently, no? So they have half a year to reach their goal still. So yeah... how does it make sense to be defining it as a flop? I'd assume that number is more likely to go down than up when the first set of subscriptions expire, that's the problem. International will most likely get them to their number but who knows how long that will take and how many more tape libraries they'll need to purchase for those areas. I think the only thing that is going to spike numbers would be for wrestling to get hot again and they don't seem to be anywhere close to that. I had never factored in the fact that subscriptions expire after 6 months. Totally forgot about that. Good point. Still, I'm going to give WWE the benefit of the doubt on this one that they will hit their targets by year's end to begin breaking even. Unlike the TV rights where Vince dropped the ball by setting expectations too high, with WWE Network being a longterm investment, I believe they've got or will have all the angles covered.
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Reflecto
Hank Scorpio
The Sorceress' Knight
Posts: 6,847
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Post by Reflecto on Jul 3, 2014 15:49:14 GMT -5
$9.99 isn't much. It's that *With 6 month commitment that has me going "nope." I don't always have an extra $10 in my bank account. At least for Hulu and Netflix when I can't pay, I just can't use it until I pay. That doesn't happen with a commitment tagged to you; it doesn't become "just pay it again and you're right back into it." It turns into "you can't cancel, so you're screwed." Never understood the justification for that. If they're scared people will just pop the $10 in for the PPV and immediately cancel, they don't understand people who pirate. They're not looking for low-cost options, they look for NO cost options. And considering they are no longer technically selling the PPVS individually to watch except for DVDs, instead wanting you to forego PPV and just go with them, no one is that dumb to think "Oh, I'll show WWE, I'll purchase it on PPV!" Even then, there are benefits from the people who pirate. The "not looking for low-cost options, they look for NO cost options" claim is unfair- signs since Wrestlemania 30 have seen that the amount of piracy on WWE PPVs has plummeted. The amount of people who are looking for NO cost options is cancelled out by the amount of pirates who'd rather spend that all-important hard drive space on other things and not have to download the current PPVs, and will pay $10 a month for that and more. It's far more likely that the WWE just didn't realize how niche a product pro wrestling is.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Jul 17, 2014 16:20:06 GMT -5
It should have been a worldwide expansion at the start. It's the only hope they had, now the thing might die before it even gets to the stage of a international roll-out. The odd thing is that I've heard people on here (quoting actual sources/numbers so not pulled out of the air) saying that 1/3 of all Network subscribers ARE outside the United States already. It's not a good sign, but frankly I guess the company knew they'd never get near what they projected, it was just there to do some stock magic. Whether that failed or not I have no clue as I have no interest in WWE stock/business but yeah, a LOT of subscribers are outside the US already which might worry the company. If that's true I think that's a positive sign, much less a worrying one. It would show that there's a huge audience once they expand overseas. The number of people internationally who would know and want to navigate around geoblocking technology must be a small fraction of the people who would buy it once it is rolled out to their territory.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 16:30:27 GMT -5
The odd thing is that I've heard people on here (quoting actual sources/numbers so not pulled out of the air) saying that 1/3 of all Network subscribers ARE outside the United States already. It's not a good sign, but frankly I guess the company knew they'd never get near what they projected, it was just there to do some stock magic. Whether that failed or not I have no clue as I have no interest in WWE stock/business but yeah, a LOT of subscribers are outside the US already which might worry the company. If that's true I think that's a positive sign, much less a worrying one. It would show that there's a huge audience once they expand overseas. The number of people internationally who would know and want to navigate around geoblocking technology must be a small fraction of the people who would buy it once it is rolled out to their territory. That's a great point, hadn't considered that. I mean, if the price of the Network is the equivalent of 10GBP for most countries then maybe it will have a tremendous upsurge in subscribers when the Network is put out for everyone.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 16:56:48 GMT -5
Not everyone cares enough about WWE's stories to watch the PPVs. They just want their weekly dose of 'rasslin.
Additionally less things are being resolved at most of the PPVs so the incentive to even watch them is pretty low, except for the hardcore fans (or "IWC" as some know them by).
Now, that same non-IWC/casual audience probably doesn't want to watch archived footage - just the current stuff as it unfolds and they get that from their cable subscription. As others have said, the IWC are the only people really interested in watching Bash at the Beach 93 or whatever. its a strange contrast because the Network was probably aimed at the casual audience in its promotion and conception, but upon execution its really only for the most hardcore fans.
I'm not saying the Network's a flop, but I can see the lack of value added to including it your monthly media budget if you're not a hardcore WWE fanboy/girl.
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saintpat
El Dandy
Release the hounds!!!
Posts: 7,664
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Post by saintpat on Jul 17, 2014 17:40:27 GMT -5
It's a bit ahead of its time, at least for me -- and I suspect for a lot of people.
I'm the guy who should want to subscribe, but I haven't. To me, comes down to the fact that I just don't like watching "TV" on my iPad.
(Yes, I know there is equipment I can buy that will hook my iPad up to my TV, but I use my iPad for work and at work, which means, I presume, that I won't be able to sit with it in my lap and work on it (or surf the web or whatever) while I am also watching WWE Network. And I would have to hook it up and unhook it all the time, as I use three different TVs in my house at various times.)
Seems like a lot of trouble. I can throw in an indy DVD (I stocked up on various sales in the last 6-8 months and have oodles of still-unwatched ones to catch up on) and still do stuff on my iPad while I watch, keeping one eye on it until a more interesting match comes up that I want to focus on.
As for the PPVs, that's another reason I don't want the Network experience: a good friend of mine has the WWE Network and he has small parties for all the PPVs now -- usually me and a couple of other people go over, for the RR or WM it would be a bigger group. We order pizza or grill out and it's a good time. Previous to the Network launch, I'd slide him $10 or so and get an evening's food and entertainment. Now I might spring for the pizzas or bring a steak if he's grilling and that's it. I paid for the ROH one in June because he's springing for the Network and we both wanted to see it, so figured it was my turn.
But my point is, I like the social aspect of watching the PPVs with buddies so we can have a good time and mark out. I usually, in the past, would get the December PPV at my house because he usually (pre-Network) would opt out either to save money for Christmas gifts for the kids or had to be at some party or other. I always enjoyed those, but it's not the same as watching wtih a bunch of friends who enjoy wrestling.
Kinda ironic that the "social' media age makes for a lot less socializing, but that's where I'm at: (a) I don't want to watch shows (or movies or whatever) on my device as I prefer to see them on TV and (b) I like watching PPVs with friends for the social aspect as much as for the wrestling.
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Post by EvenBaldobombHasAJob on Jul 17, 2014 22:09:09 GMT -5
I'll be honest, the main reason I wouldn't buy it if it were available here is that I'd simply rather be watching other things. I can watch everything else on Netflix, so I'd just be paying an extra sum of cash for something I'd only use maybe 3 days a month. I like wrestling but not enough that I need an application where I can watch it wherever/whenever.
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Post by CATCH_US IS the Conversation on Jul 17, 2014 22:39:27 GMT -5
I read the thread title and thought this was going to turn into a Lana-type promo. "Americans are cheapskates...unlike the generous, benevolent Vladimir Putin!" Then why aren't more Russians demanding the Network?
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mrbananagrabber
King Koopa
Paul Heyman's unofficial joke writer
Posts: 11,799
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Post by mrbananagrabber on Jul 18, 2014 13:10:55 GMT -5
It's online and some people will just not pay for online content. I go on a few Facebook pages and its full of people asking how to get it for free. They want free music, they want free movies, they get illegal free feeds of the PPV's..it's the entitled world of 2014. Want everything, pay for nothing.
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AtomSmasher
Trap-Jaw
"Measue it twice...cut it once"
Posts: 409
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Post by AtomSmasher on Jul 18, 2014 14:55:15 GMT -5
$9.99 for all the wrestling you can handle - and thats the issue really. Thats a whole lot of wrestling. I love watching the older stuff more than the new stuff and i could afford the monthly fee (when it hits the UK): I'm their target audience i guess. But i'm married, have a child, work full time, and enjoy watching TV and movies as well as wrestling...... On a weekly basis I struggle to get through Impact (who doesn't!) and the occasional episode of Superstars. As much as i'd love to sit in my underwear all day watching WCW PPV's from 1989 it ain't gonna happen. And i'm struggling to reconcile the price being asked for with the actual volume of content i'll watch. And that, i think, is their stumbling block....
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