WWE considering $4.99 PPVs on the Network

[Steveweiser]

WWE CONSIDERING MAKING PPV EVENTS AVAILABLE FOR $4.99
by Dave Scherer @ 7:09 PM on 7/27/2015

Ziv Himmelfarb sent this item, which is very, very interesting.

WWE sent a survey to ex-subscribers to the WWE Network. One of the questions asked the ex-subscribers would be interested in an option to buy a PPV on the WWE Network for $4.99 instead of paying for the entire monthly subscription.

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The cable companies would be super pissed if WWE provided this service.

[Crappler El 0 M]

Wow. Wonder if they would allow people to buy SummerSlam, Rumble, and Mania at this price?

[Hobby Drifter]

I could see WWE losing a bit of money on a deal like this, but also boost overall numbers to make them look good.

[Error]

As long as they don't f*** with the $9.99 deal I'm cool with it.

[Chuckie Finster]

$4.99 seems like WWE nickel and dime'ing their fans.

[Steveweiser]

So it's $4.99 per PPV (you pay five bucks for SummerSlam, then another five bucks for Night of Champions...), or $9.99 for a month of the full WWE Network service.

[ssdrivin]

Jul 27, 2015 18:32:54 GMT -5 Error said:

As long as they don't f*** with the $9.99 deal I'm cool with it.

Sounds fair to me. $5 for the (more or less) monthly PPV, $5 extra for the back catalogue and live stream. Quite a good deal in either case when you think about it that way. I don't know if there are many people who would pay the $5 for the PPV who wouldn't shrug and pay the whole $10 for the PPV and the other stuff, but if it works, great. Can't imagine it could have any negative effects, it's just an extra price option if you don't care for all the on-demand stuff.

I don't know if it's going to move the needle for the people who still willingly pay full TV price for the PPV via cable/satellite though, their reasoning is usually stuff which can't be overcome by dropping the already rock bottom price.

Edit: Thinking about it, I don't know if I fancy the (baseless made-up) possibility of the overall price going up to $15, where the current $10 covers the back catalogue and the $5 becomes an extra charge to cover the PPVs, but to suggest that's what they're looking to do is pure speculation, the wording suggests that everything else would probably stay the same, so I won't panic over it.

[Error]

I do wonder if it is a one time thing (as it airs live OR the replay), live and replay, or 24 hours to watch it.

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

If it's just for people not buying the network as is, that's fine.

[xCompackx]

Yeah, no. If there's one thing WWE Network doesn't need, it's confusing additional pricing options. Besides, why do this for PPVs? The entire marketing premise behind WWE Network is that you get the monthly PPVs.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

I wonder if they mean just the live stream of it or if it'll be like Amazon where they have videos free for prime members that can be rented by non members for like 24 hours.

[kidglov3s]

The easiest way I see this working logistically is having it be for a limited period of complete access (24 hours seems likely), as that would not require anything from all the different platforms the Network's available on.

[wildojinx]

Eventually, they'll be paying us if we buy the network!

[kidglov3s]

Jul 28, 2015 16:27:19 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Eventually, they'll be paying us if we buy the network!

I'm pretty sure they'll pay ya to watch Tough Enough.

[The Legend of Groose]

If it's for people not wanting the full out network and just want the PPV, I would love this idea. I pretty much only have the network for the PPVs. There's no place near where I live that runs them and I'm not dropping $60 for one, especially if I can get them for $9.99.

Now if the PPVs are an additional fee to the $9.99, then I'll be very upset and will likely cancel my subscription because I can take or leave all the extra content and just get the PPVs.

[BRV]

And yet here I am, a loyal WWE Network customer since March 2014, and I've yet to receive so much as a thank you.

[StormanReigns]

This would cause a lot of people to unsubscribe. While I was a subscriber, all I really watched was the PPV's. That is all I cared about.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I don't get it. Imagine if you went to the grocery store and they said, "Ok, give us $10 and you can have anything you want for the next month". Then, they said, "Ok, give us $5 and you can have this steak. Once."

I still don't get who isn't buying the Network. I hate the current product and I bought that shit the morning it was available. I work up early to get it and since I'm in Canada it's more than 9.99.

[Mozenrath]

Jul 28, 2015 22:17:23 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

I don't get it. Imagine if you went to the grocery store and they said, "Ok, give us $10 and you can have anything you want for the next month". Then, they said, "Ok, give us $5 and you can have this steak. Once."

I still don't get who isn't buying the Network. I hate the current product and I bought that shit the morning it was available. I work up early to get it and since I'm in Canada it's more than 9.99.

If you've been to a Costco or other retailer, you've more or less already seen this. You buy the bulk deal at the higher price, you pay less per basically what is included. You buy the 24 pack of toiler paper for less per roll than the 6 pack.

This benefits people who for whatever reason don't want the Network but want to have people over for a party, are interested in a particular PPV match, but who would maybe balk at the Network for 10, or who would be worried they won't be able to cancel, just since a lot of subscription services run people through an obstacle course to do just that.

[dadez29]

I'm good paying $10 a month thank you very much.