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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 17:13:38 GMT -5
Sting's retiring a month early from those lost legs!
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 17:12:17 GMT -5
Man, I hope Netflix doesn't use this buzz to do something stupid like announce a price increase and a cut of their lowest ad-free tier to their shareholders or something.
Goddamnit.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 17:10:21 GMT -5
Wow, Taker did well for not eliminating himself in the last one, how will he do he-
Oh.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 17:04:57 GMT -5
No he's not, the person who decided to release Madcap Moss is I mean, there's a reason he's not on the board of directors and Dwayne Johnson is...
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 17:01:43 GMT -5
I have Netflix anyway so this is ok. I hope it’s on live! I’m guessing the only thing left on TNT in the UK will be Raw. Hopefully that will move to the Network & I can get rid of my expensive subscription. Oh, if the TNT deal's ending (and they haven't confirmed properly but there's zero chance they won't now), that goes for all WWE programming so it'll all be on Netflix next year.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:54:23 GMT -5
Legit questions: Does netflix have the infrastructure to do live feeds? if they managed to have GLOBAL live feeds of RAW, that would be crazy good for RAW I read they have done one live special and it didn't go well. Good thing they have a while to figure it out and make sure it works well. What do you mean they only have 12 months?
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:47:40 GMT -5
The latter, from a guy who stopped watching a while ago so my expertise on the product from 2019-Now isn't great, is probably a sort of PTSD from the old days where the whims of an old man basically said your worth on screen in very vivid ways so I can get how hard it is to think a certain way even if it isn't exactly fair to the new administration. Now, I just think it's a weird way to book a guy you want to have some importance in going forward, especially with the JD as over as they are and the breakup probably being the way to send Finn Balor off if he doesn't resign, but it doesn't seem that doom and gloom. Just weird. For sure. I can get behind "well, some what they're doing is kind of odd." But I think there's a difference between "this is odd and maybe not how I'd do it" and "HE'S DOOMED. HE'S SO DUMB!" Like, we’re not talking about what someone mention where the name Damien Priest meant he has an Angel and Devil of a personality, just someone being incompetent with the MITB, which is a trope that should be gone but not the biggest problem.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:40:05 GMT -5
Pat Sajak's true legacy; causing the World Wrestling Federation to get $5bn from the place that was posting rental DVDs to people's houses.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:31:19 GMT -5
I've got two separate but connected thoughts on this one: 1. Yes, MITB may be outliving its usefulness as a story device and I wouldn't mind a refresh. Maybe they have to defend it, maybe they replace it with the Iron Survivor Challenge and that determines your Summerslam contender. 2. I think people are slightly overreacting about what this is going to do to Damien Priest both short and long-term. The dude went from "HIS DAMIEN SIDE" to main eventing RAW shows and being featured regularly. Nothing has happened yet that has totally killed his character. In fact, I'd argue that him cashing in just to be a transitional champ during Mania season because somebody got hurt doesn't do him any favors, either. There's just too much "all or nothing" when it comes to how people perceive WWE booking sometimes. It's either you win it all or you belong in Bitchalla. There's no real in-between. The latter, from a guy who stopped watching a while ago so my expertise on the product from 2019-Now isn't great, is probably a sort of PTSD from the old days where the whims of an old man basically said your worth on screen in very vivid ways so I can get how hard it is to think a certain way even if it isn't exactly fair to the new administration. Now, I just think it's a weird way to book a guy you want to have some importance in going forward, especially with the JD as over as they are and the breakup probably being the way to send Finn Balor off if he doesn't resign, but it doesn't seem that doom and gloom. Just weird.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:28:08 GMT -5
Over two years in the making!
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:26:16 GMT -5
What does this mean for the back catalog in Canada? Will it be on Netflix? Or just airing Raw? These are the questions likely to be asked and probably won't be properly answered for months. Especially since a lot of promises are being made in that press release but the wording of the release is that Canada's getting the same stuff international viewers will get (the Network exclusives and airings of Smackdown, NXT etc).
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:20:07 GMT -5
I mean, we don't know the difference but we know historically that there is a difference. It's the reason why, for example, most new sports stadiums open themselves up to signing deals for major events for consistent flow (Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium signed a NFL deal because a) the novelty of the NFL works in London works and b) because it'll be used more as one off the top of my head). Whether it costs more by much or not is not something any of us can prove so it doesn't really make it something to be concerned about or to even not be concerned about. We just go from historical reference. Big venues will charge less to be used because they want to be used. Given AEW’s financials and longterm sustainability, at the level their at, always comes up saying, “it doesn't really make it something to be concerned about or to even not be concerned about,” just seems like burying our heads in the sand rather than a fruitful discussion. Honestly I don’t care enough to deep dive into the topic, but it doesn’t mean there’s not enough to deep dive into. I’ve heard Wrestlenomics did an excellent break down of AEW’s projected financials in part using a comparative framework. Unfortunately it’s behind a paywall and I’m far too frugal to pay for that. I'm not saying we can't have a discussion about it, it's just there isn't anything really to discuss. If they were publicly owned, it would be an entirely different story (and has both positives and negatives) and it's not like it has affected things that much (regardless of what we talk about with ratings etc, if they were an issue, WBD would make that very clear) and even Wrestlenomics, I'm sure, are just going by estimates and guesses just like any of us would because there's no good reason for TK to let us know the finances.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:17:18 GMT -5
I have been watching the Rumbles I haven't seen on YouTube and Chad Gable convinced Priest to try to take Omos on by himself and immediately get eliminated so Yeah seems like he's not that bright I now remember watching that. One of the things I hope the full HHH era has remedied is this need for having newer talent come off as gigantic goobers in minor moments. People then go "Hey, I wonder why they didn't make many new stars? It's such a mystery!"
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:13:26 GMT -5
I will say, one of the things that could be a misfire is that with this deal set up as it is, you've right away isolated a bunch of the audience that recently had countries sign TV deals or have some still ongoing like most of Europe, India, Australia etc. Along with that, I can't imagine the juggles that'll have to happen to have a Raw show on Netflix talk about a PLE on Peacock and shows on both the CW and USA. Which is a good benefit of not putting your eggs in one basket but it also makes your audience feel a bit left out, especially since the UK, Canada, Latin America and other places are getting the WWE Network on a streaming service they actually use.
It'll depend on when a lot of these deals expire but I can see that being a risk that is worth doing with the money they'll be getting from Netflix and the other broadcasters regardless.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:03:14 GMT -5
NFL having a piece of ESPN feels icky from a news perspective Oh, absolutely. The fact that it could be a precedence if it pays off is even worse.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 16:02:02 GMT -5
Also, it makes sense on their end because 99% of the time, these bigger venues are only going to be used for sports and it's not like they can have sports every week because of schedules and rankings and such. So if the venue is being used and they can make a bit of extra income, they aren't going to say no to that. I think it’s easy to fall back on the line of thinking, “Renting bigger venues is better because it’s a better rate. You pay only a little more and you get all this extra space and a big time feel.” The problem is unless Tony opens up his books no one knows what, “a little more” is. Depending on the market it could be thousands, tens of thousands, or even more. Multiply that by how many shows a major company runs and it can be a huge waste and bad business. This isn’t a problem exclusive to AEW and I’ve seen it brought up way back when WCW was still around, with TNA, and even with WWE. Some non-wrestling companies who have done this are publicly traded so it’s easier to find out how much money this practice actually wastes. The problem is mentioned enough to where I don’t think it can be brushed off with, “Its a better rate, so renting the bigger building is always better.” It’s a commercial real estate issue and really depends market to market. I mean, we don't know the difference but we know historically that there is a difference. It's the reason why, for example, most new sports stadiums open themselves up to signing deals for major events for consistent flow (Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium signed a NFL deal because a) the novelty of the NFL works in London works and b) because it'll be used more as one off the top of my head). Whether it costs more by much or not is not something any of us can prove so it doesn't really make it something to be concerned about or to even not be concerned about. We just go from historical reference. Big venues will charge less to be used because they want to be used.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 15:45:16 GMT -5
What's gonna happen with ratings and demographic discussions now!? It'll probably be filled with numbers without much context to us as viewers and with other numbers not seen by us but only by the channels and wrestling companies. So no change!
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 15:43:30 GMT -5
Yeah this line of thinking is baffling. It’s like a childless newlywed couple saying, “We plan to have 5 kids so until we do we’ll cook enough food for 7 people then throw out the rest.” In this case, it's not that crazy, at least as best as I understand it: very often larger venues can actually come cheaper than smaller ones (depending on market/location/other factors), AEW's set and gear are designed for a larger venue, etc. Odds are if they went more mid-sized they likely wouldn't save very much. Also, it makes sense on their end because 99% of the time, these bigger venues are only going to be used for sports and it's not like they can have sports every week because of schedules and rankings and such. So if the venue is being used and they can make a bit of extra income, they aren't going to say no to that.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 15:11:39 GMT -5
My wild guess is Netflix gets bought out by NBC Universal, Paramount or Disney during this 10 year deal, and RAW just ends up on one of those streaming. While Netflix has made a recovery with their new tier subscription model, the market is simply too diluted to sustain all these services. None of those companies could afford Netflix right now and I don't really see that changing even in the 10 years. A lot of ships have to be righted in Disney and Paramount especially and the look of it wouldn't be great. NBC Universal getting WBD would honestly be more likely even if that would be as damaging, if not more. If anything, Netflix are going to benefit from the scraps of the other streamers since the subscriber base still dwarves everyone else by a considerable margin.
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Post by eJm on Jan 23, 2024 15:09:17 GMT -5
56 is absolutely not an age to go. Rest in Peace.
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