Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the wrestling community and its fans were treated to the unveiling of the WWE Network. World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon, members of his corporation and his stable of wrestlers took the stage during a press conference and unveiled the plans for a 24/7 streaming online network.
Unlike previous network launches, this channel was not going to be distributed on cable and satellite. This is what the WWE is calling “Over the Top,” going over the heads of cable and satellite distributors. Realizing that cable and satellite providers are wary of adding new networks and being charged high per subscriber rates, the WWE has decided to go it alone and distribute it online directly to fans at a price of $9.95/month.
There will be original content, archived matches and all pay per events will be found on the WWE Network. It will launch on February 24 right after Monday Night Raw. Now don’t expect shows like Raw or Smackdown to be shown on WWE Network, they will remain on TV although the contracts with NBCUniversal are expiring and are being negotiated.
We have highlights of the launch from last night.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4sxXc_Yhtw&rel=0&w=560&h=315]
So how would this work? Where will it be available? It will be available for desktop and laptop computers as well as tablets and mobiles. In addition, it can be seen on Roku and Playstation platforms so the WWE really considered the method of distribution and how to make it affordable to fans.
Here’s a demonstration of how the WWE Network can be accessed. This is narrated by WWE announcer Michael Cole.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkPmDqb9SKM&rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Now why is this important for sports media? This Over the Top distribution will be watched by the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL as a model for distribution of their content. Now MLB, NBA and NHL do have their games distributed for pay online through MLB.TV, NBA League Pass Broadband and NHL GameCenter respectively, but nothing like this.
Down the line, imagine the NFL putting Sunday Ticket online and charging customers $19.95 per month. The NFL has talked with Google about placing Sunday Ticket online, but the talks did not take off past the discussion stage.
Also, UFC could put its content online and charge a monthly fee for its content. UPDATE: UFC does put its Fox cards and pay per views online on Fight Pass, but only 30 days after they have aired.
There are plenty of possibilities for leagues to distribute their archived games and produce original content and by going online, they won’t have to fight battles with cable and satellite distributors and cut out the middleman in the process.
The progress of the WWE Network will be watched by the sports leagues closely and its success will determine whether “Over the Top” will be a new distribution method for content or if it will go the way of 3-D TV.
