Jarrett Says TNA is Profitable

[shattered dreams]

Without getting into specifics, is TNA profitable at this point?

Absolutely. We turned that corner four or five years ago. Like WWE or any other business, would we like to be making more money? Sure, but the reality is that the U.S. economy is still in a recession, and internationally we have different economies to deal with, but all in all, we're pleased.

Wrestling fans and people in the industry often get caught up in TV ratings and pay-per-view buy rates, and in those two areas TNA is far behind WWE. But there is certainly more that goes into having a successful wrestling company — other revenue streams, other things to consider. What are some aspects of company business that you're the most happy with?

[Toy manufacturer and licensee] Jakks Pacific comes to mind, and international television. That's probably the first two off the top, and then the [merchandise], and Don West is a huge part of that. He is so in tune and in touch with the TNA fan — what they like, what they don't like. He's an absolutely great salesman, great marketer — that's his background going back to the Shop at Home Network days. There's also the live events. We're not a huge touring company — we do between 80 and 100 shows a year, but we'll call it a lean, mean machine when we take it on the road, and they're very entertaining and they're profitable.

Full interview: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2011/01/qa_with_tna_star_jeff_jarrett.html

Thoughts? Incoherent ramblings? References to TNA moving back to Thursdays?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Profitable? Maybe. If Total Nonstop Action can afford having the likes of Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, RVD, Matt Hardy and all the other big stars on their roster, and still be on air, that can only mean that the company has money and is making a profit out of these guys, and had a sufficient amount of cash before they came along. Say what you want about them, these guys on the marquee is better than Amazing Red vs AJ Styles. TNA fans will jizz for that match, the non-TNA audience will wipe their asses with the flyer.

Fact is, I don't want to draw any conclusions, good or bad, about TNA's financial state. Jarret could be lying, he could be telling the truth, it would be ignorant on my [or anybody else's] part to say that "fuck yeah they bring home a lot of bacon" or "TNA will fold in two months".

The company is still alive and is not showing any signs of being broke or in dire need of finances. It's growing, it's developing its product, it's trying to break new ground and expand. It's what they're expected to do and noone should give them credit for that. That's their duty.

Compared to WWE - they're not doing squat. Independently - TNA is doing pretty darn good.

 

[klunderbunker]

I thought this had been known for awhile now. Anyway, this doesn't really surprise me and it doesn't really tell us much about the company. It could mean they've made two dollars or two million dollars for all we know. That being said, the fact that they're making money is a good thing obviously and a good sign for them. Assuming Jarrett is telling the truth (who knows if he is or not but I have no reason to say he's lying) this is good for TNA, but it doesn't really mean much as far as being earth shattering news.

Also, being profitable once is a good thing, but now they need to keep that up. Being profitable doesn't mean security or anything like that.

 

[Slyfox696]

I guess all the TNA haters basically have been told to shut the fuck up, right? After all, people always talk about how stupid TNA is, how they are bleeding money because anonymous dirt sheet writer said something about PPV buys without any sources, and now Jarrett, someone directly involved in the running of TNA comes out and says TNA is profitable. This after a couple years ago Dixie Carter saying TNA was profitable.

Once again, the IWC has shown its ass, and once again, the IWC was wrong.



Good for TNA though. Like Jarrett said, this is such a tough time to be in business, but if they are able to make money, then they should really be due for a big kick if the economy ever turns around.

 

[hatehabsforever]

So where's the news here? TNA is "profitable.". As I see it this simply means they are operating in the black. Which granted is a good thing, but is hardly news and is hardly cause to break out in high fives of celebration. My position has always been that TNA is making money, just not very much of it and certainly not as much as WWE. Granted I don't consider myself a TNA hater, but rather, a pro wrestling realist. The reality is that TNA makes money, but not as much as they should and not as much as the big leagues.

God, TNA fans are so damn defensive.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

agree with the poster above. how is this news? if tna was not making money they would close down. i think they are wasting money with their roster. they could easily cut 30% of the talent and be in the same state that are now.

 

[My Couch Pulls Out But I Don't]

When someone says an idea or a company is profitable, it doesn't nessecarily mean it is making money. The idea of something being profitable means it either does or has the potential to make money.

TNA could be making money or maybe Jarrett still has the idea that it one day could make money.

It doesn't take TNA profits to get the former WWE stars TNA currently has. It takes money from Panda Energy to do that. If you aren't sure what that is, look it up cause I don't want to explain who owns it.

 

[Dzone]

zeven I love your comparison, it's something people forget. TNA is doing fantastic compared to other imdependant wrestling shows. Obviously if you compare it to the WWE, the WWE would be head, shoulders, arms, legs everything above TNA. But once you compare it's profitability to independant shows, it's like their not doing as bad as people make seem...

Good on you TNA if you are making money...

 

[Long Island Iced WXYZ]

To be honest, I'm not surprised TNA is making money.

Idiots on the Internet and some pundits think they know TNAs financials' but they don't.

I would gather merchandising is up with Jeff Hardy and Hulk Hogan being there.

Live event business is probably doing well too with all the big names they have: RVD, Hardy, Hogan etc.

All doom and gloom from the IWC. I disagree with TNA creatively, but I can't say I'm surprised to see them making money.

 

[eromenation18]

Whether we like it or not, TNA is coming around. TNA at one time was a breath of fresh air in the world of wrestling. I think TNA still has lots of potential to do well in the world of wrestling and yes, I still think at time some point can compete with WWE.

The biggest thing here is obviously money. Vince McMahon has enough money to market everything and anything to be successful. TNA unfortunately doesn't have that same advantage so they have to do things the hard way, wrestle for money. However one of the things I still think TNA doesn't have is a company babyface to put asses in the seats. WWE has always "that guy" whether it was Hogan, Cena, Rock, HBK, Bret Hart, Austin etc. I think once TNA gets that true babyface, this will no doubt put them even further on the map and make a run at WWE one more time.

However I do think TNA is profitable. If you were to look at the ratings of TNA about 5 years ago, they were bearly viewable. Now they are respectable. I think certain guys like Kurt Angle and Sting really help put the product on the airwaves. I wouldn't say that guys like Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, RVD and Ken Anderson put the show on the map but they helped further its development.

In conclusion I've always said TNA has a lot of potential to work. Obviously if they're making money then they're doing something right. Really if you look at it, they can only go up from here. Considering how this company was built from the ground really tells you a lot about Jeff/Jerry Jarrett and Dixie Carter.

 

[Rayne]

shattered dreams, what happened to all of this "you can't go on anything you read on the dirt sheets" you love to espouse? Is this another one of those special cases that always seem to come up when you're talking?

(Disclaimer: I have never been among the doom + gloom team on TNA's financials. I am in the camp that thinks they are a neutral proposition right now; meaning not enough gain or loss to be statistically significant. Every time people start discussing TNA and money, they start insisting that I defend the viewpoint that TNA is going starving broke.)

"Profitable" is a word with a very flexible definition. Profitable as an independent unit within Panda Energy? Profitable after assistance (both personnel and financial) from Panda Energy? Profitable in the United States? Profitable in areas excluding the United States? Profitable over the current term? Over a 5-year term? Jeff Jarrett was asked, "is TNA profitable", and he answered "yes". It's an answer that doesn't mean anything, yet everyone's so eager to score points on this issue for their own personal viewpoint that they're interpreting it however they choose.

 

[MarchingOnTogether]

This is very positive news, I don't understand why people can make this negative. I just hope people stop saying "TNA is gonna fold, cause they suck." and other statements similar to that for a while atleast. Here is some news by the TNA founder that in a recession a company is doing well.

 

[Vintage]

If I'm not mistaken, TNA started making profits shortly after Dixie bought the company. At that time, their expenses were around 250k a month or something like that and they were already making enough to cover their costs, Jarrett just couldn't get the money up after his buddy had to drop the pet project. The main problem with TNA is that it has yet to live up to it's earning potential. TNA makes money.. but TNA should be doing double it's bottom line numbers by now. I don't pretend to have a clear understanding of how to get that done, but aside from touring it seems that the only thing holding themselves back is Panda Energy's unwillingness to invest in the product to take the production to the next level. They have a lot of the other pieces in place, but if you want to make more money, you're going to have to make your product a little more attractive than it is. They'd also greatly benefit from either a larger booking team, or a revolving team. Russo is doing what he can with what he has to work with, but TNA can use a freshening up to keep it innovative and interesting.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

If I'm not mistaken, TNA started making profits shortly after Dixie bought the company. At that time, their expenses were around 250k a month or something like that and they were already making enough to cover their costs, Jarrett just couldn't get the money up after his buddy had to drop the pet project. The main problem with TNA is that it has yet to live up to it's earning potential. TNA makes money.. but TNA should be doing double it's bottom line numbers by now. I don't pretend to have a clear understanding of how to get that done, but aside from touring it seems that the only thing holding themselves back is Panda Energy's unwillingness to invest in the product to take the production to the next level. They have a lot of the other pieces in place, but if you want to make more money, you're going to have to make your product a little more attractive than it is. They'd also greatly benefit from either a larger booking team, or a revolving team. Russo is doing what he can with what he has to work with, but TNA can use a freshening up to keep it innovative and interesting.

I agree. What's gotten up Panda Energy's ass? Panda Energy took over some 7-8 years ago and the company has been growing since. I don't know what sort of finances TNA receives from P.E these days, but it certainly doesn't seem to be a whole heck of a lot as TNA's very cautious with its money when venturing into new territory. I can understand Bob Carter waiting to see if TNA will be a viable investment, but like you said, if you want to make money you have to spend money. It's still a business, and the fuel of that business is the almighty dollar, not coherent booking and AJ Styles. TNA has a lot of things to fix, and I highly doubt that the product will take off EVEN if their product is what everyone wants it to be. How do I know this? Because it was like that in 2005-ish. You had the wrestling, you had the young guys, very few old wrestlers, it was different, it was an alternative, and what happened? No one gave a flying fuck about it.

Panda Energy should pour some big cash in TNA just one time, and see what happens. If not for cosmetic changes, they'll need the money for marketing purposes and getting their name out there. Having a great product doesn't automatically equal 3.0 ratings. RAW isn't 3.0's because it's good, it's drawing them because they're financially invulnerable and can shed big bucks for fancy sets, marketing, celebrities, and the fact that it's been around for 30 years also helps, just a little. The great production is nothing but a damage limitation device, because this shit would be UN-watchable if it wasn't for the production. Same storylines, basic, boring, rigid shit, week in and week out, lacking of any real emotion, scripted out of this fucking planet, every word written on a piece of paper coming out as if said by Robocop, cookie cutter expressions, words, half-witted jokes and uninteresting, fake drama all wrapped in a big fat layer of bullshit.

Fans out there have bitched about TNA when it was in its supposed hey-day, and bitch about it now, and will continue to bitch about it and feel entitled to watch it as critics of the pro wrestling business instead of fans until the day it's less than a point behind Monday Night RAW. Let's face it, TNA can't make big money on its own. It took the WWE 30 years to get to where they are right now in terms of finances. I doubt TNA could reach that in 60 years, but hey, they could always use a boost.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

So where's the news here? TNA is "profitable.". As I see it this simply means they are operating in the black. Which granted is a good thing, but is hardly news and is hardly cause to break out in high fives of celebration. My position has always been that TNA is making money, just not very much of it and certainly not as much as WWE. Granted I don't consider myself a TNA hater, but rather, a pro wrestling realist.

The news? The news here is that Jarrett just shit all over one of the biggest rhetoric cards the IWC TNA bashers absolutely love to use, yet they still maintain that somehow TNA still isn't doing the right thing?

Operating in the black means making profit, and it's quite obvious they are making more than $2 considering they are/were still signing new talents who undoubtedly make more than said $2.

The reality is that TNA makes money, but not as much as they should and not as much as the big leagues.

And you know this because you've worked in their financials for how long?

What exactly is the "big leagues" anyway? Last I checked they were the 2nd largest market in the US, which makes them big league, unless of course you simply meant they don't make as much as WWE, to which my only response would be: "thank you, captain obvious".

They make enough to hire guys like RVD, Matt Hardy, Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, etc. etc. but yeah, they don't make as much as the "big leagues"? I fail to see the logic here...

God, TNA fans are so damn defensive.

Because we have to be. Read any thread in this section and you'll see why. Every other post is laden with some slight at the company, be it overt or not, no matter how positive the topic. This thread is the perfect example.

JJ comes out and essentially takes a fat heavy shit all over one of the most infamous IWC rhetoric cards ("TNA is bleeding/losing money or not making money") and what's the response? Not, "well, we were wrong." Nope. It's "well, they still suck!"

And you wonder why we're so defensive?

--

On a side note, I suggest that anyone who actually enjoys TNA's product and posts here red-rep the living fuck out of any of the brainwashed little douche bags who use bullshit rhetoric like "TNA is going to fold", "TNA is losing money", "TNA can't afford it", etc. in the future.

 

[Derrtown]

This is seriously still being debated? They were profitable in 07. Its amazing what the stupid dirt sheets can do to peoples out look and views on things.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

I don't understand why they'd expand globally but not even travel nationally on a regular basis.

(I know they are going to do some in a few months, but that isn't a regular basis
And I'm sure plenty of people would like to see them locally and not bother to book a flight to Orlando.)

 

[Richie Cult]

I am a TNA fan and have been since it's start. I love competition because that makes a better product for us, the fans. But unfortunately, I do not believe Jeff Jarrett is being completely truthful.

The original ECW was making it as a small major promotion or a large independent promotion and the financial problems really started when Heyman disappeared to the west coast in an attempt to take ECW to the next level. I was very happy at the attempt because that meant television shows, video games, and merchandising. But unfortunately, it was a risk that did not pay out and we know how that story ended.

As far as live shows go, I attended TNA events at the old Nashville Fairgrounds (Asylum). I paid $20 to sit within the first two rows. Economically speaking for me, that was awesome. $10 got you a little further back and if you wanted a chance to see the show free, you had to wait in a second line on a first come first serve basis. This was at the time of their Wednesday weekly PPV's (remember those days?) Outside, the arena looked like a farm warehouse. Inside (where it mattered), it was decorated nicely and all the logos and lights made you feel excited. In those days, I high-fived over half of the talent during the show. The wrestler that was the most friendly to the fans at the time was Ron Killings (a.k.a The Truth). I respect him to this day for that. The Asylum did not hold many people and you felt a cult feeling like the original ECW with many of the local southern gals screaming for Chris Sabin. It felt a little hokey when Jeremy Borash would pump up the crowd by promising us a chance to meet the talent after the show if we were extremely loud and excited. I was very loud & excited, but never met the talent. I do watch myself on some DVD's and laugh at how I acted, but it was a chance I had to take to try to meet some, like Traci Brooks who I liked for a little while.

I know, I know. You say that was then and this is now and they are in Orlando, Florida.

They now perform weekly in The Impact Zone, which is a sound stage studio. Last time I checked, admission was free. Remember, this is TNA's home base like The ECW Arena was to ECW. They should be able to charge something, but they are hard up each week to put butts in seats, which is the opposite of "I really want to see a show, I hope I can get in" which is what every promotion aspires to be. Jarrett mentioned that when they travel, they are a lean & mean touring machine. I can believe that part. Less lights & pyro, the ring, and a few TNA banners / signs, if you have seen a house show, which is OK because the performers are why to come out to see them, right?

Now let's get more positive.

TNA does something that WWE does not and that is let their wrestler's do independent bookings for extra money. I remember when Velvet Skye asked for a raise in TNA from $300 a show to $600. I thought to myself, $300 x 52 weeks a year = $15,600. Damn, TNA has a reasonable payroll. The Motor City Machine Guns are excellent performers, they supplement their income with independent bookings very well, and in my opinion, they are extremely important to TNA's success and TNA needs to keep them happy.

The thing that makes TNA wrestlers happy is that they use the television deal to tell their wrestlers. "You can work independent shows at a higher rate of pay because you are a nationally and sometimes internationally recognized superstar, but we cannot afford to pay you WWE type salaries. We encourage independent bookings so that you can earn a living".

The bonus: You don't have to go city to city being whipped by the slavedriver (WWE) You work as much or as little or as comfortable a schedule as you want, but just be back for the weekly tapings and PPV's.

In my opinion, TNA makes money via merchandising (Don West), PPV buyrates (pretty OK), DVD sales (somewhat OK). and a little bit on house shows. I do believe that they expected to do a lot better with Hulk Hogan than they actually are and Hogan's personal problems are not helping matters. I love Hulk Hogan (favorite wrestler of all time) but I hope Dixie can find the courage & strength to tell him, "You are only worth $X amount of dollars to me, take it or leave it, because my ratings did not go up proportionately to your salary, as you and Eric Bischoff promised". Sting was working for $1,000,000 a year on a year to year basis just to give you an idea of what TNA pays some and some wrestlers (Angle, Jeff Hardy, Flair, Hogan) are making more than that.

No way they are turning profit. Don't believe me? Why are they employing tricks like having those two hot blonds week after week in the front row on TV like WCW did in it's dying days? Jarrett was simply talking really positive as all business men do. It's our job to see through that.

I am really happy that all who have worked for TNA (Hogan, Christian, Flair, etc.) have tried to help contribute to TNA's success, but if I was in charge, the really expensive guys like Hogan, Flair, and Bischoff (I am a Bischoff fan too, but...) would not have their contracts renewed. I would love to see the return of Christopher Daniels, Petey Williams, and Awesome Kong and a return to the old days of great matches. And I would love to see both TNA and Ring of Honor give WWE some competition for our sake, the fans.

 

[johnbragg]

Headline: TNA Executive Claims that TNA Has Been Profitable Since 2007.

Jarrett saying this doesn't change anything. Be skeptical for a second: If TNA was losing money, what do you think he'd say? "Oh, yeah, we'll be lucky to stay in business another six months"?

I still say I don't see how the numbers add up to much

Impact on Spike brings in a little over $10M a year. That alone should keep the doors open.

PPV's lose money, if Meltzer's numbers (less than 10,000) are accurate. And Meltzer's numbers have been proven pretty close for UFC and WWE PPVs, so I'd expect him to be close on TNA's, too. According to Randy Ricci (nawf.com/blog), a bitter ex-TNA employee with 20-25 years experience as a wrestler, promoter and backstage guy, TNA needed 25000 buys to break even on most PPV.

House show attendance is poor, with constant reports of sub-1000 houses. Losing money there.

International TV revenue is unknown. But to create a number, I'm using WWE as a comparison. WWE International revenues were around 60% of US revenues a few quarters ago, when I did the research to try to estimate TNA's revenue. Using that 60%, International TV would be about $6M.

Merchandising is almost unknown, but JP PRag of 411wrestling used to follow the website's top sellers list. Crap like the $20 Don West Brown Bag (couple of random DVDs, t-shirts) were regularly at the top of the list. Very questionable whether TNA merchandise makes enough to pay for TNA's merchandizing department--producing, storing, organizing and shipping the stuff.

I could believe that TNA is making a small profit, if they are not paying the wrestlers much. And with Janice Carter cutting veteran wrestlers' pay, I'd expect that they're doing this.

 

[Richie Cult]

It is nice that TNA is a private company, but I wish we had access to their real numbers like we do with the WWE. Anyone ever see WWE's quarterly postings? It is all right there for anyone to see because they are a public company. Google it. I did. I only wish it had shown individual wrestler salaries. That would be interesting to me.

 

[onewayleeway69]

Profit could mean anything really. A mean if a sell the dude whos posted before me a twix for a pennie more then a bought it from the shops i'm in profit. So lets all just be glad tnas still here and making damn good ppvs(genesis was awesome!) long live tna!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As some others have already said, this is one of those topics in which we're really not going to be able to know for sure. On one hand, you just look like a fool if you simply come out and say that Jarrett is lying his ass off about TNA making money. After all, none of us have access to TNA's financial stuff. On the other hand, Jeff Jarrett could be doing just that because TNA is a privately held company and is under no obligation whatsoever to disclose financial information in any way, shape or form.

Jeff Jarrett is vague as to how much profit the company makes. I can understand if some are a little suspicious because ambiguity and suspicion go hand in hand. Jarrett is basically saying "TNA is making money but I'm not gonna tell you how much" in this interview and that's naturally going to raise some doubts despite the fact that Jarrett legally doesn't have to provide any actual numbers.

There are a lot of big, well established names on the TNA roster. Guys like Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff & the Hardys aren't going to come cheap so it's logical to assume that TNA is at least making enough money to cover those contracts. However, if I'm not mistaken, doesn't Spike kick in and pay some part of those big name contracts or all of them for some wrestlers?

When it's all said and done, I'm sure that TNA is making some money. After all, it's not like Jeff Jarrett came out and said that they're raking it in and have so much that they don't know what to do with it.

 

[Bartholomew]

hi guys,,,
Jeff Jarret is not as such an authenticated person to have this claim as you all now from the latest incidents in the TNA.Maybe he is saying right because they are recruiting new and renown wrestlers like Jeff,RVD and mickie james.

 

[harrythem]

I take what Jarrett says with a pinch of salt as, on Impact from Nov.18th, Jarrett said the following line. "This company is run correctly now. Bischoff, Hogan, Hardy, Abyss, Fortune, Flair. We're going to make it profitable".

Now, while I'll probably hear people say that it was just a line in a promo but, for me, I see it more as confirmation that the promotion hasn't been turning a profit. For the record I hope he's right and they are profitable as I quite enjoy watching aspects of TNA now but, to me, Jarrett's like most of the name guys in wrestling, they'll talk out of both sides of their mouth to put a positive light on things.

 

[Mustang Sally]

When someone says an idea or a company is profitable, it doesn't nessecarily mean it is making money.

Exactly. When WCW was running a 3 hour show on Monday night, attracting huge crowds and hiring well-known rock bands to entertain between matches, the company looked as if they must be profitable.....proving that appearances are often deceiving since the Wall St. Journal was reporting that WCW was losing between $60-80 million a year.

Maybe TNA is making money.....or maybe their investors are pouring capital into the company, hoping they will be profitable in the future, as Time-Warner did with WCW. Someone said in this thread that if a venture is losing money, they must close down. That's true, but it might not happen until the investor is no longer willing to throw good money after bad.

I hope TNA is making money, or, at least has the potential to do so in the near future. But Jarrett's pronouncement sounds too much like Dixie's telling us that she has another event coming that's going to change the face of wrestling as we know it.

Someone asked; Why would Jarrett lie? I say; Why would he tell the truth?