As of this writing TNA is looking to be finishing up TV tapings for the 2015 year very soon, and their deal with Destination America looks to be ending in a few weeks. When that happens, unless TNA can broker a deal with a new cable network, they will no longer be airing as a weekly wrestling program in the United States. TNA talents have revealed that a number of them are contracted through February 2016, and international TV deals have been announced in recent months. We've seen TNA downsize over and over, going from a touring live show featuring homegrown stars and former WWE talents, back to the GUTS Arena in Orlando with very few known stars, indy talents and some older WWE names. As a fan of wrestling it will be difficult to watch TNA go through this change, and harder if TNA doesn't survive it. Personally I'd like to see TNA attempt digital distribution. Flipps, Crackle, Netflix or Hulu would be much better homes for weekly wrestling than deep cable and that's the direction people are going in these days. If TNA no longer broadcasts in America, expect ROH to take over the #2 promotion spot for sure.
TNA's International TV Deals: What Happens in September?
- Thread starter akathelaw
- Start date
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
The long and short answer is: we don't know.
We just don't. We have no idea how they'll react, what they'll do, whether they'll be able to negotiate a new home/deal much in the manner they did when Spike dropped them (and they effectively ran "best of" shows for a month plus before the move) or whether or not they're even being dropped.
This is all being based on a single report that was leaked months back. We simply have no idea what is going on. It's why I've said repeatedly that when it comes to TNA shutting down or retracting its roster or what have you, I take a purely fan perspective. I don't care. It's not my business. That's for Dixie Carter and the big wigs to figure out. For me, I'm just here for the show. I don't care about how or why the broadway show functions. Just that it's there for me to enjoy. And if it isn't, it isn't. But until it isn't, this is the mentality I have to operate with. Enjoy the ride. Until it's over. If it's over.
We just don't. We have no idea how they'll react, what they'll do, whether they'll be able to negotiate a new home/deal much in the manner they did when Spike dropped them (and they effectively ran "best of" shows for a month plus before the move) or whether or not they're even being dropped.
This is all being based on a single report that was leaked months back. We simply have no idea what is going on. It's why I've said repeatedly that when it comes to TNA shutting down or retracting its roster or what have you, I take a purely fan perspective. I don't care. It's not my business. That's for Dixie Carter and the big wigs to figure out. For me, I'm just here for the show. I don't care about how or why the broadway show functions. Just that it's there for me to enjoy. And if it isn't, it isn't. But until it isn't, this is the mentality I have to operate with. Enjoy the ride. Until it's over. If it's over.
Mr.Maikeru_Sawyer
Pre-Show Stalwart
Here is what I believe and actually ECIII summed it up pretty nicely in an interview he did the other day...
" Will TNA be out of business after September?
“No. Why would I think that? We’re internationally in so many markets. Domestically, do I know what the direct future holds? I have a pretty good idea, and I think we’re going to be just fine. But people have been saying this company has been going out of business for 13 years and it continues to go. We’re doing some of our best work now and the people doing it won’t let it fail.”
If he has a backup plan in case TNA goes under:
“Why do I need one? I just said no. TNA isn’t going anywhere.” "
pretty simple honestly.
" Will TNA be out of business after September?
“No. Why would I think that? We’re internationally in so many markets. Domestically, do I know what the direct future holds? I have a pretty good idea, and I think we’re going to be just fine. But people have been saying this company has been going out of business for 13 years and it continues to go. We’re doing some of our best work now and the people doing it won’t let it fail.”
If he has a backup plan in case TNA goes under:
“Why do I need one? I just said no. TNA isn’t going anywhere.” "
pretty simple honestly.
Soulblazed
Eccentric Enigma
This is an interesting situation..As to what network TNA could be on in 2016 and beyond, I dunno..Maybe FX or another network such as that...Though, as is noted, TNA is very popular in other countries, such as England, Brazil and India(not to mention Ring Ka King in India involved TNA heavily as well).
Even though TNA obviously needs to boost its domestic revenue in the US, besides getting a creative team which actually writes consistent storylines, another suggestion would be to hold shows(house shows, IMPACTs and PPVs) in other areas of the US, such as in California(ie San Francisco, LA, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Oakland, etc) or in Oregon/Washington state.
Another thing is that TNA could do more tours visiting other countries...They obviously are adored in the UK, there's British Bootcamp, TNA visits the UK yearly, etc Hence, why not have TNA visit India yearly doing a tour through cities such as Varanasi, New Delhi, Mumbai, etc The same can be said for Brazil and China, due to TNA having TV deals in both of those countries..TNA holding shows in Beijing or Sao Paulo along with visiting at least 6 cities in both China and Brazil yearly would be something long overdue.
Even though TNA obviously needs to boost its domestic revenue in the US, besides getting a creative team which actually writes consistent storylines, another suggestion would be to hold shows(house shows, IMPACTs and PPVs) in other areas of the US, such as in California(ie San Francisco, LA, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Oakland, etc) or in Oregon/Washington state.
Another thing is that TNA could do more tours visiting other countries...They obviously are adored in the UK, there's British Bootcamp, TNA visits the UK yearly, etc Hence, why not have TNA visit India yearly doing a tour through cities such as Varanasi, New Delhi, Mumbai, etc The same can be said for Brazil and China, due to TNA having TV deals in both of those countries..TNA holding shows in Beijing or Sao Paulo along with visiting at least 6 cities in both China and Brazil yearly would be something long overdue.
Fabulous Freebirds
Pre-Show Stalwart
And ROH being in second place would mean what exactly? WWE will never feel threatened by them the way they seem with TNA. And it would be a HUGE GAP between first place and second place.
Second, way too many of the current TNA guys have been way too confident about TNA and DA. So they must know something.
And, TNA always seems to have a card up their sleeve with these types of situation.
mral82
The D.G.A.F.F.O.O.O. Champion
What happens everything stays the same nothing changes but maybe Total Nonstop Action becoming Global Force Wrestling as Jeff and Dixie are re-working together and last time Pre-Hogan, TNA Was doing great. Viacom made TNA an afterthought and had them Shove MMA down ppl's throats w/o any kinda promotions for TNA at all. As far as Hogan everybody was always asking Terry about the WWE and the Old Days and not TNA while he was there plus Terry shoulda Promoted them all lil better. So Intrnatl Deals are til 2018-2020 at least so Globally they'll be still on but Domestically in the USA The Discovery Family might move them to The Discovery Channel's Main Channel.
The current situation TNA is facing is for the American Market only as far as I know. They have various deals throughout the world which may still be for a couple more years. That means that unless those guys also cancel TNA or TNA tries to get out of its contract, they will still remain a TV show.
I live in India I think they signed a new contract here with Sony Six just a few months ago so we might keep getting the show. The best option would be for them to take the show internationally and tape it there in a cheaper market, not London, because that would be quite beneficial to them as far as cost cutting would go. They could continue to tape months worth of TV in a matter of a few days and then go home.
However, being a fan of TNA, I sincerely hope it does not go under and that it continues to air on Destination America until it finds a better network.
I live in India I think they signed a new contract here with Sony Six just a few months ago so we might keep getting the show. The best option would be for them to take the show internationally and tape it there in a cheaper market, not London, because that would be quite beneficial to them as far as cost cutting would go. They could continue to tape months worth of TV in a matter of a few days and then go home.
However, being a fan of TNA, I sincerely hope it does not go under and that it continues to air on Destination America until it finds a better network.
I agree, as fans it's best to enjoy a product you support regardless of who is paying the talent. In TNA's case they're not paying the talent on time, and they're cutting ties with a lot of their roster. As a fan of wrestling, I'm more concerned about talent I've invested in over the years watching and I'm more concerned about where I can watch AJ Styles and Bobby Roode wrestle, not what 3 letters represent the program or what type of camera is used to record it. To me, I'm not sure what TNA represents and whether or not I will want to watch it in the future judging by the current state of the company.
Great quote from EC3, a hugely talented main eventer experiencing his first championship run during the lowest point in the company's existence. I hope that he is continually built up with better booking. Unfortunately he is veering into Magnus territory as the chickenshit heel champ, he needs to be booked as the best wrestler who happens to be a heel. I think EC3 is the best thing going in TNA, though.
ROH might end up getting the production money TNA was getting from DestAm, remember if DestAm cancels TNA now they can keep some of the audience of TNA by producing a 2nd hour of ROH with better production and lighting.
A TNA/GFW merger or "invasion angle" benefits GFW far more than it benefits TNA. Dixie wanted an invasion angle and she got it, Jarrett got handed the biggest and best kind of free promotion for his new brand. Personally I think it's within the realm of possibility that TNA is cancelled from DestAm in September and the first GFW tapings in the Orleans Arena will air after ROH.
Correct, TNA will still have deals in other countries and they're doing a lot of production this month, rumored to be taping episodes up to December. If they lose an American TV deal, they lose a revenue stream. Money has recently been a bigger problem for them. It's crucial that TNA keeps its TV deal in the states to keep making the show at the level that they currently do.
I'm not sure what's gonna happen with TNA, but I hope they stay alive. I don't wanna get stuck watching WWE or ROH.
I tried watching ROH the other day, and I'm thinking can any of these wrestlers sell moves? Geez.
EC3 is a fantastic heel world champion. I saw this guy's talent last year. He's great on the mic and good in the ring.
I also like the Dollhouse. Terrell is fabulous. The whole women's division is pretty solid.
The Wolves are awesome. I love that team. They could wear the WWE Tag Belts in my opinion.
I tried watching ROH the other day, and I'm thinking can any of these wrestlers sell moves? Geez.
EC3 is a fantastic heel world champion. I saw this guy's talent last year. He's great on the mic and good in the ring.
I also like the Dollhouse. Terrell is fabulous. The whole women's division is pretty solid.
The Wolves are awesome. I love that team. They could wear the WWE Tag Belts in my opinion.
whoopin' ass
Championship Contender
With the international deals, they will continue to do tapings but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a larger block - film for a week to get 2 months worth of episodes. I don't know how those deals were done but I doubt that just because they are off DA that they can stop producing shows and those other stations are just out of luck. My guess is they have no choice but to still produce product unless the company folds. I am thinking they will use a smaller roster, or a lot more indy talent and have a lot of squash matches. But you have to wonder how them teaming with GFW will work out - a lot of former TNA talent is going to GFW so will we see them on TNA tv still in some form? Tough to say what will happen but it is safe to say that unless they want to close down TNA, they will still have a show ever if it isn't on a US network.
Nature Boy
Pre-Show Stalwart
Either way, TNA desperately needs more TV time and to establish an official 2nd weekly show.
There also needs to be so much more advertising to raise brand awareness!
There also needs to be so much more advertising to raise brand awareness!
from what i've read, TNA will still aired in international markets after september. The plan is that rely on the international markets to keep tna afloat until they find a way to get a new tv deal.
The only problem with this is that right now the TNA brand is pretty much worthless and losing 2 tv deal in the spent of 1 year is really bad. It doesn't bring confidence to tv execs to take a chance on them.
The other factor to considered is that GFW is also trying to get a tv deal in the u.s and while, they are getting shooting themselves in the foot with this whole invasion angle on impact, they're still in a better position then TNA as far as negotiations with network are concern.
So let'S hope that TNA found a way to get back on u.s tv and don't go out of business when the money fron the international deals dry up.
The only problem with this is that right now the TNA brand is pretty much worthless and losing 2 tv deal in the spent of 1 year is really bad. It doesn't bring confidence to tv execs to take a chance on them.
The other factor to considered is that GFW is also trying to get a tv deal in the u.s and while, they are getting shooting themselves in the foot with this whole invasion angle on impact, they're still in a better position then TNA as far as negotiations with network are concern.
So let'S hope that TNA found a way to get back on u.s tv and don't go out of business when the money fron the international deals dry up.
whoopin' ass
Championship Contender
Not really though. TNA is always successful in the UK. They do the British Bootcamp show there so they can't be that worthless of a brand. Ring Ka King was also very successful a few years ago. Granted that was a couple years ago but still. From all accounts, TNA actually does pretty well outside of North America. Because tv is handled differently in some of these places, them losing 2 American tv deals really isn't an issue - if the channel likes the product, they will buy it no matter who in the States has cancelled it. There have been many tv shows that were US co-productions that survived and continued once the US network canceled the show. US popularity isn't a factor elsewhere, how the local fans react to it is.
Forgive me for not quoting the above post, as I'm on my mobile and that's a pain in the ass.
The issue with a losing their US television deal isn't that their international purchasers will lose interest, it's that they'll lose a major portion of their revenue, which in turn affects the quality of the show. It's a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop that TNA's been trapped in for a while now.
America is still above and beyond TNA's biggest market; TNA doesn't lose their Destination America deal without feeling a serious pinch. This doesn't mean that they close down the day that DA drops them, but it does mean that they have ever less cash on hand to produce their show- meaning a lower quality show.
At this point, TNA has gotten far enough into the death spiral that there's no more pulling out of it. (Fanboys- I'm well aware other people have frequently predicted the demise of TNA; I have not, and only do now because it's blatantly obvious. Anyone who expects me to answer for what Some Random Guy said in a forum post from 2009 can save us both a little time and go straight to sodomizing yourself with a sharpened wooden stick.) It's no longer about brand identity, plotlines, five-star matches or whatever, it's that TNA has to do more with increasingly less, to get by in a rapidly shrinking cable television market.
The issue with a losing their US television deal isn't that their international purchasers will lose interest, it's that they'll lose a major portion of their revenue, which in turn affects the quality of the show. It's a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop that TNA's been trapped in for a while now.
America is still above and beyond TNA's biggest market; TNA doesn't lose their Destination America deal without feeling a serious pinch. This doesn't mean that they close down the day that DA drops them, but it does mean that they have ever less cash on hand to produce their show- meaning a lower quality show.
At this point, TNA has gotten far enough into the death spiral that there's no more pulling out of it. (Fanboys- I'm well aware other people have frequently predicted the demise of TNA; I have not, and only do now because it's blatantly obvious. Anyone who expects me to answer for what Some Random Guy said in a forum post from 2009 can save us both a little time and go straight to sodomizing yourself with a sharpened wooden stick.) It's no longer about brand identity, plotlines, five-star matches or whatever, it's that TNA has to do more with increasingly less, to get by in a rapidly shrinking cable television market.
i wasn't taking about internationally when i wrote that they were a worthless brand because i know he well they are doing internationally. When i mentionned it was a worthless brand, it was specific to the u.s market. Mostly because like i mention before, they lost 2 tv deals in one year (spike and destination america) and for tv execs in the u.s, they might see that as a huge risk to take and could raise red flags like why was this show cancelled twice, are they so hard to work with, stuff like that. thanks for the reply but i felt like clarifying my point about why i wrote they could be a worthless brand.
whoopin' ass
Championship Contender
I get what you guys mean about it being worthless in the US but they still have tv deals in over 100 other countries. Yes losing the American tv deal will cause problems financially but with all the people who have left, they should be able to sustain their show as is for quite a while on that international money. I don't know - you say it is a dead brand in the US but yet the US is its largest market. I wonder if that is true because if they can't pull large crowds in the States and can't get a decent tv deal, how much money is really coming in from there? I mean, they quit doing house shows for the most part because it was actually costing them money to hold them - with that gone, how much does tv really cost them? I don't know, wait and see I guess but I don't see them folding up right away like WCW and ECW did.
You're right that they won't fold overnight like WCW and ECW did; WCW/ECW had sellable assets which the WWE picked up for the price of a song, if it was a relatively expensive song. TNA has no sellable assets beyond their tape library, and there won't be enough demand for that to collect a major payday.
TNA is now firmly locked in a death spiral, a negative feedback loop in which they aren't making enough money to cover their current investments, resulting in a gradual scaling down of services. It isn't likely that they'll disappear overnight, but once they lose the US market they'll start producing an even lower quality product (less money to spend on it), continuing the slow bleed of viewers they've had for some time now. They'll get dropped one by one in the international market, which will be largely invisible to viewers in the US as most of you will stop caring about TNA when it becomes all but impossible to watch the product.
The time to 'save' TNA was two years ago, once it was firmly established that the Hulk and Eric Show wasn't going to bring in the numbers people had hoped for. The time for TNA to survive with a miracle was last year; instead, they ended up getting on Destination America, and provided the same content on DA that people weren't tuning into Spike to see. Without a massive cash infusion- increasingly unlikely as Panda Energy is attempting to separate themselves from TNA- it is a matter of time before the doors shut down.
**- Fanbois: a reading of the likely consequences of current actions is not the same as rooting for a company to fail. I'd like to be wrong here, but I know I'm not.
rmp0012002
Championship Contender
While wrestling is still huge in the U.K. and a great market for TNA, losing the U.S. market revenue will shortly affect the product. Cuts will be made and that usually starts with salary and when people start to worry about late checks or none at all they will look for other options. If Panda wasn't the owner TNA would have been boarded up with the for sale sign on the front lawn a long time ago.
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