Impact Wrestling Moving To Wednesdays Starting August 20th

[SpecialFNK]

saw this on the twitter.

TNA WRESTLINGVerified account ‏@IMPACTWRESTLING

BIG NEWS: make sure you watch #IMPACTonSPIKE tonight, because next week we move to WEDNESDAY! http://impac.tw/1pQ0sxr

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 14, 2014) – TNA today announced its flagship program, IMPACT WRESTLING, will make a permanent move to Wednesday nights at 9/8c on SPIKE TV beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 20.

"Moving IMPACT WRESTLING to Wednesday nights gives existing fans and new viewers an opportunity to enjoy both wrestling and live sports even more throughout the week," said TNA President Dixie Carter.

IMPACT WRESTLING has enjoyed sustained ratings growth this summer, drawing over 1.5 million viewers each week this quarter, and is among the most watched cable series in key male demos in its timeslot.

they better promote the hell out of the new night on tonight's episode.

is this good for TNA? wont have to go up against NFL anymore.

maybe TNA was afraid of WWE Smackdown moving to Thursdays?

what does this mean in connections with TNA/Spike negotiations?

 

[Lowdown]

Um...... How legit is this? At this point it doesn't make to much sense to move Impact to any other night of the week. I know their contact with Spike is reaching it's end, but c'mon. I really don't understand the motivating factor here, if this is true mind you.

 

[klunderbunker]

It's on TNA's website. This is legit.

As a reviewer, THANK GOODNESS. Doing NXT and Impact at the same time was driving me crazy and I'm thrilled that they're moving the show. It comes off as a move before Smackdown comes back to Thursdays and if that's the case then there's neither shock nor any reason for Impact to stay on Thursdays. At the end of the day, Impact was not going to be able to stand up to WWE programming no matter what night it was on. They're moving so they don't get slaughtered by a bigger and more popular show and there's nothing bad or wrong about that. It's smart business and the only option they had.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I was just going to say, the fact of the matter is there is no competition on Wednesday night, and if WWE is indeed moving Smackdown to Thursdays, then you give them Thursday and you take Wednesday. It's not a sign of defeat — it's a sign that you want your audience dedicated to you, and only you, and would rather not compete head-to-head with anyone else.

Conisdering IMPACT's million~ fans have generally followed them for the last decade, I doubt you see much fuss over this shift.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I see this meaning one of two things:

1. Spike is burying TNA on Wednesday for their last month so that they can get a few extra eyes on whatever they are putting in to Impact's old time slot. Since they've already paid for Impact through October may as well get what they can from them on Wednesday for the time that is left? Maybe Dixie cut a deal with Spike to move them to get them more time to make a strong statement about the loyalty of their audience.

2. Spike and TNA don't want to go up against NFL and SD.

They will lose some audience from this because people don't pay attention bit overall I think they will maintain most of their viewer ship. The real question is how much time they have left.

 

[Pedigree1]

TNA should have done this shit from the beginning! Very smart on their part mind you... From a business standpoint,going up against Thursday night NFL,and eventually smackdown TNA ship as as good as sunk...

By moving to Wednesday they basically have zero competition and can only improve their own ratings.. Not going up against the WWE or the mighty NFL is very smart.. IDR brings up a great point.. In no way is this a sign of defeat,if anything your catering your product to your audience and only your audience..

Word of mouth is how anything gets done and the more the word spreads the better your product will be! TNA has had enough of being slaughtered by the competition no more need of it

 

[ABMorales787]

Well fuck, that was quick. WWE hasn't even formally confirmed the move and Spike took charge in a heartbeat.

I guess that puts more weight on the rumors of TNA and Spike not coming to an agreement because Spike wants 10% of TNA.

 

[MrHashasheen]

Well fuck, that was quick. WWE hasn't even formally confirmed the move and Spike took charge in a heartbeat.

I guess that puts more weight on the rumors of TNA and Spike not coming to an agreement because Spike wants 10% of TNA.

Wait, what? Could I have a source on that?

 

[Animeboy010]

Um...... How legit is this? At this point it doesn't make to much sense to move Impact to any other night of the week. I know their contact with Spike is reaching it's end, but c'mon. I really don't understand the motivating factor here, if this is true mind you.

Makes perfect sense, facing the NFL and WWE is Suicide. Did you forget Thursday Night Football on CBS?

Um...... How legit is this? At this point it doesn't make to much sense to move Impact to any other night of the week. I know their contact with Spike is reaching it's end, but c'mon. I really don't understand the motivating factor here, if this is true mind you.

TNA is smart, let the WWE battle NFL on Thursdays they will fail.

Well fuck, that was quick. WWE hasn't even formally confirmed the move and Spike took charge in a heartbeat.

I guess that puts more weight on the rumors of TNA and Spike not coming to an agreement because Spike wants 10% of TNA.

That would make sense if/when? Spike renews TNA to a new contract

 

[Zeven_Zion]

It's smart. If you're chased by a big, hungry bear, you don't go running at it so you look like a man. You run. You run for your fucking life. TNA is running for its life - as it should. Especially now. It's wounded, it's weak, it's falling apart, this is the last thing they want. Had this been a period when TNA was more stable I think they'd have gone for it. Could've been good for them. Now? Screw that.

Personally, I'm indifferent about this. I always download the show or just catch up on YouTube so the only cool thing about it is that I'll watch TNA a day earlier next week. As long as they're on TV I couldn't give a damn which day it aired. As to why it happened - could be a multitude of reasons. Probably a mix. I know it's interesting to find out because something is up so at least that's something to look forward to.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Considering they mention 'live sports' in the article you posted OP, I'm gonna assume they did this to not compete with the NFL.

I'm indifferent to it. Although personally I think it would have been more intelligent to give more time to promote it than less than 7 days. I didn't catch Impact tonight and I only found out about it from here. If I didn't check this forum, I wouldn't have known it was moving. I'm sure a significant portion of the audience may have missed the show + doesn't check wrestling dirt sheet forums, so they should have done a better job of advertising it.

But it is a smart move. But staying on Thursdays would have done a lot for the tarnished brand image of TNA to beat WWE in the ratings IF Smackdown is indeed coming to Thursdays. Smackdown usually does around a million and TNA usually is in that same range. It would have been a good look for TNA if they not only beat WWE, but maybe even made them move back to Fridays.

I don't know if that thread about Viacom buying TNA and moving it to MTV or MTV2 was true or not, but in addition to it being a last ditch effort to increase ratings by not going against the NFL, it could also be something to impress MTV2 execs because they have a pretty strong lineup on Wednesdays for the male demographic (Wild N' Out, Guy Code/Court) and it starts at 11. So if TNA moves to MTV2, that would be a very successful lineup and bring new eyes to TNA, with TNA at 9, Wild N' Out at 11, and Guy Court/Code at 11:30.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Considering they mention 'live sports' in the article you posted OP, I'm gonna assume they did this to not compete with the NFL.

I'm indifferent to it. Although personally I think it would have been more intelligent to give more time to promote it than less than 7 days. I didn't catch Impact tonight and I only found out about it from here. If I didn't check this forum, I wouldn't have known it was moving. I'm sure a significant portion of the audience may have missed the show + doesn't check wrestling dirt sheet forums, so they should have done a better job of advertising it.

But it is a smart move. But staying on Thursdays would have done a lot for the tarnished brand image of TNA to beat WWE in the ratings IF Smackdown is indeed coming to Thursdays. Smackdown usually does around a million and TNA usually is in that same range. It would have been a good look for TNA if they not only beat WWE, but maybe even made them move back to Fridays.

I don't know if that thread about Viacom buying TNA and moving it to MTV or MTV2 was true or not, but in addition to it being a last ditch effort to increase ratings by not going against the NFL, it could also be something to impress MTV2 execs because they have a pretty strong lineup on Wednesdays for the male demographic (Wild N' Out, Guy Code/Court) and it starts at 11. So if TNA moves to MTV2, that would be a very successful lineup and bring new eyes to TNA, with TNA at 9, Wild N' Out at 11, and Guy Court/Code at 11:30.

"Good look" for who? The testicles with keyboards among the IWC? Or maybe the Spike people. Yeah, like they give a dung about whether TNA is rivaling WWE in any capacity. They pay them to bring some kind of monetary value to their network, not to stick it to the WWE. I don't see how TNA rivaling or beating SmackDown in any way will dig them out of the grave they're in right now. It's a silly competition in a time when TNA is on life support.

 

[lil steroid meat]

"Good look" for who? The testicles with keyboards among the IWC? Or maybe the Spike people. Yeah, like they give a dung about whether TNA is rivaling WWE in any capacity. They pay them to bring some kind of monetary value to their network, not to stick it to the WWE. I don't see how TNA rivaling or beating SmackDown in any way will dig them out of the grave they're in right now. It's a silly competition in a time when TNA is on life support.

TNA beating a program that belongs to the number one wrestling promotion in the world and regularly features the top talent of said number one promotion would improve their brand image to anyone who was aware of it. So yes, largely to the "testicles with keyboards" but depending on if and how they acknowledged it on-screen, it could be something that the general audience looks at and it improves their general perspective of TNA. It makes the show look a whole lot more important, if that makes sense. In the consumer's mind it would have put the Lashley's, King's, EC3's, Samoa Joe's, Wolves and Hardy's on the same level as the Orton's, Reigns, Cesaro's, Wyatt's, Uso's and whoever else.

I don't know the motivation for them moving, so I wouldn't suggest TNA going out of their way to stay on Thursdays, but it just would have been a cool notch to have on their belt, cool little marketing campaign for a few weeks and best case scenario improved the overall perception of TNA and it's roster.

 

[Rayne]

Yikes, a schedule change with one week's notice? Two takeaways here:

1) A common strategy for a television show which has reached its tail is to move it to a different night, with the prevailing theory being that dedicated watchers will move with the programming, and people who haven't been able to watch it on one night, will, for whatever reason, be able to watch it on the new night.
2) This never, ever, ever works.

It's a curious move, but we'll get a better handle on the whys of it within the next couple of weeks. It makes sense if Spike is trying to establish a new tentpole in the Thursday slot; if they've given up on TNA, they have no reason not to bury it- and giving your audience one weeks notice of a schedule change reeks of burial. It makes sense to avoid Smackdown scheduling only if Spike expects to have TNA on the air over the next year. (Bear in mind, there's still lots of time for Spike and TNA to agree to a deal; the question is if they can find one that benefits both parties. Right now both groups have very different answers to that question.)

Within a couple of Thursdays we'll have a clearer idea of the whys; if you turn on your television to see a "Manswers" rerun, TNA's been moved to Wednesdays to avoid conflicting with Smackdown, and Spike still hopes to keep the show (in a different form- why they want a stake in ownership in exchange for a television slot should be bluntly obvious to even the slowest posters here.) If you tune in to see Bellator or live sports, TNA's been moved in favor of them.

One week notice, though? Not encouraging.

 

[GODSON]

Usually when a network is about to cancel something they would move the show to another day or timeslot out the blue.

 

[Reflection]

WWE Smackdown moving to Thursday is definitely a factor. They were not only gonna lose the football fans, but also the WWE-sided fans. And there should be no shame for avoiding this confrontation, because that's the smarter move. People learn from experience... especially when they are near-death ones. TNA management has definitely gotten wiser.
If they have to compete with neither WWE, nor NFL, then its a great thing for them and we might see them heading towards an 1.4-1.5 in the coming months. Plus, they are still fresh from the publicity of Dixie going through a table. Combine that with the overall good shows they've been producing lately, I say the timing couldn't have been better to make the shift.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

TNA beating a program that belongs to the number one wrestling promotion in the world and regularly features the top talent of said number one promotion would improve their brand image to anyone who was aware of it. So yes, largely to the "testicles with keyboards" but depending on if and how they acknowledged it on-screen, it could be something that the general audience looks at and it improves their general perspective of TNA. It makes the show look a whole lot more important, if that makes sense. In the consumer's mind it would have put the Lashley's, King's, EC3's, Samoa Joe's, Wolves and Hardy's on the same level as the Orton's, Reigns, Cesaro's, Wyatt's, Uso's and whoever else.

I don't know the motivation for them moving, so I wouldn't suggest TNA going out of their way to stay on Thursdays, but it just would have been a cool notch to have on their belt, cool little marketing campaign for a few weeks and best case scenario improved the overall perception of TNA and it's roster.

So what do you suggest they do if they do beat SmackDown? Announce it every five minutes? You do realize that a good portion of TNA's audience are WWE fans right? I can assume this based on their Monday Night Anal stint. TNA's rating shrunk in half. Obviously those people watch TNA as an alternative, but if having to pick they'd pick the WWE. So what good is it to brag to such an audience, for kicking SmackDown's ass. It's pointless.

And improving their standing with the IWC means nothing. Regardless of whether TNA has looked good or bad on the Internet, they've done good or bad. It's not connected.

I'm all for a little battle but if we're looking at it from a business perspective, "notches on the belt" have little place in that environment. It's ego. It's what McMahon did when he bought WCW and put it out of business. Hell, most of Vince's business decisions are about notches and ego. That's why the WWE ain't doing whooole lot better, scrambling to cut positions and travel costs so they don't get whacked with a giant loss this year even though they already did. They're bleeding out, just like TNA. Wrestling needs smart businessmen and creative minds, not people who have this stupid ass old mentality about wars and beating the other company. Make yours amazing for the boys and for your fans, once that happens the rest falls into place.

 

[lil steroid meat]

So what do you suggest they do if they do beat SmackDown? Announce it every five minutes? You do realize that a good portion of TNA's audience are WWE fans right? I can assume this based on their Monday Night Anal stint. TNA's rating shrunk in half. Obviously those people watch TNA as an alternative, but if having to pick they'd pick the WWE. So what good is it to brag to such an audience, for kicking SmackDown's ass. It's pointless.

And improving their standing with the IWC means nothing. Regardless of whether TNA has looked good or bad on the Internet, they've done good or bad. It's not connected.

I'm all for a little battle but if we're looking at it from a business perspective, "notches on the belt" have little place in that environment. It's ego. It's what McMahon did when he bought WCW and put it out of business. Hell, most of Vince's business decisions are about notches and ego. That's why the WWE ain't doing whooole lot better, scrambling to cut positions and travel costs so they don't get whacked with a giant loss this year even though they already did. They're bleeding out, just like TNA. Wrestling needs smart businessmen and creative minds, not people who have this stupid ass old mentality about wars and beating the other company. Make yours amazing for the boys and for your fans, once that happens the rest falls into place.

Maybe they could say something like "you are now watching the undisputed number one wrestling show on Thursday nights", at the top of each hour or after their commercial breaks, I don't know. It could be their thing, like how Michael Cole does that "Longest Weekly Running Episodic..." for RAW. They would have to have fun and get creative with it, who knows.

As far as the move to Mondays, they shouldn't have done it in Wrestlemania season, but it wasn't a bad idea in theory. It would have been better to do in the fall since WWE is kind of slow during that time and TNA's Wrestlemania is in October.

 

[three count bout]

I knew the ratings would take a dive with the move to Wednesday nights being so abrupt but damn. Allegedly some people were tweeting during the normal time slot wondering what happened to Impact. Both Spike and TNA are going to have to do a better job of spreading the word about the new date. I expect next week to do better numbers, if not it would be pretty disconcerting.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It's their own fault for such an abrupt change. I mean, look at this forum as an example. There were users posting in the LD that went up on Wednesday that without that as a reminder, they'd have completely forgotten IMPACT was moving to Wednesdays.

In what world is one weeks' notice during a broadcast with only internet-based (your own site) reminders going to cut it?

 

[ABMorales787]

It's their own fault for such an abrupt change. I mean, look at this forum as an example. There were users posting in the LD that went up on Wednesday that without that as a reminder, they'd have completely forgotten IMPACT was moving to Wednesdays.

In what world is one weeks' notice during a broadcast with only internet-based (your own site) reminders going to cut it?

You'd think would advertise after making the desicion. But they don't even do that under normal circumstances, why do it now? Its no wonder negotiations are still ongoing. Its a give and take ineptitude and stubbornness.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

But I could have sworn TNA was going under because of the fact that TNA and Spike could not reach a deal unless both sides are still in the negotiation process? If that is the case then perhaps moving to Wednesday nights could help or hinder TNA as a company but I guess we'll see in the long run

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I knew the ratings would take a dive with the move to Wednesday nights being so abrupt but damn. Allegedly some people were tweeting during the normal time slot wondering what happened to Impact. Both Spike and TNA are going to have to do a better job of spreading the word about the new date. I expect next week to do better numbers, if not it would be pretty disconcerting.

This is one more reason why Spike sucks ass. I bet they didn't advertise it one single bit. If they don't, how is TNA supposed to advertise this without the Internet? Smoke signals? They did all they could on their end, Spike didn't. Plus, this whole deal seems so rushed and I'm thinking TNA wasn't the one who wanted it to happen that fast. More and more info surfaces that makes Spike seem like a pretty careless partner. No wonder TNA wants out.

 

[JJYanks121]

This is one more reason why Spike sucks ass. I bet they didn't advertise it one single bit. If they don't, how is TNA supposed to advertise this without the Internet? Smoke signals? They did all they could on their end, Spike didn't. Plus, this whole deal seems so rushed and I'm thinking TNA wasn't the one who wanted it to happen that fast. More and more info surfaces that makes Spike seem like a pretty careless partner. No wonder TNA wants out.

Kind of the opposite playa. All indications are that spike is kicking them out the door but gave them til the end of the year rather than October to find a new home. Given they know they aren't going to keep them around, do you think they're going to spend all sorts of dough making sure a 4 month move is advertised?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Kind of the opposite playa. All indications are that spike is kicking them out the door but gave them til the end of the year rather than October to find a new home. Given they know they aren't going to keep them around, do you think they're going to spend all sorts of dough making sure a 4 month move is advertised?

Fair point, and I do see that being one side of it too. I'm just going off some of the information already spread around. Could be a bit of both. All I know is that this whole thing is a steaming pile of you know what and it'll either lead to TNA dying (very possible) or them finding a new network, for better or for worse. Spike's going to be alright either way.