Ok so on January 4th WWE and TNA are going head to head on Monday night. Does anybody think that with the invention of this thing called a DVR that it really matters who watches what live as long as the program gets watched? As a person who watches both shows it is a toss up for me what I am going to watch live and what I will save for later. I guess it depends mainly on who and what is advertised for each show. I mean if people want to watch both on their own time they will, and eventually I will catch both programs. How would TNA or WWE even be able to gauge who watches what more? Really?
Monday Night Wars overrated these days?
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Nadeem Ahmad
Pre-Show Stalwart
I barely watched "TNA" but it seems that there is no war between them since Vince apparently refuses to acknowledge the existance of it publically. However even if the program becomes to last for more than one Monday I doubt that WWE will let it detract from the product for the first few weeks or months. Somebody mentioned that the shows are targeted towards different audiences so I don't see too much of a problem but I'm not an expert either. Besides, since the ring uses six sides instead of four angles, are the products not technically incomparable instead of being seen as substitutes?
InterestingDrug
Occasional Pre-Show
The ratings system is now capturing DVR numbers, so they will get a pretty accurate count of who's watching what. Now if someone is flipping back and forth, who knows how that works. I read this: http://tvbythenumbers.com/
Ten years makes a big difference. The advent of the DVR makes a Monday night war easier to handle. No more running between rooms to watch both shows.
Now as far as the products are concerned..... If I had to choose which show to watch live.. I'd watch RAW. It's a better product and more interesting at this point. I would let the DVR handle TNA and come back to watch it afterwards.
Just for full disclosure.. All wrestling I watch is DVR'd now. It's pointless to sit through a 2 or 3 hour show when there's so much promotion. Plugging the PPV? Skip. Plugging The Marine 2? Skip. Divas are wrestling? FF. By the time you're done, you get a good one hour show.
Ten years makes a big difference. The advent of the DVR makes a Monday night war easier to handle. No more running between rooms to watch both shows.
Now as far as the products are concerned..... If I had to choose which show to watch live.. I'd watch RAW. It's a better product and more interesting at this point. I would let the DVR handle TNA and come back to watch it afterwards.
Just for full disclosure.. All wrestling I watch is DVR'd now. It's pointless to sit through a 2 or 3 hour show when there's so much promotion. Plugging the PPV? Skip. Plugging The Marine 2? Skip. Divas are wrestling? FF. By the time you're done, you get a good one hour show.
DiscipleofWrestling
Getting Noticed By Management
Well, right now, there is no war between TNA and WWE. TNA is like the North Korea to the WWE's United States. Sure, they may make some threats once in a while, but once they get the slightest bit of attention, they go back to being quiet for a few months before beginning the cycle all over again. That's what TNA has been. Right now, they are making their move, as desperate as it may seem, to get WWE and the wrestling world's attention. "Hello, we are TNA. And we're knocking on your door to say 'Hi. Would you like to buy what we're selling? Here's what we got.' So get ready, WWE. The door is about to be hit."
As was mentioned before, the advent of DVR and Tivo makes counting the ratings a little more difficult. There's also Hulu and YouTube, which will play a role in this whole scenario undoubtedly. If someone posts a Monday Night Impact on YouTube, will people be more likely to watch later in the week Impact on YouTube than watch it live? Will this help boost TNA's ratings in the future or further complicate the gap existing between TNA and WWE?
Either way, the Monday Night Wars meant a lot to professional wrestling. It changed everything. If you don't see it, you aren't watching wrestling. Even as watered down as WWE has become, it has definite flavorings that exist thanks to the efforts of that time frame. TNA gets away with what they do because of the outrageousness promoted by the WWE at this time. It was the time period where WCW almost drove Vince McMahon out of business and forced him to do something he hasn't had to do for 8 years now: compete, innovate, and create! McMahon proved with or without Russo during that war that he could hold his own when pushed to.
Will TNA ever reach the status of WCW? I doubt it. But for wrestling fans, on one night, there will be that alternative from Hornswoggle. There will be that alternative to lame guest hosts who can't even remember what the next PPV is called. And yes, there will be that alternative to anything and everything John Cena. And frankly, I welcome the competition on that one night with open freaking arms.
As was mentioned before, the advent of DVR and Tivo makes counting the ratings a little more difficult. There's also Hulu and YouTube, which will play a role in this whole scenario undoubtedly. If someone posts a Monday Night Impact on YouTube, will people be more likely to watch later in the week Impact on YouTube than watch it live? Will this help boost TNA's ratings in the future or further complicate the gap existing between TNA and WWE?
Either way, the Monday Night Wars meant a lot to professional wrestling. It changed everything. If you don't see it, you aren't watching wrestling. Even as watered down as WWE has become, it has definite flavorings that exist thanks to the efforts of that time frame. TNA gets away with what they do because of the outrageousness promoted by the WWE at this time. It was the time period where WCW almost drove Vince McMahon out of business and forced him to do something he hasn't had to do for 8 years now: compete, innovate, and create! McMahon proved with or without Russo during that war that he could hold his own when pushed to.
Will TNA ever reach the status of WCW? I doubt it. But for wrestling fans, on one night, there will be that alternative from Hornswoggle. There will be that alternative to lame guest hosts who can't even remember what the next PPV is called. And yes, there will be that alternative to anything and everything John Cena. And frankly, I welcome the competition on that one night with open freaking arms.
if WWE does anything out of its norm..including a killer host ala The Rock...then it means Vince is nervous..the pure fact there is an alternative means something to the industry. I will be curious to see live ratings vs. DVR ratings..as InterestingDrug said, DVR is the new way of viewing Wrestling..better to skip the garbage that litters Raw
DexVendetta88
Pre-Show Stalwart
Now TNA may be up to something with this opportunity to go head-to-head with RAW, but at the moment there will be no Monday Night War 2. Also, with some of the previous threads they have pointed out that DVR makes another Monday Night War unlikely because of the technology it has. I still remember people in the U.S. flipping channels between RAW is WAR and Nitro back in the day. But with the advent of DVR those days are over. Plus, since I live here in Canada I remember both shows being replayed in the afternoons on Tuesday for RAW, and Nitro on Wednesday. So, watching both shows in its entirety was not impossible (well for me in particular because I was in middle school at the time, and I often got home by 4 when they would start showing it). However if TNA really wants to start another Monday Night War, they would obviously move to Mondays, they would need to travel every week outside the ImpactZone for a weekly show instead of taping in advanced for roughly 2 weeks of episodes, and to score a television deal with a bigger network than Spike. There is still a possibility for another Monday Night War, but at the current moment there is a very little chance. If the infamous Fingerpoke of Doom taught us anything is that ratings can change in an instant which in turn could lead to a long-term demise; in WCW's case it was permanent.
stingerfan
Dark Match Jobber
Vince McMahon is not going to accept the fact that TNA could be and starting on Jan. 4th WILL be a threat. This is because his ego is to big. He never thought WCW would be as much of a threat until they WERE a threat and took over the monday night ratings for two straight years. Then WWE brought out the big guns and made superstars out of nobodys at the time (AKA stone cold).
I dont necessarily think that TNA will be a threat until they get a bigger selling/known name besides sting and kurt angle (sorry aj styles is not known outside the TNA world) hogan cant even wipe his own butt without jimmy harts help and double j hasent sold a ticket since he lost to david arquette!
So it may not be a big deal now, but it was 10 years ago and it could again in a month.
I dont necessarily think that TNA will be a threat until they get a bigger selling/known name besides sting and kurt angle (sorry aj styles is not known outside the TNA world) hogan cant even wipe his own butt without jimmy harts help and double j hasent sold a ticket since he lost to david arquette!
So it may not be a big deal now, but it was 10 years ago and it could again in a month.
Last Falconry
New Member
The biggest mistake that TNA is making in this situation is that they've already announced the Monday Night Live Impact! will be aired in its entirety on Thursday. Therefore giving people a second opportunity to catch it, making it less meaningful on Monday. Terrible business decision.
DirtyJosé
Best angle of all: retirement
I agree that to many fans, DVRs will play a huge role. However, the networks still may care about live ratings because of their lead-in and following programming. I'm not certain, but I would guess that ad revenue would play a hand in this is well.
Also, there is the fact that the percentage of US homes with DVRs is still only in the mid thirties. The effect may be dampened by DVRs and internet videos, but the reality is that live ratings still rule the day. For how long remains to be seen.
Until then, the war will continue as planned.
Also, there is the fact that the percentage of US homes with DVRs is still only in the mid thirties. The effect may be dampened by DVRs and internet videos, but the reality is that live ratings still rule the day. For how long remains to be seen.
Until then, the war will continue as planned.
The OP has contradicted himself. Of course DVR or Sky Plus or whatever will make a huge impact in this kind of war but that has nothing to do with the Monday Night Wars of the 90's being overrated.
TNA is laying itself on the line to reach out to new fans by placing itself in a timeslot that is familiar to wrestling fans. The Monday night slot has an affinity with the TNA (non PG) target audience. It's only a try out and Spike want to see how successful the program can be when booked against some real competition.
Of course it being repeated will have a massive affect on viewing figures but the original monday night wars were a phenomenon that could never be repeated.
TNA is laying itself on the line to reach out to new fans by placing itself in a timeslot that is familiar to wrestling fans. The Monday night slot has an affinity with the TNA (non PG) target audience. It's only a try out and Spike want to see how successful the program can be when booked against some real competition.
Of course it being repeated will have a massive affect on viewing figures but the original monday night wars were a phenomenon that could never be repeated.
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