New WWE UK TV Deal: Sky's The Limit

[Uncle Sam]

As we reported late last month, WWE signed a new deal with Sky Sports to air their programming on UK television. This was the first of three major contracts WWE will be re-negotiating in the coming months, and they are expecting to make a lot more money off each of these deals.

The new WWE-UK contract is for five years, through the end of 2019, and is three times what their previous deal was worth. Sky Sports will be broadcasting Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Superstars and Main Event each week, with recap shows and replays. This also changes the role WWE pay-per-views play in the UK market. In the past several PPVs have been given away for free as special events, however now all 12 shows will be buy-only PPV shows. That said, each PPV works out to about $25 U.S., so it is roughly half as expensive.

The WWE Network will be making its way overseas by the end of 2014.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/451...m_campaign=Feed:+Wrestlezonecom+(WRESTLEZONE)

Nothing really surprising here - mostly same old, same old.

I am pretty amazed that this deal is supposedly "three times" what their previous deal was worth. I've seen Raw and SmackDown get bumped from Sky Sports' schedule altogether for cricket, tennis, darts and even professional boules. Yes, brand new WWE television can't even command the late night slot on Sky Sports 4, the real world equivalent of ESPN 8 from Dodgeball. What's more, I'm struggling to think of who but Sky would even want WWE. Channel 4 hasn't wanted to touch it with a twenty foot pole in over a decade and it doesn't seem to be fitting with the image that BT Sports are currently cultivating.

It's a shame to learn that all pay-per-views will now be about fifteen quid to buy, meaning my consumption of WWE pay-per-views will drop to somewhere around fuck and all. I tell a lie - if I'm not around Tastycles' house, I'll probably buy SummerSlam, WresteMania, the Rumble and Extreme Rules - but I am a truly exceptional case. I estimate that this year's Payback will bring in approximately £75.

I suppose what I'm really trying to say is this:

Save me, WWE Network! You're my only hope.

 

[WarroBODFan]

Yup, I'll be getting WWE Network as soon as possible when us Euros can! Sky aren't offering any sort of sweetener to stay with them, and frankly don't seem 'that' bothered anyway. Which is fair enough, the mainstream sports are far more important to them, and understandably so. WWE audience is a drop in the ocean for them. Oh well, bring on the network!

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE & Sky struggle to get me to stay up to watch the PPVs not on Box Office. I'll now do what I do with UFC. Namely find out what the matches worth seeing are and then just find them on the internet.

Maybe I'll stop watching wrestling for a year and just catch the Network when it arrives.

 

[Leakee]

Honestly, I don't buy any PPV's other than Mania so I watch what, 5 PPV's a year on my TV. I usually just use Sky+ to record Raw as it is crazy and has WAY too much ad-breaks. In the future, its likely I will only buy the PPVs that have interesting cards and just stream the rest of them, I feel sorry for you 'Muricans who buy every single one of those thigns just for it to go to crap...*cough* Battleground. *cough*

 

[steven87gill]

Well, here's hoping that Elimination Chamber, Payback & Night of Champions will still be on Sky Sports one this year then! (though I guess that all depends on whether the 'all box office' deal applies from 2014 or 2015, fingers crossed)

This is partly why I'm hoping Bryan gets the belt at the chamber. As not only will it be a moment for the ages, but it will also be able stay on the Sky+ planner for all time without being automatically deleted.

 

[TDFG]

I buy RR & WM, it'll stay that way.

I think Elimination Chamber has already been advertised as free to air this year.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's a pretty cynical deal really, I think it smells of Sky optioning it and WWE leveraging for the higher price and it will no doubt mean PPV's WON'T be on the network for the first year at least... Sky won't pay more otherwise.

Basically as I suspected, they seem to expect the UK to subsidise the costs of the PPV revenue lost in the US or the startup costs of the network... Stream time...

 

[Loveless]

I can see very little sense in this deal for Sky. They're paying 3 times as much for less than they had before, PPV's dont sell in this country, especially not at 1am.

 

[Danger Burger]

The three times as much deal really shocks me too. I know most people with Sky have Sky Sports, but I'm not sure how big a deal WWE shows are to those people. Does Sky really put so big an emphasis on a show that starts at 1 a.m. and doesn't finish till 4?

Maybe what we don't understand is that the previous deal was likely a five year deal too. What kind of kind of figure do you have in 2009? Ie. What did they treble? With Raw now being three hours, Smackdown, Superstars and NXT... There's a good deal more content as well. Maybe the upping of price isn't that big a shock.

 

[Jerichoholic]

Who actually stays up to watch the PPV's anyway? In the past I've taken Mondays off to watch The Rumble and Mania, i torrent the the rest unless they are free on Sky then i Sky plus them same as i do with raw, if i didn't already have Sky Sports for Boxing, Football and Rugby id probably torrent Raw, am i going to pay 15 quid to watch Night Of Champions and TLC? NO CHANCE IN HELL!

 

[Thejock83]

Box Office PPVs are shown 48 times in a week for £14.95. RAW & Smackdown are shown 3/4 times a week, NXT is on here, Vintage Collection - what is the complaint?

Also, this new contract kicks in January 2015 - with the Network set to launch in UK end of 2014, I'd hold fire with you whining until it's clear what the network cost will be, and what's on it.