To Which NETWORK Should TNA Go?

[Shadow of Darkness]

Now since i joined this forum, i could often find people bashing SPIKE for low ratings of TNA. Thus it brings me to this thread. If you think TNA will never get expose in this NETWORK,-then give your suggestion where it should go. I personaly would want it to go to the CW Television Network, as it appeals for 18 to 34 years old. SPIKE is more seen by women and has an average age group of 42 years. So give your choice guyz!


hell yah...!!!

 

[DirtyD79]

Wrestling as a whole is in a slump right now along witht the economy and TNA being a "me too" really doesn't have that kind of clout. Who's to say another network will pick them up or if they do will pay what SPIKE currently pays? That's assuming they even want wrestling to begin with. Sometimes you have to take any port in a storm.

 

[Rayne]

OK. People who don't understand network distribution shouldn't talk about network distribution.

1) Spike TV is marketed as a male-oriented network for viewers 18-34 years old. The only reason they get female numbers the way they do is because they are also known as "The CSI Channel", because if you want to watch CSI at any given time, the odds are about 50/50 that Spike is airing it.
2) Television programs do not choose what network they air on. They create a product and then attempt to sell it to networks. Networks, if they are interested, buy that product (the television program), and then sell advertising during that program.
3) CW just had the product of the larger professional wrestling company fail to achieve the ratings they were looking for, so they'd have to be huffing glue to make a deal for TNA's product- or TNA staffers would need to be huffing enough glue to sell at a price that would make the show appealing to broadcast television.
4) The options for TNA/IW to move off of Spike is limited. They aren't going to any NBC stations, as the WWE has their deal with them. With Fox's new deal with the UFC, this is definitely the wrong time for them to introduce professional wrestling, right as they are trying to get MMA accepted as a mainstream sport. ABC/Disney have never shown any interest in professional wrestling; it simply doesn't fit their company profile. That leaves Viacom, which owns Spike.
5) Spike TV isn't holding TNA/IW back. That is an excuse offered up by the people operating TNA/IW, because they'd like to keep their jobs. You don't simply get to say, "I want to be on this channel, and I want this kind of advertising for my shows, and I want this kind of distribution, and, and, and...." You need to demonstrate to people that would spend money on you that the money is being well spent and will return as a profitable investment. TNA/IW's finances have been opaque for years, and they haven't been reporting any good news that would attract investment.

(To the "but Panda Energy has all the money they could need" crowd: A single major investor is a horrible idea for a business, because the second that investor decides to pull out, your company fails. It's bad for the single investor as well- many business owners have toppled their entire enterprises by backing one losing horse for a little bit too long. Every business comes back to "at the end of the day, is it making money?", which is why we aren't talking about what's going to be on Nitro tonight. I don't know that Panda Energy is the majority interest in TNA/IW currently; but I do know that they were not too long ago, and there's been no reason for anyone to rush to buy stakes in TNA/IW.)

I'd love to see TNA/IW at 9 o'clock on CBS, but it ain't gonna happen. TNA/IW gets what they can gets.

 

[mral82]

If they were to stay on Spiketv I would switch my time slot to a different day like Sat or watnot cause they're up against tough competition in that slot or if they were to git added to the CBS lineup then the only day I can see is Sat as the rest of the nights are already filled.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I'm not really sure what the problem with Spike TV is anyway. It's a monumental step upwards from the early days when TNA was available on a weekly PPV basis only. At least they are getting weekly coverage on a known network. Sure, it's not one of the major networks, but it makes the product far more accessible than it once was. Fact of the matter is, if people want to find TNA and follow it, for the most part Spike allows them to do it. If they don't, then the TV station would be irrelevant anyway.

And TNA is pulling in consistent ratings on this network, which I'm sure they and the folks at Spike are quite pleased with. Not WWE mind you, let's be realistic, but they are doing just fine for a #2 organization.

 

[J.J.]

Side note; anyone remember when Spike TV was TNN and used to air ECW on Friday's. This was back when TNN was like CMT #2.

I feel they're best to stay where they're at. As it was pointed out itll be a challenge for them to get on
any mainstream network. I'd personally like to see them on Monday night to see how they'd do ratings wise against Raw's second hour meltdown.

 

[wrestlingxp]

I seriously don't think it would be that big of a stretch for them to end up on the upcoming WWE network. If WWE is considering bringing on other outside sports to the network, I don't see WWE bringing on TNA as that big of a stretch. They are not competition to WWE, and I think it would honestly be the smartest move they could make (TNA). If WWE truly runs this as a real network it wouldn't be that far fetched. You will see ABC Studio shows on Fox, NBC Studio shows on NBC and so on. Just seems like a natural fit to me...

 

[J.J.]

I seriously don't think it would be that big of a stretch for them to end up on the upcoming WWE network. If WWE is considering bringing on other outside sports to the network, I don't see WWE bringing on TNA as that big of a stretch. They are not competition to WWE, and I think it would honestly be the smartest move they could make (TNA). If WWE truly runs this as a real network it wouldn't be that far fetched. You will see ABC Studio shows on Fox, NBC Studio shows on NBC and so on. Just seems like a natural fit to me...

I imagine TNA is trying to compete with WWE and not become business partners. Considering TNA likes to acquire former WWE talent, how do you think thst would work if they were an alliance? I see your point though, I feel this would've been good if they weren't trying to be a WWE competitor.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

OK. People who don't understand network distribution shouldn't talk about network distribution.

1) Spike TV is marketed as a male-oriented network for viewers 18-34 years old. The only reason they get female numbers the way they do is because they are also known as "The CSI Channel", because if you want to watch CSI at any given time, the odds are about 50/50 that Spike is airing it.
2) Television programs do not choose what network they air on. They create a product and then attempt to sell it to networks. Networks, if they are interested, buy that product (the television program), and then sell advertising during that program.
3) CW just had the product of the larger professional wrestling company fail to achieve the ratings they were looking for, so they'd have to be huffing glue to make a deal for TNA's product- or TNA staffers would need to be huffing enough glue to sell at a price that would make the show appealing to broadcast television.
4) The options for TNA/IW to move off of Spike is limited. They aren't going to any NBC stations, as the WWE has their deal with them. With Fox's new deal with the UFC, this is definitely the wrong time for them to introduce professional wrestling, right as they are trying to get MMA accepted as a mainstream sport. ABC/Disney have never shown any interest in professional wrestling; it simply doesn't fit their company profile. That leaves Viacom, which owns Spike.
5) Spike TV isn't holding TNA/IW back. That is an excuse offered up by the people operating TNA/IW, because they'd like to keep their jobs. You don't simply get to say, "I want to be on this channel, and I want this kind of advertising for my shows, and I want this kind of distribution, and, and, and...." You need to demonstrate to people that would spend money on you that the money is being well spent and will return as a profitable investment. TNA/IW's finances have been opaque for years, and they haven't been reporting any good news that would attract investment.

(To the "but Panda Energy has all the money they could need" crowd: A single major investor is a horrible idea for a business, because the second that investor decides to pull out, your company fails. It's bad for the single investor as well- many business owners have toppled their entire enterprises by backing one losing horse for a little bit too long. Every business comes back to "at the end of the day, is it making money?", which is why we aren't talking about what's going to be on Nitro tonight. I don't know that Panda Energy is the majority interest in TNA/IW currently; but I do know that they were not too long ago, and there's been no reason for anyone to rush to buy stakes in TNA/IW.)

I'd love to see TNA/IW at 9 o'clock on CBS, but it ain't gonna happen. TNA/IW gets what they can gets.

This a thousand times.

The minute I saw the OP's post and his crazy assumption that SPIKE is mostly watched by women (what the hell did you base that on?), and the excellent use of the letter "s" being replaced with the letter "z" for added coolnezz, I knew s/he was uninformed and unenlightened on the matter.

As far as the "It's all SPIKE's fault" bullshit ... I'm sorry, I love TNA to death but it ain't SPIKE's fault TNA's ratings are lower than WWE's. There are numerous factor that affect the weekly ratings. Fixing one won't fix the rest.

Besides, like hatehabs said - what's the problem with SPIKE? Just because TNA is not drawing constant 3.0's that means that they should jump to another Network in order to do it and ruin a solid relationship with SPIKE in the process? That's not how it works. WCW didn't beat RAW by being on a better Network. It beat it through other means, one of which is innovation and excellent product. Oh and snatchin' their stars up. One of the few things they did.

In the end, TNA is stable in the ratings department. And no, not out drawing WWE doesn't mean your company is dying. Vince McMahon buying your company means it's dying. Last time I checked TNA was owned by a googly eyed southern woman. They're fine.

P.S: If you honestly think TNA will come even close to 3'0's in the next decade you are completely delusional. I'll be shocked if they come to 2.0's in the next 5 years, let alone ten. But hey, you never know. Crazier things have happened. Like Bischoff's spawn winning a match.

 

[badnewzxl]

SPIKE is perfect for TNA; Impact just needs to be a better show. They post produce that shit; it shouldn't be as bad on-air as it is. There's no reason for TNA to go elsewhere: they get plenty of promotion, they fit in perfectly with the rest of the programming on the network (whoever on hear said SPIKE was targeted at women OBVIOUSLY never watches the channel. Their top shows/programs include Deadliest Warrior, Manswers, Blue Mountain State, MOVIES FOR GUYS WHO LIKE MOVIES, and some sports, as well as older now-cancelled shows like Stripperella and Ren & Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon. CSI is the most feminine thing that is even shown on the network), and bc the demographic of the channel is 18-34 year old males, they have a lot less restrictions on their content. Unless they moved to FX, they'd be sacrificing some freedom if they left SPIKE, and I'm positive that presently there wouldn't be a network that would pick them up and compensate them for that loss of freedoms....

 

[blkshp]

Rayne is spot on with the network talk, which is one of the reasons TNA wouldn't work on the CW. But the reason the CW didn't renew its Smackdown contract had nothing to do with ratings, in fact it had the highest viewership on the network. The reason was the CW was a merged WB and UPN, and they wanted to gear the network to the teenage girl audience, that's why the WWE was dumped and TNA wouldn't work. Also TNA has to stay on cable to avoid the FCC regulations neutering them. Spike is fine for where they are right now. The WWE network would be a bit ironic. Dixie and Vince working together? Mass hysteria!

 

[Rayne]

Rayne is spot on with the network talk, which is one of the reasons TNA wouldn't work on the CW. But the reason the CW didn't renew its Smackdown contract had nothing to do with ratings, in fact it had the highest viewership on the network. The reason was the CW was a merged WB and UPN, and they wanted to gear the network to the teenage girl audience, that's why the WWE was dumped and TNA wouldn't work. Also TNA has to stay on cable to avoid the FCC regulations neutering them. Spike is fine for where they are right now. The WWE network would be a bit ironic. Dixie and Vince working together? Mass hysteria!

Well, it's not just ratings. It's ratings vs. what you spend to buy the show. Smackdown was CW's top ratings getter, but not for the price. It obviously wasn't enough of a getter to keep CW from revamping their lineup in a fashion that would render it obsolete.

TNA/IW won't have to worry about leaving cable. If the WWE can't get enough viewers on network television (anyone remember when the last "Saturday Night Main Event" was, without looking it up?), then TNA/IW isn't getting on network television.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Rayne's first post pretty much says everything that there is to say on the subject.

TNA isn't a ratings powerhouse. They're delivering solid, consistent numbers for Spike but they're not generating the kind of numbers in which they could just sit down and pick whichever network offered them the best deal even if they had tons of other networks interested in bringing them on. As Rayne also pointed out, most of the big cable networks that have large numbers of the coveted male demographic probably aren't interested or have much bigger stuff already like UFC or WWE programming. Even if a TNA fan is of the opinion that TNA is overall more exciting and superior to either of these other companies in every way, TNA doesn't pull the numbers and that's what television executives care about.

I don't think there's really anything TNA can do to boost their ratings. It's just a tougher time out there right now. The fall television season is tough on both TNA & WWE and there also just might not be as many people interested in wrestling anymore no matter what happens. TNA should count its blessings and be happy that it's got itself a solid television deal with Spike.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

OK. People who don't understand network distribution shouldn't talk about network distribution.

1) Spike TV is marketed as a male-oriented network for viewers 18-34 years old. The only reason they get female numbers the way they do is because they are also known as "The CSI Channel", because if you want to watch CSI at any given time, the odds are about 50/50 that Spike is airing it.
2) Television programs do not choose what network they air on. They create a product and then attempt to sell it to networks. Networks, if they are interested, buy that product (the television program), and then sell advertising during that program.
3) CW just had the product of the larger professional wrestling company fail to achieve the ratings they were looking for, so they'd have to be huffing glue to make a deal for TNA's product- or TNA staffers would need to be huffing enough glue to sell at a price that would make the show appealing to broadcast television.
4) The options for TNA/IW to move off of Spike is limited. They aren't going to any NBC stations, as the WWE has their deal with them. With Fox's new deal with the UFC, this is definitely the wrong time for them to introduce professional wrestling, right as they are trying to get MMA accepted as a mainstream sport. ABC/Disney have never shown any interest in professional wrestling; it simply doesn't fit their company profile. That leaves Viacom, which owns Spike.
5) Spike TV isn't holding TNA/IW back. That is an excuse offered up by the people operating TNA/IW, because they'd like to keep their jobs. You don't simply get to say, "I want to be on this channel, and I want this kind of advertising for my shows, and I want this kind of distribution, and, and, and...." You need to demonstrate to people that would spend money on you that the money is being well spent and will return as a profitable investment. TNA/IW's finances have been opaque for years, and they haven't been reporting any good news that would attract investment.

(To the "but Panda Energy has all the money they could need" crowd: A single major investor is a horrible idea for a business, because the second that investor decides to pull out, your company fails. It's bad for the single investor as well- many business owners have toppled their entire enterprises by backing one losing horse for a little bit too long. Every business comes back to "at the end of the day, is it making money?", which is why we aren't talking about what's going to be on Nitro tonight. I don't know that Panda Energy is the majority interest in TNA/IW currently; but I do know that they were not too long ago, and there's been no reason for anyone to rush to buy stakes in TNA/IW.)

I'd love to see TNA/IW at 9 o'clock on CBS, but it ain't gonna happen. TNA/IW gets what they can gets.

I completly agree with but you made one little mistake on point number 3. CW didn'T dump Smackdown because of ratings because Smackdown at the time, was they highest rated show on the network, they REAL reason that was reported on every wrestling and entertainment website was that the current president of the CW didn'T want Smackdown on her network because it didn'T fit with the demographic the network was going after and that was young teenage girls.

outside of that, you are completly right about this.

 

[ThatPuroGuy]

Yeeeeeeahhh. You obviously know nothing about Spike TV's demographics. TNA's ratings aren't horrible and they're rather consistent. TNA is fine where they are network-wise.

 

[R.W. Heenan]

In all honesty TNA should just go to the WWE Network