Would you be more likely to purchase a PPV if the price is lower?

[AAPTSLTS]

I was watching No Way Out 2000 today, and an advertisement for WrestleMania 2000 came on. The price was $34.95. Obviously this is in 2000 dollars, but such a low price made me curious about the adjusted price. I went to a website that adjusts for inflation, and it adjusted to $47.24 in 2013 dollars. WWE is effectively charging for regular PPVs what they once charged for WrestleMania. Considering that WWE was charging 60-70 dollars for this WrestleMania, do you think that this increase, even when adjusting for inflation, is affecting buyrates in a negative way? To put it another way, would you be more likely to buy a PPV if the price went down?

PS:
Sorry if this is in the wrong category, but since this is a general discussion about the price of WWE PPVs I wasn't sure if it should go under general WWE or under the PPV section.

 

[ChicagoMade Punk]

In all my years of wrestling I've only bought one pay per view. I live on. Its not like they are needed for us. So I mean its just if they put on the best looking card i wouldn't be surprised if they changed the price to 100 and people still pay. People pay what the E wants them to pay

 

[#heel420]

I haven't bought a PPV since Royal Rumble 2004. More or less because the cards aren't worth spending so much to see it live when I could A) Stream it for free or B) buy the dvd a few weeks later for $15-$20.

To answer the original question, Price really doesn't matter to me as long as it isn't some ridiculously high number. If it was a quality program it would be worth the cost to watch. So, when they start putting effort into the storylines I'll start paying to watch WWE again.

 

[Pedigree1]

PPV Price are ridiculous! WWE could most certainly afford to charge 29.95 for their PPVs and still make a killing! This years WM price was way too expensive. Most of the PPVs are just sub-par at best and mostly i read reviews before buying it on DVD! I buy the major four out of habit but the in between PPVs had better be spectacular for me to consider buying it!

DVD's are a fraction of the price so thats a plus i guess! But yah if they lower the price of the PPV i think it would help matters out a lot

 

[Dysturbed]

I never personally spent the full amount of money to get a ppv as, like many of you older viewers, I used to either watch with a big group that all chipped in, or, as I got older I would watch at a bar for a small cover charge (if that). That applied to even more lackluster cards. At this point though, most of my friends have moved on from watching and/or have other things (children, bills, etc) that take priority with money. Therefore I stream every ppv and for the rumble or WM still get together with people and chip in. If the price was less I would still end up doing the same due to the circumstances that I mentioned. I can’t speak for the masses though. Some people may be more inclined to pay more often if the cost was less, but the quality of the card would probably be a big factor.

 

[JJ15776]

I stopped buying them awhile ago. Not because of price, but because I used to purchase them online, and I've since discovered that their customer service is atrocious. Until that improves dramatically, I will continue to view free streams, out of spite if nothing else. To me, the price is irrelevant. Either I want to see the PPV or I don't - and it used to be that either I paid if I wanted to see it and I didn't pay if I didn't, and it may be that way again in the future, but for the time being I simply watch the stream if I want to see it and I don't if I don't.

EDIT:

PPV Price are ridiculous! WWE could most certainly afford to charge 29.95 for their PPVs and still make a killing!

Too many people have this mentality. You see, that's not how business works. This is what you need to understand: WWE knows what they are doing. You do not. They're privy to a lot of information that you and I are not. They spend a lot of time and money on polls, surveys, focus groups and number crunching to determine exactly how much they should charge on their PPV to optimize profits. And that's another thing you need to realize - people have this misguided notion that you stop caring about how much money you have at some point. This is false. WWE is a business, and they are looking to make as much money as possible in every way possible. What might sound like "still make a milling" to you is not making a killing to them, if it's significantly less than what they're accustomed to making. And they would make significantly less if they charged $29.95 for their PPVs. The increased number of buys would not come close to making up for the drastic reduction in price. Not close.

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

Cheaper pricing would help sway me towards buying a PPV. Also, improved service since I was part of the unlucky group that stupidly decided to stream Wrestlemania 29. Darn wwe.com.

I was actually wondering what kind of effect having Wrestlemania on cable would have?

Does the WWE make that much more money than the Super Bowl b/c it's PPV? Would the Superbowl be as huge if it was a PPV?

It would be a great for the WWE to grow the brand and bring in non-fans. By copying the NFL, the WWE could sell the ad space for insane prices to make up for lost revenue. Also, non-fans might watch Wrestlemania just to see the commercials, just like the Super Bowl.

Also, by pretty much giving Wrestlemania away, the WWE could build off the momentum and profit for the next couple months. Unlike the Super Bowl, the WWE doesn't have an off season. They normally use the Raw after 'Mania to as launching point. IE Rock v. Cena I announcement, Brock Lesnar's return, and now Ryback's heel turn.

But would cable devalue Wrestlemania? Instead of being wrestling biggest event... will it just be a big episode of Raw?

 

[The Butcher]

Of course I would be more likely to buy a PPV if it was cheaper. And of course WWE has jacked up it's prices over the course of 13 years. They're the only game in town, they've likely got higher operating costs, and they're drawing from a smaller fanbase than they were then. But the answer to the original question is undoubtedly yes-- anyone who likes saving money would be more interested in something cheaper.

 

[Kidpolean]

I buy them because i like watching them. You have to pay for everything in life. I dont have a problem with the prices. I believe in supporting the business that I love so i dont watch the free live streams. This question is kind of silly though because cheaper prices for just about anything would make me think more about purchasing the item.

 

[HBsam31]

Of course I would be more likely to buy them if the price was lower. Right now I buy Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and usually one lower tier ppv, usually MITB but it can vary. I bought HIAC last year to see Punk vs Ryback and was sorry I spent that money. I love watching them, but the cost has gotten a bit outrageous. They would do fine business even if they lowered the price ten bucks. I think the number of people that ordered would make up for the lower price. I still order my favorites, but I would probably order a lot more if the cost was a bit lower.

 

[Jaffa]

I live in Australia and normal PPVS are $30 and Mania $35 and seeing as the Australian dollar is higher than the US one I payed less for Wrestlemania 29 than Americans did for Wrestlemania 2000, not that I am rubbing it in well actually yes, yes I am. Well lets look at the TNA One Night Only PPVs they are what $US15 not very much but the shows aren't of a high quality so no one is buying them. While we all would like them to be cheaper most unless they were much cheaper or something I doubt the numbers would be that different.

 

[Patou27]

actually not at all ... I only buy the big four anyway ... but honestly they should bring the 8 other PPV price to something lower and keep charging more for the big 4

 

[GameOver]

Personally i'd pay for WWE either way been watching since 1983 not gonna stop anytime soon and have paid for every PPV that were available to us in Australia on PayTV, they may not be anywhere near the quality of years past but it's still better overall then the alternative (for me)

TNA only charge $24.95 per PPV but regardless of price they are purely a waste of money IMO i might consider it worthwhile if by watching the replays and such on the internet i saw a whole PPV that was atleast good overall instead of 1 good match and the rest is just a glorified TV taping

Seems it sucks to be in America as far as prices go, dunno about other parts of the world but the price here in Australia has been pretty consistant it's only gone up by $5 in over 6yrs to $29.95 for a standard PPV and $34.95 for WrestleMania but thats not HD, we don't get HD PPV's here due to the PayTV Provider refusing to pay for the extra bandwidth it would cost them. all the other TV shows are in HD when available just not the PayPerView channel.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I think the answer I'm gonna give you is a universal one, applying to everyone on this forum.

I'd be more likely to purchase a PPV if I had more money.

There ya go. Listen, if I had money to spare (not riches, just enough to know I can purchase a WWE or TNA PPV and it won't hurt me in the long run), I'll buy them all. Why not.

That said, lowering the price might also work but they won't do that. I've got a bigger shot at getting rich than they do at lowering the prices.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I'd buy WrestleMania and Rumble if it were cheaper, but I don't lose sleep at night because I haven't bought a PPV in years.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I usually buy only two a year.

Wrestlemania....always. It cost $60 in my area, but a 4-hour show gives a lot of bang for the buck. Besides......it's Wrestlemania.

I almost always buy the Royal Rumble just because I love the concept. It's still a lot of money but I almost always do it.

The rest of 'em? Only if there's something going on I can't resist.....but mostly, I have no problem waiting 'til the next night when I can find out the results on Raw.

Yes, the reason for this is that it costs too much. I don't even remember what the first Wrestlemania went for, but when you consider the first "In Your House" PPVs were going for $9.95, I say the pricing has gotten out of hand.

I love watching WWE, but money is money and the company has systematically raised prices too much over a relatively short period of time.

 

[SaveUsCMPunk]

I never bought a PPV when the business was red hot, (Attitude Era obviously. I was tempted to back then. The PPVs of 2001-part of 2002 were alluring as well.) so I doubt I'd buy one when the product is as dull as it is now.

 

[RD_21]

During the attitude era I had 3 friends who were watching with me, the PPV were 30$ and we were ordering them every months for 10$ each.

But at 50$ I buy it once in a blue moon if I feel like it's worth it, which happened twice in the last 5 years.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The price is only part of the problem. My main problem is not necessarily that PPV events are too expensive, but that WWE does not always do that good of a job in making me want to buy them. It also depends on the PPV brand. Some of them I will much more likely to consider buying no matter what is on the card or how expensive it is, while others I need more convincing on purchasing. Is the card worth spending money on? Has the build going into the PPV event been good? I'll go through each brand currently on the PPV schedule.


Royal Rumble
Part of the Big 4, has a match type exclusive to it that I anticipate each year due to Wrestlemania title shots being on the line, and a ton of historical value. WWE has to do very little convince me to buy it.


Elimination Chamber
It helps set up Wrestlemania's other world title match. It's in between the biggest show of the year in Wrestlemania and the 3rd biggest in the Royal Rumble. That makes me a little less interested in it sometimes, but I do enjoy the Elimination Chamber match type and with Wrestlemania world title matches forming as a result of this event's aftermath that is enough to convince me most of the time.


Wrestlemania
I never miss Wrestlemania. Period. It would take some type of world crisis or family emergency for me to not purchase it. I put aside some money in advance each year specifically meant to pay for Wrestlemania so that I won't spend it on anything else.


Extreme Rules
This is the show that WWE has to do more to convince me to purchase than any other brand. It hasn't been "extreme" in years and I'm generally not interested in seeing Wrestlemania rematches. The card has to be strong and the build should be good enough to convince me to spend money on it.


Over the Limit
This show has had some decent cards. It has potential due to being more open as to what match types might take place unlike shows such as TLC or Hell in a Cell that have to feature their namesake. If the card's not impressive enough though I might reconsider. It takes less to convince me on this one than Extreme Rules, but I'm not as interested in Over the Limit as I would be in other brands.


Payback
I have no clue what this will even be, but it's this year's entry in the ever changing random 12th PPV brand slot. I'm not expecting anything amazing until more will be revealed about this brand.


Money In the Bank
I love the Money In The Bank concept so I'm going to be interested in this show due to that. It has delivered solid shows in the years its been around, so WWE doesn't have to do as much to convince me to buy it.


Summerslam
The second biggest show of the year. Tons of historical value, part of the Big 4, the biggest storylines of the summer. Very little has to be done to make me want to spend money on it.


Night of Champions
My favorite of the newer PPV brands. I personally think it should be all about the championships at each show, sadly that is not the case. So the fact that we have a show where every title is up for grabs is enough for me.


Hell In a Cell
As much as I like the Hell In a Cell match type, this is one of the brands I'm less interested in. I can't just have Hell In a Cell matches on paper and suddenly want to buy the show. The build needs to convince me to get this one.


Survivor Series
Part of the Big 4 and I enjoy the traditional elimination matches. However, my interest has declined in recent years. The historical value in the brand and the elimination matches can convince me but a strong build going into the show helps here.


TLC
Unlike Hell In a Cell, the gimmick can be enough to convince me on this one. It is 4 gimmicks in one. Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and of course TLC. The card being impressive and the build being strong will help, but the gimmick(s) are often all it takes.


Now then, after taking a quick look at each brand in the current lineup.... It is not always about the money. They need to make fans want to spend money on the show instead of lowering the price. If Extreme Rules, Over the Limit, and Hell In a Cell each only cost $5, I wouldn't be any more convinced to buy it if the card still doesn't impress me. Then you have shows like Wrestlemania, Summerslam, or Night of Champions that I'd be interested in even if the price went UP. Lower price of PPV events won't help convince me to buy a show. They should focus on adding to the prestige of their PPV brands and giving fans a reason to want to spend money on them. Going the route of doing exactly what they already do but simply lowering the price would come off as lazy to me, so to answer the thread's actual question.... No a price decrease will not make me any more likely to purchase the PPV shows since it takes a strong build, a good card, and making each show stand out from the rest in a good way. Give the fans a reason to want to buy all shows!

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I get them free so lowering the price does nothing for me. But they would need to do something about the shitty product for me to spend $$$ on anything. I get them for free and in the past year(give or take a month) the only PPV I watched was WrestleMania XXVIII.

It's sad to say this about the "sport" I grew up with but it is just horrible all the way around. I spend more time watching Japanese wrestling than anything. Not tryng to be negative to sound cool or anything like that but the writing just flat out sucks right now.

 

[fenderjapan]

I've bought a bunch of them. The last one I bought was this year's royal rumble. I couldn't stomach $70 or whatever it was for Wrestlemania. I'd have been fine at $40. I think one year I paid $50 but they sent me a free Intercontinental Championship DVD so I was okay with that. But $70? Nah