WWE Network in the UK

[TheJF]

I've just read an interesting article looking at the WWE Network and a possible way for it to launch in the UK. The basic gist of the article was that, the WWE have stated that they will receive £0 from Pay Per Views, and that it's entirely possible for the network to be launched as a subscription channel on Sky services, with on demand available through the red button.

The article is here http://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-network-uk-signs-part-sky-tv-deal.php.

What do people think the likelihood of this being true? And if it is, do people feel that this would be a better idea than doing it, as it has been in the USA?

 

[WarroBODFan]

For me, most of the excitement about eventually getting the WWE Network was the fact that, as the article states, it would operate as it's own entity, as a Netflix type thing. Just like it does right now in the US. As a Sky customer myself, I guess this potential deal would make things fairly convenient. Also, as long as we get the exact same content as everyone else, and at the same sort of price, then I don't honestly care too much who hosts it.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

From reading the article it sounds as though Sky would need to have a WWE Channel. Not knowing much about the network but it seems to have a 24/7 viewing schedule, so Sky would need to make it available and that would be near impossible on the normal sky sports channels.

From the amount of hours available on the network, it sounds difficult to get all this onto demand. That is a huge library of wrestling and would more than likely be the biggest grouping for a single on demand group. There are a lot of boxsets available but I still think the wrestling would be bigger.

That sounds complicated to look through given the current search functions for Sky's on demand at the moment.

I think an option like Netflix would be better. It would be so much easier to search for what you want. If they perhaps combined the options (like they do with BT Sport) so that they have a WWE channel showing the 24/7 footage which can be accessed for nothing if you subscribe to the network (which would be like Netflix). Or you can just subscribe to the channel, without the 'On demand' services.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I hope its available online as a Netflix type option, as since I have bought my own house I do not currently have Sky TV and I would be pretty pissed off if I had to splash out on that just to be able to access the WWE network.

The reason TNA has done well in the UK is that its programming is shown on Challenge TV, which is a TV channel available without the viewer needing a subscription to Sky. With the large number of people watching TNA, this shows that there is still a high number of people without access to Sky TV. I think its unlikely that many people would be willing to pay the large monthly Sky bill just to then have to pay extra for a WWE Network.

If WWE are able to make the network similar to Netflix, and accessible with just a small single monthly payment, rather than going through Sky then I think they will definitely get alot more viewers/subscribers, of which I will definitely be one.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

I hope its available online as a Netflix type option, as since I have bought my own house I do not currently have Sky TV and I would be pretty pissed off if I had to splash out on that just to be able to access the WWE network.

The reason TNA has done well in the UK is that its programming is shown on Challenge TV, which is a TV channel available without the viewer needing a subscription to Sky. With the large number of people watching TNA, this shows that there is still a high number of people without access to Sky TV. I think its unlikely that many people would be willing to pay the large monthly Sky bill just to then have to pay extra for a WWE Network.

If WWE are able to make the network similar to Netflix, and accessible with just a small single monthly payment, rather than going through Sky then I think they will definitely get alot more viewers/subscribers, of which I will definitely be one.

The fact the Challange is available on Sky makes your argument that a large number of people don't have Sky, completely made up.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The danger they have is that if the system is not exactly as the US version, with the same content etc. then people are very unlikely to sign up. They need guaranteed signups from this launch if it's going to boost the stock price and they won't get that by hitching it to Sky or by offering a lesser service than the US.

The "caveat" I can see is that PPV's will be on a delay of 24-48 hours.

They have to get this right, it can't be "more expensive but less content" as Netflix UK tend to do either as that will turn people off. The precedent was set years ago with PPV Soccer. It just didn't work, people weren't prepared to pay for it in that way or have to sign up to new providers just for certain content. Even the games on BT are given "free" to their customers without an additional sign up and same for Sky and F1.

WWE HAS to get this right... if the deal isn't right for the UK consumer it will bomb badly...and that will tank the share price even more... and the UK consumer IS NOT THE US CONSUMER. It's bad enough that after years of some "free PPV's" with Sky they have for the moment, made all PPV paid/Box Office, although this may have been a sweetner for Sky as they know they're gonna lose once the Network starts. Time differences mean to watch content live, it's a day off work or being tired at work cos of the time difference. That's why PPV does so badly here, who wants to pay over the odds compared to the US to have to then "take a days holiday" too? It's expensive to watch WWE that way. So most people watch replays the following day or stream it to mitigate that cost.

Netflix is gaining ground here but people can still just VPN and get the US/Better version for not much more a month.

If they get the balance right, then the UK could easily add 200,000 subscribers at launch.

 

[Pedigree1]

I hope it does become available for the UK people.. It be great and Im not quite sure,on how it would work over there... Different connections and outlets,might effect internet over there.. If it becomes available on netflix it be awesome.. I dont mind streaming over my laptop/tablet! It would generate a lot of revenue for the WWE and boost their numbers for the network up substantially.

But WWE has to get this right,and right i mean by the UK subscribers. I believe over there in the UK,you guys dont pay for PPVS unlike us in the states. WWE has to be careful,and not overcharge the people. I could see 250K subscribers

 

[salopstick]

I hope it does become available for the UK people.. It be great and Im not quite sure,on how it would work over there... Different connections and outlets,might effect internet over there.. If it becomes available on netflix it be awesome.. I dont mind streaming over my laptop/tablet! It would generate a lot of revenue for the WWE and boost their numbers for the network up substantially.

But WWE has to get this right,and right i mean by the UK subscribers. I believe over there in the UK,you guys dont pay for PPVS unlike us in the states. WWE has to be careful,and not overcharge the people. I could see 250K subscribers

We pay around £15 for B PPVS and £20 for the big 4. About 4 of the Bs are free. But we have to subscribe to cable/satellite tv to gain access.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The fact the Challange is available on Sky makes your argument that a large number of people don't have Sky, completely made up.

You do realise that Challenge is also available on Freeview, don't you? I don't have Sky, I watch Challenge. Therefore I am a viewer of TNA without having to pay extra for Sky. TNA get so many viewers in the UK for this reason- it's accessibility for more people. If TNA was available on a channel which could only be watched on Sky then their viewing figures would be a lot lower.

What I was trying to say in my first post was that in my opinion, more people would sign up for the WWE network in the UK if it was a £10 a month Netflix type subscription, rather than a £10 a month Sky channel that you could only get if you paid a lot more for a monthly Sky subscription, and then paid for the channel on top. It's cheaper, which would encourage more fans to sign up.

 

[TheJF]

Good to see a few different opinions on the network.

I just want to clarify that I wasn't stating the network would be only a Sky TV channel, however if it was a choice between an online stream or a channel streamed through my TV I would definitely side with the TV stream, purely for reliability and the ease of watching it on my big screen without the need to hook my computer up.

I was however just putting the link out there, as it's an interesting point and we don't really know too many details around the last SkySports/WWE deal.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

You do realise that Challenge is also available on Freeview, don't you? I don't have Sky, I watch Challenge. Therefore I am a viewer of TNA without having to pay extra for Sky. TNA get so many viewers in the UK for this reason- it's accessibility for more people. If TNA was available on a channel which could only be watched on Sky then their viewing figures would be a lot lower.

What I was trying to say in my first post was that in my opinion, more people would sign up for the WWE network in the UK if it was a £10 a month Netflix type subscription, rather than a £10 a month Sky channel that you could only get if you paid a lot more for a monthly Sky subscription, and then paid for the channel on top. It's cheaper, which would encourage more fans to sign up.

Your argument wa that because Challange is on Freeview and a lot of people in the UK watch TNA, a lot of people watching TNA must not have Sky. Which as I pointed out, Challange is available on Sky, your argument is made up as there is no way to tell whether people are watching TNA on Sky or not if the channel showing it is available both ways.

Again, unless you can back it up, you can't say that people watch TNA simply because it is on a Freeview channel and they don't want to pay for Sky. You are making up arguments here.

 

[cityprod]

Your argument wa that because Challange is on Freeview and a lot of people in the UK watch TNA, a lot of people watching TNA must not have Sky. Which as I pointed out, Challange is available on Sky, your argument is made up as there is no way to tell whether people are watching TNA on Sky or not if the channel showing it is available both ways.

Again, unless you can back it up, you can't say that people watch TNA simply because it is on a Freeview channel and they don't want to pay for Sky. You are making up arguments here.

And you are making the DUMBEST assertion possible. To quote from earlier in the thread.

The fact the Challange is available on Sky makes your argument that a large number of people don't have Sky, completely made up.

Okay, time for some facts.

Challenge is available on the following platforms...

Sky
Virgin Media
Freesat
Freeview

There are about 24 million homes in the UK right now.

Sky is currently available in about 11 million homes.
Virgin Media is currently available in about 3 million homes, and can only reach about 12 or 13 million homes, it's not totally national.
Freesat is currently available in about 4 million homes.

Freeview is available in every home in the country. More people have access to Challenge via Freeview, than via Sky, and a majority of those are not Sky subscribers.

TNA gets more viewers than WWE in the UK, because it is on a channel that is available to be seen on every TV in the country. That's not supposition, that's undeniable fact. 166,000 according to the latest BARB figures, compared to 142,000 for WWE RAW on Sky Sports 3, a channel that can only be viewed right now in about 10 million homes.

There are about 13 million homes that don't wanna pay for Sky. That's a majority, by the way.

If WWE Network becomes part of the Sky platform, then it will alienate a lot of potential possible subscribers, because of being part of the Sky platform. That's because of Sky being owned by Rupert Murdoch, and he is a polarizing figure. That is undeniable fact, and I have met many people who will never pay for Sky, because of that fact.

On the flip side of all this, is the fact that Challenge is owned by Sky, and Sky have both of the major US wrestling companies on their channels. But Sky choose to provide Challenge to Freeview, Freesat and Virgin Media. They have pulled channels in the past. Sky Sports News was on Freeview from 2003 to 2008, and then they pulled it and returned it to being a subscription service. If they wanted to pull Challenge back behind the paywall, they could, but they choose not to.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

And you are making the DUMBEST assertion possible. To quote from earlier in the thread.



Okay, time for some facts.

Challenge is available on the following platforms...

Sky
Virgin Media
Freesat
Freeview

There are about 24 million homes in the UK right now.

Sky is currently available in about 11 million homes.
Virgin Media is currently available in about 3 million homes, and can only reach about 12 or 13 million homes, it's not totally national.
Freesat is currently available in about 4 million homes.

Freeview is available in every home in the country. More people have access to Challenge via Freeview, than via Sky, and a majority of those are not Sky subscribers.

TNA gets more viewers than WWE in the UK, because it is on a channel that is available to be seen on every TV in the country. That's not supposition, that's undeniable fact. 166,000 according to the latest BARB figures, compared to 142,000 for WWE RAW on Sky Sports 3, a channel that can only be viewed right now in about 10 million homes.

There are about 13 million homes that don't wanna pay for Sky. That's a majority, by the way.

If WWE Network becomes part of the Sky platform, then it will alienate a lot of potential possible subscribers, because of being part of the Sky platform. That's because of Sky being owned by Rupert Murdoch, and he is a polarizing figure. That is undeniable fact, and I have met many people who will never pay for Sky, because of that fact.

On the flip side of all this, is the fact that Challenge is owned by Sky, and Sky have both of the major US wrestling companies on their channels. But Sky choose to provide Challenge to Freeview, Freesat and Virgin Media. They have pulled channels in the past. Sky Sports News was on Freeview from 2003 to 2008, and then they pulled it and returned it to being a subscription service. If they wanted to pull Challenge back behind the paywall, they could, but they choose not to.

Thanks for all the FACTS about who has sky. Can you show me how any of this proves that the the majority of the 166,000 people who watch TNA don't have Sky?? Which was the point of the original argument??

13 Million homes don't want to pay for Sky, the majority as you state. But 3 million homes have Virgin, who have access to Sky sports. So if WWE went with a Sky Sports subscription which would be available to both Sky and Virgin customers, which from your FACTUAL figures totals about 14 million, would that not be the majority of 24 million homes?

 

[rge2010]

TNA may get more viewers but their live shows do not do the numbers of WWE's. And lets face facts, but Raw on Challenge and it would wipe the floor with TNA.

WWE Network needs to be like the Netflix Platform. It will of course alienate if it is run by Sky. Sky could always have a watered down version as part of their subscription package though.