DirecTV Joins DISH Network in Refusing to Carry Future WWE "Special Events"

DirecTV joins DISH Network in refusing to carry future WWE “Special Events.” DirecTV made the announcement on Monday, April 14, and is now the second satellite provider to drop WWE Pay-Per-Views from their monthly On-Demand services since WWE launched the WWE Network.

While claiming that the company will no longer allow subscribers to be able to purchase WWE Special Events through their service, DirecTV is claiming that they could change their decision on a month-to-month basis, just like DISH Network has opted to do. DirecTV and DISH Network both feel that with WWE advising their viewers to subscribe to the WWE Network in order to view their monthly Special Events (which is the new term coined by WWE to replace the term Pay-Per-View) instead of pushing them towards their cable or satellite providers, there just isn’t enough reward for a continuous partnership with the company.

Other cable and satellite providers may being to drop WWE Special Events as well, seeing as the two biggest in satellite television have led the way. DirecTV has officially removed “WWE Extreme Rules” from their content line-up for May, confirming that they are not planning to offer it at this time.

Editor’s Note: I feel like this is a good, and bad situation for WWE to be in. It’s good in the fact that now, anyone that subscribes to DirecTV or DISH and wants to watch a WWE Special Event has to order the Network, but that isolates so many fans in the market that have yet to successfully obtain high-speed internet. This just seems a little brash, and I’m not sure how the future of the now replaced “Pay-Per-View” is going to pan out.