WWE May Consider Bringing the WWE Network to Cable

WWE has made no secret the WWE Network is its primary investment going forward. Between the constant “$9.99” promos that have been favored on “Monday Night Raw,” the new payment plans or even verbal pushes, getting the WWE Network to where the company wants it to be is undoubtedly the priority.

However, The New York Post is reporting the company may be considering taking the online-exclusive network into the U.S. cable market after all.

According to the outlet, WWE’s recent deal with Rogers Communication has opened up new possibilities for the WWE Network, both domestically and internationally. It is said Vince McMahon is using the progress of the Canadian cable deal, which sees the WWE Network as an HBO-style service for a payment plan per month, as a test to see whether such an option would be feasible in the United States as well.

WWE Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios told the post the company is in favor of new opportunities that allow them to expand the network’s outreach.

“We love the over-the-top model,” George Barrios, WWE’s chief strategy and financial officer, said in a telephone interview with The Post. “It’s a great business model for us.”

He continued:

“We have a phrase here: ‘Approach your job like it’s the first day on the job.’ We say that because it’s so easy to get locked in to things you create.”

The second quarter of WWE Network subscriptions was announced over the summer, and the numbers were once again way lower than initially anticipated. Many believe the low numbers were the cause for 10 percent of WWE employees losing their job as well, as the company was forced to continue its ongoing budget cuts.

WWE Network six-month subscriptions ordered for the time of the launch in February recently expired, and the company made a major promotional push on programming to get people to re-order. This coincides with the aforementioned new payment plans.

Interestingly enough, WWE initially touted the network’s availability on just the web, gaming systems and applications. A return to the cable market would likely not mean the end of the multimedia emphasis of the network, but it would be a return to the initial prospects for it.

WWE had originally intended to bring the network as a full-scale cable service, but ultimately decided to pull out of the process and delay the network for two years before settling on the additional screen element.

The company recently expanded the network’s outreach to more than 170 countries.

Editor’s Note

It would likely be another grab for the company, a solid one at that. Some of the traditionalists who don’t like the Internet for these purposes may choose to buy the network on television. It is at least worth looking into, and if it’s working in Canada, see if it works domestically.

Follow @JonAlbaSFC