No More free PPV's for UK'ers

[Nacho Man]

An investor breakfast was held on Wednesday by WWE. They discussed the WrestleMania XX DVD set being a 3-disc set and will include the TV special The Mania of WrestleMania, which is good for international fans that will not get a chance to see the show. Linda McMahon confirmed that there would be two extra pay-per-views in June and October. The show in October will be aired on a Tuesday night and will be a RAW event. There was also mention of UK fans having to pay for pay-per-views after WWE’s contract expires with BSKYB later this year. Finally they said that the video library will have to be edited due to music rights issues, as well as the situation with old logo.

Source: Rajah.com

[Mike the Metal Ed]

An investor breakfast was held on Wednesday by WWE. They discussed the WrestleMania XX DVD set being a 3-disc set and will include the TV special The Mania of WrestleMania, which is good for international fans that will not get a chance to see the show.(OK) Linda McMahon confirmed that there would be two extra pay-per-views in June and October. The show in October will be aired on a Tuesday night and will be a RAW event (What a fuc</>king stupid idea.. There was also mention of UK fans having to pay for pay-per-views after WWE’s contract expires with BSKYB later this year (I will download them then. :roll: ). Finally they said that the video library will have to be edited due to music rights issues, as well as the situation with old logo.
(More soiling of the tape library? Way to think ahead, guys :roll: )
Source: Rajah.com

[Savio]

When is that mania of wrestle mania?

[Mike the Metal Ed]

When is that mania of wrestle mania?

In about... yesterday.

[Nacho Man]

I know one thing. I'm never ever paying money for a PPV that I have to watch at 1am on a Monday morning. If WWE want to make money out of me then they will have to reschedule the starting times to make it more conveniant.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

I know one thing. I'm never ever paying money for a PPV that I have to watch at 1am on a Monday morning. If WWE want to make money out of me then they will have to reschedule the starting times to make it more conveniant.

I want to know why WWE/Sky think we'll spend £210 a year on 1 am PPVs, two of them on Tuesday nights.

[Rob]

BSkyB doesn't carry WWE events on PPV now because of high demands from Vince McMahon. Dana White from the UFC also has commented on this because he had to look for an alternative PPV carrier in the UK. I think there is a chance all shows will become PPV but nobody here will pay for them if they all are (one now and again now is a struggle when you have shows that finish at 4am on a Monday morning).

[big_bluto]

Got to agree that making PPV's actuall Pay-per-views in the UK will kill wrestling.

It's not so much staying up til 4am that worries me, but I have an issue with speding all that dough every 4 weeks!
All that will happen is that people MAY watch the joint events, but the solo RAW/SD PPV's will be dead.
Rumble and Mania will pull a few viewers but that's it.

End Result - Loss of interest/fans in the UK.

In fact if that happens I'm gonna stop paying for Sky Sports.
What's the point?

[Rob]

Football and wrestling are all I watch on Sky Sports anyway.

[The Mackem]

Culturally I don't think PPV is too popular in the UK, not like in America :/

I don't mind paying for the odd one but I can't see myself doing it for anything other than Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania.

[Y2Ant]

Yeah if we have to pay for every single one, i'm just gonna order the big 4, and the rest i'll order if the card looks like it's gonna be awesome.

I thought it was sad that I was at the point where I would only watch RAW and SD once a week if that, but now if i'm not watching 75% of the PPVs, why follow wrestling anymore at all :$?

What a shame. :-\

[Rob]

I'll get broadband or another chipped cable box if worse comes to worse.

[Evolution]

I won't even be able to order WrestleMania, my family all hates wrestling so my parents aren't gonna fork out £14 for me to see it. If PPV goes to actual PPV, I may have to call it a day on wrestling. I don't see SmackDown now anyways, and I only see Raw every now and again.

[Cruiserweight 3:16]

I won't even be able to order WrestleMania, my family all hates wrestling so my parents aren't gonna fork out £14 for me to see it. If PPV goes to actual PPV, I may have to call it a day on wrestling. I don't see SmackDown now anyways, and I only see Raw every now and again.

Wrestlemania XX is on Sky Sports 1

[Dave Youell]

Culturally I don't think PPV is too popular in the UK, not like in America :/


Raw 2 weeks ago pulled 300,000 viewers

that's pretty popular IMO

[Nacho Man]

300,000 would be quite large yes... but the manner that TV ratings are worked out means that I would be surprised if that many people actually watched. There is also a massive difference between people willing to watch Raw and people willing to stay up until 4am watching a program which they also have to pay for. To be honest I can see this idea tanking terribly.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Raw 2 weeks ago pulled 300,000 viewers

that's pretty popular IMO

If they get anywhere near 300000 for a 1am PPV that has to be paid for I'll eat my f</>ucking TV

[Dazz]

^LOL.

I have said for a while now that if Sky were clever, they would have made the Royal Rumble, Maina, SummerSlam and The Survivor Series the PPVs, and leave the rest being free.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

^LOL.

I have said for a while now that if Sky were clever, they would have made the Royal Rumble, Maina, SummerSlam and The Survivor Series the PPVs, and leave the rest being free.

I wouldn't mind paying for those, but not the glorified episodes of Raw and Smackdown we get in the other months.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

They couldn't, the reason the ones that are pay events now are those particular ones goes back to the aborted deal with C4...the PPVs that you have to pay to see are the ones Sky picked back up after C4 dropped them, the rest are still free under the existing contract they had. If C4 had never tried to muscle in on the scene they'd all still be free.

[Dazz]

Yeah I wasn't sure, I thought that Sky would have re-bought the rights to WEE events since the Channel Four deal was changed to Sky. I guess Sky had a long term deal.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

But why charge for No Way Out, Judgement Day, Bad Blood, Unforgiven and No Mercy?

[Mike the Metal Ed]

...the only worry I have is that Sky are going to wonder why people aren't buying PPVs, decide wrestling isn't popular anymore and cut off their ties with WWE altogether.

[Rob]

If they get anywhere near 300000 for a 1am PPV that has to be paid for I'll eat my f</>ucking TV

They haven't even had 50,000 buys and that was for UK PPVs in good time slots or for the big shows. Remember, there is a reason Sky don't release buy rates.

The problem with only paying for the Big 4, it makes the other 10 PPVS (with the extra 2) look like lesser events.

[Mr. JL]

Either way, you UK'ers are getting screwed.

How much did you guys say buying a PPV at 1am in the morning is going to cost you?

[Mr. JL]

BUT anyways like hell you're going to pay money to stay up all night, when you used to be able to simply watch it for free.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

Either way, you UK'ers are getting screwed.

How much did you guys say buying a PPV at 1am in the morning is going to cost you?

I think they're £15, making it $36 Canadian.

[Rob]

For the last time, this is the biggest misconception when talking about WWE TV - We do not get it for free (UK people are more to blame since they say they do). You pay £40 a month for the Sky subs and Sky Sports 1,2,3 ans Xtra are the top package. For you North Americans, it's like having cable and then having to get HBO or Showtime.

However, the 4 shows which run on PPV cost in the region of £15 each.

[packt up]

I will never pay for a PPV.

[Spoon Bender]

I will never pay for a PPV.

lol! Dunno if that was supposed to be funny, but it was.

I think that cutting off that many viewers at a time when you really need to be attracting them is a big mistake. I can barley be bothered to stay up and watch PPVs when they're free at the moment (the product just isn't that good that it's worth it). I might get my family back home to tape WM for me, but that's just cos it's WM.

The argument they'll come up with will have something to do with how true fans won't mind going that bit further to see the shows. But the problem is that diehard fans are about all WWE has right now. The people they need to be roping in are casual fans, and they ain't gonna pay £15 for a 1AM wrestling show, especially when most other PPV shows cost less and are on at better times. The biggest UK sporting events are all free because of Terrestrial getting first dibs.

PPV is a bad thing and anything which brings more of it into the country is negative IMO. :n:

[Rob]

PPV is good but only when there is an alternative. Like how we get a game on Premiership Plus as well as the live Sky Sports game. It's not good when it's pay or get nothing (as weird as that sounded, I'm sure you'll get the point).

[Mr. Monday Morning]

There's also the part where Sky offer a package deal for the football PPVs though which works out significantly cheaper than buying them one at a time...I can't see WWE doing that somehow

[The Mackem]

I don't have Sky Sports :(

I paid for that PPV that was on Setanta Sports but I don't think I got charged for it :?:

[Evolution]

Wrestlemania XX is on Sky Sports 1
I meant after this WrestleMania.

[Darkone]

Nearly anyone in the developed world can get every WWE PPV and show, NWATNA Show, all the latest movies, and all the latest games.

You just need one thing.

Broadband.

[Rob]

I don't have Sky Sports :(

I paid for that PPV that was on Setanta Sports but I don't think I got charged for it :?:

So you never paid for it then? Why say you did when you didn't? I guess that's £15 straight in Starbucks pocket then eh?

[The Mackem]

It would be but the nearest Starbucks is in Murton.

That's quite a trek.

[Scarface]

Jeesh I only earn £240 a month (college/part time) and now WWE want a slice monthly. Jeesh, I can see myself either going in on a ppv with a friend or not watching any of the minor ones.

[Tornado]

Currently, i couldn't give a toss about the brand specific PPV's, they're usually a pile of shite. If WWE/Sky expect us to pay for Sky Sports and a monthly PPV like No Mercy, they can **** themselves with and Iron bar.

But i'll still pay for the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania..if it goes PPV

[Ricky]

Fu</>ck off.

[Dazz]

I don't have Sky Sports :(

I paid for that PPV that was on Setanta Sports but I don't think I got charged for it :?:

Maybe you got the same stupid Chinese woman I did.

And yeah, me, The Duck (formerley Purpleduck) and a couple of others chip in like £4 each, so it aint too bad.

[Rob]

It works for some and not for others. People like myself have to get up for work at 7am and it's not viable to pay £15 for a show that ends at 4am.