ROH is Inking a Deal

[Krimzon7]

So guys, it appears that ROH is going National. We've hopefully had a chance to read what was offered up in the news section. What are the reactions? Do you think this will encourage TNA to step their "game" up? will the race for number 2 eventually become a rush for number 1? Would they be able to lure some quality names into their promotion? discuss.

[BigDaddyCool]

Simply having a tv won't make them national. And I doubt in their current style, they will topple WWE and become #1. TNA just needs to continue to be TNA and RoH can topple them in time.

[CSL]

Mass indifference
No
No
They have what they need for their style/audience/production

[Krimzon7]

Simply having the deal doen's make them national, but it is a step in that direction. I am not totally up on their style as I've never seen ROH. I would think that the introduction of a peer would make TNA take notice, as to not lose it's shar of the pie. That could only be a good thing for fans, right?

[BigDaddyCool]

doubt it.

[BigDaddyCool]

I doubt tna will take notice cause their heads are up their asses.

[CSL]

EVERYTHING about RoH is small and that's why this doesn't really mean anything. I mean, the kids/casual fans are gonna rather watch the muscles, the lights and the birds. With the success of The Wrestler, I guess there's a chance JohnCenaFan67 could tune into the new RoH TV show and 'appreciate it' but...actually scrap that, never gonna happen

[Jeritron]

If they had a tv deal, I could see Angle jumping there. It seems crazy, but just judging on how he is about wrestling skill and competitiveness. He'll proclaim it the best crowd and talent and bust his ass there.
Again, as long as they could pay him and get his mug on tv.

I think that's just how Angle is. It's in many ways his most admirable and unadmirable quality at the same time.
I don't think he'd think twice about trading up on TNA, in favor of a more "real wrestling" promotion.

[ron the dial]

i'm all about it

[Jeritron]

I would be too. I'd watch more ROH if it wasn't so hard to follow. I mean, it's not like it's a massive undertaking to follow it, but it's a chore.
I'd rather follow the company in a linear manner from the comfort of my own home rather than have to scour the internet and collect dvds.

What I'm saying is, I'd like to watch more ROH and I certainly would if it was on TV in some fashion.

[Jeritron]

The most pesimistic comment I will make here though, is that ECW had a hard time finding and maintaining tv during a boom period when they were over with wrestling fans.
It'd be much harder for ROH in this day and age.

Although, some of that could probably be blamed on the intensity of that product and the poor business savvy of Paul Heyman.

Maybe a channel like Versus would pick something like this up. Even if it wasn't a great time slot, it'd be cool.

[Legend Killer]

When do you think they will broadcast, if this doesn't fall through?

[Jeritron]

What channel is this with? I mean, is it something people can watch or is it public access at 2am on Sunday mornings?

[Chavo Classic]

Great news (if this has happened 2 years ago)

[Jeritron]

Didn't their promoter ink a tv deal a long time ago when he agreed to be shown on To Catch A Predator?

[Destor]

Simply having a tv won't make them national. And I doubt in their current style, they will topple WWE and become #1. TNA just needs to continue to be TNA and RoH can topple them in time.
Having national TV makes you national.

[BigDaddyCool]

No, what I said is correct. Having a tv won't make them national. I own several, and I'm not national. :p

Also having National TV at 2 am on Saturday mornings with limited viewership is not national. It is craptional, because that is a crap time slot no one will watch.

[Kane Knight]

If RoH wants to compete, they need to become sports entertainment. There's nothing wrong with what they are now, but if they want to be a big promotion, they're going to need to book for an audience other than their current one. Marks. Casuals.

So they're not going to break into the market against the established champion. That's a pretty big long shot, and in order to viably compete, they have to become a lot of things that I doubt their current fanbase actually wants to see. In music terms, it'd be the sort of thing where your favorite independent band goes national, signs a deal with Universal, gets on MTV, and completely changes their act to get radio play. I can see why fans would want to see them succeed, but it seems like it'd be a hollow victory even if they win.

[CSL]

What channel is this with? I mean, is it something people can watch or is it public access at 2am on Sunday mornings?

HDNet. Good or bad thing?

[Destor]

If RoH wants to compete, they need to become sports entertainment. There's nothing wrong with what they are now, but if they want to be a big promotion, they're going to need to book for an audience other than their current one. Marks. Casuals.

So they're not going to break into the market against the established champion. That's a pretty big long shot, and in order to viably compete, they have to become a lot of things that I doubt their current fanbase actually wants to see. In music terms, it'd be the sort of thing where your favorite independent band goes national, signs a deal with Universal, gets on MTV, and completely changes their act to get radio play. I can see why fans would want to see them succeed, but it seems like it'd be a hollow victory even if they win.They've been re-working their product for months now and getting a much more TV freindly product, much to the dismay of their fanbase.

I don't expect you to know that though.

(not to steal heyman's line, but that's not a flame.)

[Kane Knight]

No, what I said is correct. Having a tv won't make them national. I own several, and I'm not national. :p

Also having National TV at 2 am on Saturday mornings with limited viewership is not national. It is craptional, because that is a crap time slot no one will watch.

But they're still technically national, so you lose.

Even if the mechanics are such that they might have been more successful as a local or niche business, and such a technicality is more cutting off my nose to spite my face, I'm right and you're wrong.

[Destor]

FTR: I'm glad they're gonna be on TV I love RoH and the workers they have. I hope they find a niche and stay on TV for a good long while. I do not in any way care of more people watch them than TNA or the WWE. I just want more RoH and I want it easy to get a hold of.

[Jeritron]

I dunno. Not a good thing as far as reaching audiences thats for sure. I've never heard of the channel off hand. I think I probably have it on my cable at home, but not anywhere else.
I'd assume HD is required, and a big cable package that includes this obscure channel IF your cable provider carries it.
I'd have to look into it.

If I have it, I'll watch it, but it's definitely not a channel everyone has access too, nor one that they know where to find if they do.

[Kane Knight]

They've been re-working their product for months now and getting a much more TV freindly product, much to the dismay of their fanbase.

I don't expect you to know that though.

You know, it's kinda funny that I was just making a crack about ignoring the bigger picture for the sake of a technicality, and this message shows up.

I don't expect you to get that, though. :p

[Jeritron]

You know, it's kinda funny that I was just making a crack about ignoring the bigger picture for the sake of a technicality, and this message shows up.

I don't expect you to get that, though. :p

Please

[Destor]

Let him think he's smart, it's the only that makes his life worth living.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

HDNet. Good or bad thing?
Hmm. This could go either way. On the negative side, HDNet is a specialty channel that only broadcasts in HD and is only available by special request. That limits the market a TON. On the positive side, the channel is owned by Mark Cuban, who is a well known and well liked businessman (assuming he's not going to jail) so perhaps Cuban can work some of his magic.

I dunno, I don't personally like it since I don't have HD. But it could work.

[Jeritron]

burial

[Xero]

Question: If getting on a limitedly-distributed cable channel makes you national, would a webcast make you global?

[Supreme Olajuwon]

This actually could end up being a very good thing. I mean I'm sure HDNet isn't going into this agreement expecting massive ratings considering they're a specialty channel so ROH could have time to slowly tweak their product for a wider audience while gradually gaining a larger fan base through exposure and word of mouth.

A larger station would demand higher ratings so ROH would have to respond quickly. Having their product on a channel like HDNet really gives them a chance to grow and hopefully succeed.

Very optimistic but it's possible.

[Kane Knight]

I dunno. Not a good thing as far as reaching audiences thats for sure. I've never heard of the channel off hand. I think I probably have it on my cable at home, but not anywhere else.
I'd assume HD is required, and a big cable package that includes this obscure channel IF your cable provider carries it.
I'd have to look into it.

If I have it, I'll watch it, but it's definitely not a channel everyone has access too, nor one that they know where to find if they do.

HDNET appears to be a network running other people's leftovers. Their big hits all appear to come from CW and other networks, and most of the "original" programming and the like they air also appears to be (or in a few cases, appears to be similar to) the same stuff run on the other HD broadcast networks in the country. For example, most of the programming they're advertising is on the UHD network I get with Comcast.

Which, admittedly, is a shame, because I would watch it if I got it, but it's unlikely I'll get HDnet any time soon with UHD already a part of my cable lineup. Also, not being on TWC.

Currently, it looks like they have about a third of the market, in terms of options. That's assuming they have HD service in your area, this is part of the package, and you have an HD box. So in reality, the number's probably a lot lower, but it's better than some of the TV deals we've seen rumored. On the other hand, it really does drive home that "national" is more a technicality than any sort of real bragging point. They do have a larger market in Direct TV, at least, which is still something.

[Kane Knight]

Question: If getting on a limitedly-distributed cable channel makes you national, would a webcast make you global?

Holy shit. I'm internationally famous because people in Europe have heard my music!

[Xero]

Theoretically, YouTube (just an example) could bring more views than HDNet.

ROH wants to be different. They have a very strong fan base online. They have the chance to help revolutionize internet video, much as wrestling helped cable in its early days.

If Heyman was around today in a prominent position I think ECW would thrive really well as an online-only promotion. No one's there to screw you in terms of what you can show and you'll never be thrown off or given a shitty time slot.

The big problem is that it's still in its infancy and people haven't figured out how to make decent money online and assume that the only money to be made is on TV. In about twenty years the concept of cable/satellite TV will be long forgotten.

I just think that ROH is missing a huge opportunity here.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

If RoH wants to compete, they need to become sports entertainment. There's nothing wrong with what they are now, but if they want to be a big promotion, they're going to need to book for an audience other than their current one. Marks. Casuals.

So they're not going to break into the market against the established champion. That's a pretty big long shot, and in order to viably compete, they have to become a lot of things that I doubt their current fanbase actually wants to see. In music terms, it'd be the sort of thing where your favorite independent band goes national, signs a deal with Universal, gets on MTV, and completely changes their act to get radio play. I can see why fans would want to see them succeed, but it seems like it'd be a hollow victory even if they win.



Bingo. And that's the problem a lot of ROH's fans seem to be having right now, is the change in booking already is annoying them (More run ins, no contests, DQs, etc, which is a complete 180 for ROH, for the most part.)

Personally, who knows... I'm going to the ROH show in Detroit on Friday, and we'll see what's up. It'd definitely the weakest looking card to any ROH show I've gone to, with the only really interesting match being Tyler Black vs Jerry Lynn. It's not a bad card, it's just weak... I mean, Danielson vs Rhett Titus? Aries vs Silas Young? These are glorified squash matches... At least Detroit will get it's mandatory "We're going to go fight in the crowd match where you can't see shit" with Brodie Lee and Necro Butcher...

[Triple Naitch]

HDNet. Good or bad thing?

I've never even heard of that channel

[Krimzon7]

I've never even heard of that channel

Guys, we are talking about a channel that is showing in 14 million homes. While Cuban is slow with original programming, they're working on it. Cuban owns Magnolia Studios, as well as Landmark Theaters. They debut new movies before they even show in theates. Cuban is woking to get them in more homes, and it's working. ROH would be in a great place on HD.net.

[Jaded-Dragon]

Probably a good thing. Yes, they can topple TNA. They are a long way off from competing with wwe though.

They are pretty much the ECW of this era. Good Wrestling, the #1 and #2 companies raiding their talent pool, stealing ideas, etc.

[Kane Knight]

Guys, we are talking about a channel that is showing in 14 million homes. While Cuban is slow with original programming, they're working on it. Cuban owns Magnolia Studios, as well as Landmark Theaters. They debut new movies before they even show in theates. Cuban is woking to get them in more homes, and it's working. ROH would be in a great place on HD.net.

:lol:

[Mercury Bullet]

More wrestling on tv = is better.

Seriously what bad can come of this? If it winds up sucking it'll get dropped and we never really lost anything. And if it turns out good, then great.

[Volare]

Alright, lets talk what day they would be showing this. We know that as of right now...

Raw has Mondays
ECW has Tuesdays
TNA has thursdays
and Smackdown! has Fridays
Sundays are always PPVs
Saturdays people are usually out, so I guess Weds. nights might work?

[Destor]

7pm thursday would be cool

[Volare]

Thursday night wars!

[Nark Order]

Something I will schedule to record on my DVR if I remember. If not, then I don't see myself getting to heartbroken over it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

If they had a tv deal, I could see Angle jumping there. It seems crazy, but just judging on how he is about wrestling skill and competitiveness. He'll proclaim it the best crowd and talent and bust his ass there.
Again, as long as they could pay him and get his mug on tv.

I think that's just how Angle is. It's in many ways his most admirable and unadmirable quality at the same time.
I don't think he'd think twice about trading up on TNA, in favor of a more "real wrestling" promotion.

I don't think that is nearly as ridiculous as it sounds. Especially if Angle is unhappy in TNA, and he is too proud to go back to the WWE as rumoured.

Oh, it's honorable. It's damn honorable.

Seriously, though, Kurt Angle vs. Bryan Danielson in a one-match edition of Ring of HDNet would make me cum.