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11-06-2009, 11:58 AM
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#1 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
  
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WWE: SummerSlam's buyrate was down this year... LET'S RAISE PRICES!
From PWInsider:
We got the following memo from a reader who told us that he works in the cable industry. According to the memo, WWE will do one less PPV show next year but raise the base price for each regular (non-WrestleMania) show to $44.95, one would think to make up for the missing revenue of the deleted show. At a time when buyrates are dropping, a price increase doesn't sound like the brightest idea to me. Anyway, here's the memo as we received it. *** As part of our ongoing efforts to maximize the WWE pay-per-view business, we have made several changes to our branding strategy in 2009. A key priority was to rename and retheme several of our events to better describe those pay-per-views and to build interest for our fans through new “hooks” and stronger themes. In contemplating the future of the pay-per-view business, we would like to make you aware of two important changes we are making to our pay-per-view strategy in 2010. 1. WWE will increase the suggested retail price of its pay-per-view events (excluding WrestleMania), by $5.00, to $44.95. This change in the SRP shall become effective commencing with Royal Rumble, which will be held on January 31, 2010. This will be the first price increase for non-WrestleMania events since 2006. Please note that the SRP for WrestleMania will remain $54.95. 2. WWE is eliminating one of our June pay-per-view events therefore reducing the number of pay-per-view events in 2010 to 13 events. Please find the preliminary 2010 WWE pay-per-view event schedule below and attached. EVENT DATE LOCATION ARENA Royal Rumble Sunday, January, 31, 2010 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena Elimination Chamber Sunday, February 21, 2010 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center WrestleMania XXVI Sunday, March 28, 2010 Phoenix, AZ University of Phoenix Backlash Sunday, April 25, 2010 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena Extreme Rules Sunday, May 23, 2010 Oakland, CA TBD WWE The Bash Sunday, June 20, 2010 TBD TBD TBD Sunday, July 18, 2010 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center SummerSlam Sunday, August 15, 2010 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center Night of Champions Sunday, September 19, 2010 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena Hell in the Cell Sunday, October 3, 2010 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center WWE Bragging Rights Sunday, October 24, 2010 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Survivor Series Sunday, November 21, 2010 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Sunday, December 19, 2010 Houston, TX Toyota Center The strategy of reducing our pay-per-view calendar to one event per month (except for October) achieves both creative and business objectives for WWE. It allows us to better develop compelling storylines and arcs in order to motivate our fans to purchase more pay-per-views. This change also allows for increased marketing windows for each event, during which we can more effectively communicate our sales message.  Last edited by Xero; 11-06-2009 at 12:11 PM. |
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11-06-2009, 12:01 PM
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#2 |
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Inconceivable
Posts: 9,887
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Marketing genius, I wonder if they even believe their own lies at this point. I still don't understand why they have 2 gimmick pay per views in October.
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11-06-2009, 12:11 PM
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#3 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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I find it weird that they're doing SummerSlam from the Staples Center again.
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11-06-2009, 12:23 PM
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King K Cool
Posts: 28,472
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Though Hell In A Cell is still there, much to my "dismay". If anything, they should have just gotten rid of Hell In A Cell and that way keeping the Hell In A Cell match "Fresh" and not something we can all just come to expect is going to happen on a yearly bases. It happened with the Elimination Chamber and now it's not so much a big thing as it first was. Instead, they could have kept Breaking Point but just not with the gimmick of Submission Matches. Breaking Point is a cool name for a PPV on it's own without having a gimmick. But those are just my opinions. |
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11-06-2009, 12:46 PM
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Tîm Defaid
Posts: 6,646
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11-06-2009, 02:32 PM
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It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,385
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Whats up with the lack of NYC or New Jersey for the PPV's next year.
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11-06-2009, 02:37 PM
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#7 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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And Philly. Was thinking that too.
Starting to think the listing is bullshit. |
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11-06-2009, 02:44 PM
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#8 |
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Pelvic Sorcerer
Posts: 64,762
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TBD Sunday, July 18, 2010 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Damn, I'm going to be out of town then, for reals |
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11-06-2009, 03:36 PM
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#9 |
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One and only
Posts: 2,368
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13 PPVs is still too many.
They should keep the price at $39.99 and do 8 PPVs a year, buy rates would go up as people would be more interested in fueds that build over 2 months as opposed to every 3 weeks and there would simply be less PPVs to purchase making each one more special. And yes the 'Hell in the Cell' PPV needs to go before they further bury that gimmick. |
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11-06-2009, 03:43 PM
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#10 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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I think 12 PPVs would be fine, but the non-big four (maybe even up it to 5 or 6) should be $34.99 and the bigger ones $39.99.
I mean, most of the PPVs don't mean much anyway (and really, with so many PPVs, even with 12, they can't all mean a lot nor should they). The price should reflect that. |
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11-06-2009, 04:07 PM
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Posts: 811
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11-06-2009, 04:12 PM
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#12 |
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Posts: 811
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I remember buying SummerSlam 1990 on PPV, foaming at the mouth for Hogan's return to beat Earthquake, watching Sean Mooney on the pre-countdown show. The PPV cost $19.95, now we are up $44.95. I am not sure I would have paid that for a non-WM PPV during the attitude era, but anyways $44.95 is highway robbery.
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11-06-2009, 04:16 PM
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#13 |
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Posts: 811
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Very Very cautious of WWE to move the Extreme Rules PPV to May. It takes place on May 23, the day Owen Hart died. Imagine if they would have put the July PPV slated for Kansas City where Owen died in the May slot. Would have been a problem I think, good lookin' out by WWE.
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11-06-2009, 04:59 PM
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YesYesYes!
Posts: 4,163
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I dont understand keeping the gimmick ppv's where blood should be shed, yet there is supposed to be no blood? It really seems at times they are trying to ruin the product on purpose. And I swear, Chicago gets a ppv every year.
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11-06-2009, 07:16 PM
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One and only
Posts: 2,368
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11-06-2009, 07:19 PM
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#16 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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I'm keeping within WWE's plans. There's no way in hell they'd bump it below 12. One PPV a month is a given now.
MAYBE they'd go down to 11 if they got rid of No Way Out for the Mania build, but that's the absolute lowest I'd think. |
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11-06-2009, 07:19 PM
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1/2 Optimist 1/2 Amazing
Posts: 12,427
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The buyrates probably wouldn't increase for the reduction in the number of PPV's So I can't see that happening, unless they slowly drop one each year. I agree that there should be less to make them mean something again, I just don't think that it will happen as it doesn't make good financial sense |
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11-06-2009, 07:22 PM
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#18 |
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One and only
Posts: 2,368
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Oh, I don't think it will happen either, that was just a hypothetical.
The lowest they will probably go is 12 unless bussiness really tanks. |
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11-06-2009, 07:30 PM
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1/2 Optimist 1/2 Amazing
Posts: 12,427
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I do expect TNA to start dropping some PPV's unless there numbers increase though, the margin's must be so thin that it's barely worth doing some of them |
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11-06-2009, 07:32 PM
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#20 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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While we're talking hypothetical, they CAN get it down to 8 or so by running Saturday Night's Main Events and other Network/USA specials on the off months. But there has to be a big event every month, it's expected at this point.
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11-06-2009, 07:32 PM
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#21 |
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One and only
Posts: 2,368
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I read that Slammaversry had 7000 buys. They definitly need to cut back.
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11-06-2009, 07:32 PM
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#22 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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Yeah, SummerSlam had a 25% drop. Fucking embarrassing.
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11-06-2009, 07:33 PM
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One and only
Posts: 2,368
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They can change the fans view over time. |
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11-06-2009, 07:35 PM
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#24 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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Which is WWE's main source of income in terms of their TV? TV or PPV?
If it's PPV (which I'd assume it is, despite focusing more on TV), they really can't unless they up the PPVs to like $60 a show. Which would never fly. |
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11-06-2009, 07:48 PM
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#25 |
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Posts: 52,478
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Backlash is in Baltimore 1 month exactly before my birthday. Im so there!
Also, I hardly rent PPV anymore, but have to wonder if Directv will still charge $10 more for the HD broadcast. With MD tax tacked on for PPV events (ugh), there's no way Im ever going to Order a regular HD PPV that ends up costing $60. |
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11-06-2009, 07:49 PM
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Doin' It Right
Posts: 35,461
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Whoa. Extreme Rules in Oakland. I'm there
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11-06-2009, 09:24 PM
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#27 |
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TPWW Fire Pro Champ
Posts: 34,001
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Bit of a bullshit list. No PPVs in the Northeast? Unless we get lucky and we get The Bash up here. But I doubt it.
Probably only pay for the Rumble like I usually do every year. |
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11-07-2009, 02:01 AM
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Posts: 52,478
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11-07-2009, 02:28 AM
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#29 |
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Posts: 61,634
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Yeah, it seems a bit weird that the WWE are taking this approach. I guess they figure that the people buying PPVs now would pay pretty much anything for them, so they might as well boost up the prices and make more scratch. You know, instead of making the product more appealing?
I definitely think that cutting back down to 12 PPVs would be a good idea. That's one a month, which would be a nice fit, in my opinion. I also wish they'd cut the crappy names. |
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11-07-2009, 02:52 AM
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#30 |
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Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,675
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Not liking how they keep creeping up the price of the non-Wrestlemania shows near Wrestlemania's pricing. I understand the thinking and meaning of why Wrestlemania is priced as the highest since its usually the longest in terms of time and biggest in terms of paid tickets and buys.
Don't like how instead of improving the quality or buildup of the feuds they just keep charging more to replace lost sales that could have been saved had they charged less and developed better quality shows. |
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11-07-2009, 10:34 AM
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President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,383
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I'll probably continue to only buy the Rumble and WrestleMania.
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11-07-2009, 03:28 PM
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#32 |
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FEAR. In beard form.
Posts: 78
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So I see PPV prices are increasing to $44.95. That is the same price that UFC is charging coincidentally. The WWE must feel they are on the same playing field, byrate wise, as the guys of ultimate fighting.
The problem. WWE is FREE on TV almost 7 days per week. The UFC is almost strictly a PPV program. While it is availble on television, the big matchups happen only on PPV. Whereas the WWE is so concerned with TV ratings that they are putting huge matchups on free TV thus eliminating some of the draw to the big shows. Even the streams are $40! If the WWE was smart they would offer high quality streaming for $10 thus cutting down on illegal streams that always tend to die off anyways. I would be more apt to order/view a PPV if the costs were down. There is no way in this economic climate that I am buying a $44 PPV once (sometimes twice!!) per month. Again, streaming for cheap is my best option. |
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11-07-2009, 06:03 PM
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#33 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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$10 is way too low, especially since streaming can come close to cable systems (for non-HD). $30 would be reasonable. $10 is just fucking stupid.
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11-07-2009, 06:14 PM
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Spammy Certified
Posts: 46,132
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8 PPVS a year
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11-07-2009, 09:43 PM
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"Ask him!"
Posts: 10,075
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The reason PPV numbers are going down is in large part due to online streaming. I can always find a WWE PPV stream online, it's basically a given and doesn't take much searching. On the other hand, I can NEVER find UFC streams. There's something UFC is doing to stop streams that the WWE hasn't figured out yet.
The product is also pretty crap right now, and if I wasn't able to watch PPV's online there's really no way I would put down $45 for one. I'd rather pay $15 on beer and wings at the local bar and watch it there for free. $45 for a two and a half hour show is insane in this kind of economic climate. |
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11-07-2009, 09:47 PM
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#36 |
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I believe in Joe Hendry
Posts: 22,349
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so WM26 is gonna be $100 next year?
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11-08-2009, 12:29 AM
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Ron Paul 4 EVA
Posts: 152,467
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Also, I think the lack of streams comes down to, in large part, UFC being something more people are willing to pay for. |
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11-08-2009, 07:53 PM
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FEAR. In beard form.
Posts: 78
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Myself and a few friends have all came to the conclusion that finding a working & solid stream is tough. You may find one that works for a while but by the end of the night you may have had to go through about 5-10 streams to see the whole show. We also concluded that if WWE would offer a quality stream @ a low price (the 10-15 dollar range) for it's non big-4 PPV's than it would be worth not messing with searching streams mid-match. They could also offer premium services to their members who buy the 40 dollar streams as an option. Say a week-free of WWE 24/7 as a bonus. But right now, in this economy, I would say most of us are feeling the pinch and not willing to shill out this kind of money on a PPV. While the matches have been stellar overall this year, alot of them are repeats of old rivalries & also blow offs from TV matches. The drawability is not what it used to be yet the cost seems to rise. I'm not offering perfection, just a few ideas that might work for us hard working Americans who love the product..........but not enough to go hungry over. Peace. |
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11-08-2009, 08:52 PM
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#39 |
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He's Here
Posts: 60,735
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People will ALWAYS pirate it, no matter HOW low the price is. So they can't get a live stream. About an hour or two after the PPV there will be a torrent up.
Lower prices will not get the majority of people who stream/pirate to buy the PPVs. It's not a matter of having the money for them, it's a matter that it can be gotten for free. THAT'S what they have to stop, and it will NEVER be stopped. Now, a better product WOULD remedy this to an extent, but still, there will still be those who just pirate it. Last edited by Xero; 11-08-2009 at 08:54 PM. |
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11-09-2009, 09:40 AM
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FEAR. In beard form.
Posts: 78
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The PPV"s this year have been on par with some of the highest quality WRESTLING the company has produced. While the matchups might be tainted as we do tend to get these big matchups for free on RAW, it goes without saying that the 2009 PPV schedule has been tight. The Elimination Chambers, Taker vs HBK, Iron Man Match, Jerishow...The list could go on with how many great matches we have gotten this year. I don't think ANYTHING changes the fact that free is always better. It is not a perfect system but like you said, if your stream dies it's not as if torrents aren't available just hours after the broadcast. I won't blame the product, as I said, I feel the product on PPV has been strong as hell this year, I blame the fact that America isn't as rich as it was back in 2007 & technology has upped the ante and provided free stimulation....Nothing wrong with moving forward technologically...It is now up to WWE to figure out how to lasso it. |
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