by Eric Goldman JANUARY 8, 2014
SUBMIT TWEET SHARE +1 SHARE
WWE first ran promos for the WWE Network back in 2011, when it was scheduled to debut in 2012 . Obviously that didn’t come to be, but the project was still in development – and now it’s really, really official.
Today, at CES, Vince McMahon -- joined by the likes of John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H -- announced the WWE Network will debut on February 24th.
WWE touts this as first network ever to launch with a 24/7 streaming service including live content and an on-demand library filled with thousands of hours of programming.
There’s a lot that will be enticing to WWE fans, including all 12 annual WWE Pay-Per-View events, including WrestleMania, available to subscribers as part of a $9.99 a month package. As was noted at the announcement, buying all those Pay-Per-Views in HD alone would be $675 a year, so this is a substantial discount that also includes a ton of other content.
Logo!
Logo!
That other content includes all of the archival material, including every single Pay-Per-View ever from WWE, WCW and ECW, plus encores of previously aired RAW and Smackdown episodes.
New programming on WWE Network will include NXT, weekly pre and post-shows for RAW and Smackdown and a live daily studio show. There will also be a new reality series, Legends House, where WWE stars of the past like Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jim Duggan live in a house together.
Another new series, Wrestlemania Rewind, will focus on famous Mania matches, with new interviews with the participants. WWE Countdown will be a fan-driven series, where WWE fans vote for the best catchphrase, entrance and other aspects of WWE history. The Monday Night War will be an ongoing series chronicling the huge feud between WWE and WCW in the 1990s.
The WWE Network will be available on Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices; Android devices such as Samsung Galaxy; iOS devices such as Apple iPad and iPhone; Roku streaming devices; PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4; and Xbox 360. Availability on additional devices, including Xbox One and select Smart TVs, will follow this summer.
To subscribe, you must first sign up for an account on WWE.com. At CES, IGN’s Chris Carle noted fine print stating subscribers have to give a six-month commitment for the $9.99 a month price – so those of you thinking you’ll pay ten bucks for a month to watch WrestleMania and then cancel, not so fast!
The WWE Network will be offered as a free one week trial for a limited time after its February 24th debut.
While the WWE Network will only be available in the US initially, it's scheduled to launch in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordics by the end of 2014/early 2015.
FULL WWE PREE RELEASE LINK http://www.wwe.com/inside/wwe-network-to-launch-feb-24-26174061
LINK FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe/WWE_Releases_Frequently_Asked_Questions_and_Answers_for_the_WWE_Network.html
WWE NETWORK BIG NEWS
posted on 9/1/14
Sounds interesting, but the current shows are poor.
It was better in the late 90s to 2001
posted on 9/1/14
They are doing shows from that timeline.they have said they are doing a show raw is war covering attitude era
posted on 9/1/14
Excellent idea if it can sustain itself, they've certainly got enough product to broadcast - unfortunately they're about 15 years to date.
posted on 9/1/14
*late
posted on 9/1/14
Looks like wwe are going for the Netflix model so no tv channel like sky sports
posted on 9/1/14
WWE Network: What It Means For UK And Worldwide Fans
January 9, 2014 Grahame Herbert WWE 1 comment
Wwe Network1
While American fans will be ecstatic with the imminent launch of the WWE Network, UK and worldwide fans may be slightly disappointed that they have to wait until late 2014 / early 2015 for the product.
For fans in the United Kingdom, this may raise some speculation about what will happen with WWE’s Sky deal that expires in 2015. The two companies have worked together for over 25 years, and WWE is one of the major selling points of Sky’s subscription package. Will Sky (and other worldwide networks) be happy with this new platform potentially taking away WWE subscribers from their service?
The possibility is that WWE and Sky will renegotiate a deal whereby the WWE Network is presented as a Sky Sports channel. This would be similar to Sky Sports F1 and easily implementable for Sky across their 600 channel platform. The on demand content would then be incorporated into Sky Go and Sky On demand services presumably. As for pay per views, they would become available on the channel unless the two sides negotiate a unique UK deal to still present some major PPV’s on Sky Box Office. You have to think that WWE will roll out the network on a case by case basis, hence Sky might end up getting a say about content in any new WWE contract negotiations.
The other scenario would be that Sky and WWE abandon their long running relationship. There are currently several new channels who are taking business away from Sky, Virgin and BT for example. The WWE is an attractive option for these channels to pick up given the built in fanbase. WWE may choose to sign a new contract with one of these companies if the money is right. It would however be an ill advised move, the long standing WWE / Sky relationship has worked very well for both sides. WWE’s previous flirtations with other broadcasters have not worked well, such as their broadcasting on Channel 4 during the Attitude Era.
Regarding possibly leaving traditional broadcasters, Vince McMahon has simply stated that WWE are actively pursuing new deals. Vince has said that they expect their business will be “transformed” from what it is now. That could be interpreted in several ways. The WWE Network could of course function as a separate entity from WWE broadcasts still on Sky, it just seems a potentially harmful scenario from the Sky point of view.
Personally, I expect WWE and Sky to work a deal out that incorporates the WWE Network into the Sky platform. However, it seems clear that the advancements of the WWE Network are going to have potentially harmful repercussions in some traditional broadcast areas. Even in America, Raw’s home of the USA Network could see viewers choosing to watch Raw Encore on the Network over USA’s presentation – it seems a much better proposition than sitting through advertisements and allows fans to fast forward through filler content.
The Network is coming and the effect it has will be intriguing to see.
Read more at http://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-network-means-uk-worldwide-fans.php#B8jLtlqxKLzDJ0ws.99
posted on 9/1/14
sky WWE some how like that idea
posted on 9/1/14
If they go the route of something similar to SkySports F1 then I hope it is a free channel for people already subscribed to SkySports but I doubt it...plus by the time it debuts in the UK the price may have gone up in America meaning the same here..
posted on 9/1/14
sky will do a deal were PPV were not on the wwe channel
posted on 9/1/14
BT Won't bid for WWE in my opinion because they already have UFC, I don't know who else would...imagine if one of the freeview channels got it like ITV or Channel 4/5?