As I watch the clock count down on the WWE YouTube page, I find myself oddly filled with anticipation. When the WWE Network was first announced in 2012, I wasn’t thrilled. My initial thought was, “hey, good for them”. But that was a time when they had their On-Demand and 24/7 channels. But now, with an imminent announcement looming, I find myself much more excited. As the clock hits zero, all I can think of is the old Mean Gene quote, “The World Wrestling Federation. What the world is watching.”
The announcement began in a filled Las Vegas hall with Michael Cole. He talked up the WWE being an “entertainment leader”, and announced the chairman Vince McMahon. After a couple of brief words from the Chairman, a video package began showing the celebrities who have been a part of WWE, the social media statisticss, the talk show appearances and the usual mainstream attention that they strive for.
“Today is a great day to be a WWE fan because we are announcing the launch of the WWE Network,” Vince said before introducing WWE Executive Michelle Wilson.
Wilson spoke about the first Wrestlemania and how Vince McMahon changed pay-per-view forever. She said the WWE Network will offer, “over the top distribution” with 24/7 streaming service everywhere from any device (ie: Laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.). She continued explaining that it will be, “unlike any network in history”, speaking of the utterly vast content that the WWE Network will offer – all 12 pay-per-views at no additional charge. There will be new shows, weekly shows like NXT and Main Event, as well as pre and post shows for both Raw and Smackdown. Wilson also said that in the future they are planning to add a daily in studio show. She emphasised that ALL past pay-per-views from WWE, WCW, and ECW, as well as past Raw and Smackdown broadcasts.
Michelle then addressed the point that I was most curious about; the cost. I was floored to learn it will only be $9.99/month, keeping in mind that all 12 pay-per-views are included in this price. To give you an idea, to purchase all 12 events in one year would be roughly $675. You do have to sign up for a six month commitment to receive it at $9.99 per month, however, but it’s certainly an attractive enough offer.
She then stated that the WWE Network will be available on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, XBox 360, Roku, and the Playstation Network. It will launch internationally by late 2014/early 2015 in such countries as Canada, England, and China. She closed with, “Anywhere, anytime, delivered directly by WWE. It’s way over the top.”
Stephanie McMahon Levesque made her entrance to the stage. She began discussing the individual shows and content that would be available, with video packages airing for NXT, WWE reality show Legends House and Wrestlemania Rewind, which discusses the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history, and the stories behind them. Stephanie was joined by her husband, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels as they promoted “WWE Countdown” (a show where the WWE Universe votes on various topics) and “Monday Night War: Raw vs. Nitro,” which as the title suggests is a show that focuses on the WWE/WCW ratings war.
Stone Cold Steve Austin made a quick appearance and talked-up the Attitude Era and said of the WWE Network, “The best part of it all is you get to relive the attitude era uncensored, unedited, uncut.”
Perkins Miller (Ex. VP Digital Media) came on stage to walk the viewers through getting everything set up and getting an account on WWE.com. He revealed the program guide and some other features, like setting reminders for your favorite shows, a second screen experience including behind the scenes info, live tweets, and a section to buy tickets for live events – all done with the second screen. You could also create your own schedule for the day instead of going based on what WWE planned to show at what time. The look and layout look very much like an all-wrestling version of Netflix where uses can scroll through the various programs to find what they like. It looks fairly user-friendly.
Finally, John Cena came out to announce when the WWE Network will launch. Mark this date down: Monday, February 24, 2014, immediately following Raw. Cena said that it is fitting that the first pay-per-view to air live on the WWE Network will be Wrestlemania XXX. He closed by saying, “We will stand as one universe, with one passion, and one network.”
So as someone who was indifferent to the idea of the WWE Network when it was first announced, this press conference did its job. I’m completely turned around on it. The vast library of content, the easy accessibility and versatility of multiple devices, and most important of all, the cost. $9.99 for everything that you get is well worth it. I, for one, look forward to the WWE Network and what it means for the future of the WWE and of wrestling.
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