Vince Russo says one decision could result in WWE never worrying about TV ratings ever again (Exclusive)
WWE has always been viewed as a prized entity as the company makes a major chunk of its revenue from big-money TV deals. Vince Russo, however, believes the promotion could do much better if they moved exclusively to a streaming service.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that FOX is unlikely to renew their contract with WWE at an increased price, and it has opened the door for the organization to potentially look for a different network.
World Wrestling Entertainment has an extensive programming catalog, which would be attractive to many massive media groups, especially after its merger with UFC.
Vince Russo felt that WWE could entirely eliminate a major headache if they chose to air shows on a streaming platform. Russo believed the unpredictable TV ratings are the only problem WWE consistently faces, and he briefly explained on The Wrestling Outlaws an ambitious way of dealing with it:
"I think it will make a difference to the WWE because the ratings will go away, and that's really the only negative thing they have to deal with. If the ratings went away, [it would be] smooth sailing for them. Absolutely [streaming service is the way forward for WWE]." [7:38 - 7:50]
Vince Russo has a warning for Disney, Amazon, and other companies who could work with WWE
As stated above, WWE makes a lot of money from its deals with television networks and, in recent years, has seemingly pushed SmackDown to be its top show on FOX. Vince Russo recalled watching football matches on the sports network and observed that WWE was advertised heavily during commercial breaks.
Despite the solid promotion, WWE allegedly didn't impress SmackDown with the viewership numbers, as Russo said below:
"When I would watch football on FOX, like everybody else, bro, they were getting so much promotion, man, during the NFL, during every single game. They were getting that kind of promotion and still not doing the numbers that FOX wanted." [7:51 - 8:10]
Vince Russo added that the likes of Disney and Amazon need to do their research regarding WWE's statistics before agreeing to feature its content. As the potential negotiations would involve millions of dollars, Russo said anyone interested in WWE needed to exercise caution:
"If I'm a Disney or an Amazon, I've got to be looking at that. I've got to be looking at (...) FOX invested millions and billions of dollars, were promoting it during football games that 15-20 million people were watching, and they could not get the audience they were looking for, and now I'm going to come along and invest my money?" [8:11 - 8:57]
Did you check out Vince Russo's reaction to being left out of IMPACT 1000? Read all about the story right here.
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