WWE Network: A prime example of the evolution of sports entertainment industry
When Vincent J. McMahon took over the reigns from his father and became a co-owner of WWE, known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation back in the early 50s, he wouldn’t have envisioned the growth of the company to be as monumental as it has been.
Vince McMahon Sr. was one of the earliest promoters to have revolutionized the business; from splitting the revenues generated through gates with the performers to making the legendary Bruno Sammartino the face of his promotion, Vince McMahon Sr. was one of the most successful promoters in the history of the industry.
However, his son, Vincent K. McMahon far surpassed his father’s expectations, and when it is all said and done, Vince McMahon Jr. will go down as the greatest promoter in sports entertainment history.
Vince’s vision, ideas and innovative concepts enabled the business to escape the confines of the sports genre, and transcended into the sports entertainment industry as we know it. Vince knew that for his company, as well as for the business to grow, he needed to expand his reach. The old territorial system made the other promoters complacent, while Vince McMahon began his aggressive expansion.
Vince McMahon also understood the importance of evolving with time. Just as the music industry evolved from the early ‘60s to late ‘70s and ‘80s, Vince McMahon believed that if WWE didn’t keep up with the changing society, his company would end up like the other territorial promotions.
From the ‘Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection’ to the inaugural edition of WrestleMania, the ‘80s witnessed a significant growth in the interest among the fans, while Hulk Hogan became one of the most recognizable faces in the world. With Hogan’s cross-border appeal, Vince McMahon and WWE started rubbing shoulders with some of the most popular sports on the globe.
It is a testament to Vince’s genius that through the past three decades, the CEO has understood his audience better than any other promoter in any sport. Unlike other sports’ fans, the WWE Universe has a say in what transpires on-screen.
WWE’s product, more than any other organization depends on what the members of the WWE Universe wish to see. While the North American market has become a little saturated over the past few years, WWE continues to grow at a monumental rate, while coming up with ideas that have redefined the sports entertainment industry.
One of those revolutionary concepts came to the fore back in 2011, when WWE decided to give it’s fans more access into the lives of the superstars. While the fans get to witness the larger than life personalities every week, WWE understands the interest the superstars generate, feeding the WWE Universe’s yearning to know more about their favorite superstars.
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, the internet chat rooms proved to be the best place for the fans to know more about the road stories of the superstars. However, with WWE’s game changing concept of starting their own video streaming service, providing the WWE Universe with never seen before content, WWE once again re-established itself as the leading sports entertainment organization in the world.
The WWE Video Library consists of the largest collection of professional wrestling videos and copyrights in the world, and the content has been made accessible on the WWE Network.
WWE officially launched the WWE Network in January 2014, and is a 24-hour linear programming channel, containing more than 150,000 hours of content! From the WWE house shows to episodes from WCW and ECW programming, WWE Network has become a one-stop destination for the professional wrestling fans.
WWE has since added even more unique content, which involves reality series and not to mention, live shows and pay per views. While there was an initial concern about airing the PPVs on the Network, bypassing the cable companies, WWE has since worked through the local cable providers in the United States.
WWE Network has been a roaring success, with more than two million unique subscribers over the past two years. WWE Network is currently one of the top five streaming services in the world, and has been made available to the fans across the globe.
The New York Times hailed the concept of WWE Network, saying that the company had positioned itself on the cutting edge of internet television. Various other organizations in the sports entertainment industry have since expressed their interest in starting their own digital streaming service, after witnessing the success of the WWE Network.
After more than a year of anticipation, the WWE Network was launched in India towards the end of 2015. WWE observed the increasing fan base in the country, and decided to provide the Indian members of the WWE Universe the access to countless hours of unique content on the WWE Network.
WWE often provides an incentive to the new subscribers, and will give away free access to NXT TakeOver: Dallas and WrestleMania 32 to those who subscribe to the WWE Network this month!
While the fans have an option of paying more than 54 dollars in the United States (and the option of watching it on Ten Sports in India) to watch WrestleMania 32, signing up to the WWE Network this month will give them free access to the biggest show of the year!