Variety has posted an article talking about how WWE has made strides in increasing their PPV business.
The article notes how the PPV schedule was cut to 13 shows.
But that’s reversed over the past three months, with WWE’s pay-per-view biz up 5% for the year. It had already enjoyed a significant increase in sales during the fourth quarter, when three shows sold 85,000 more buys than the previous year. A fourth, “Survivor Series,” fell off by 84,000, however.
on the change to PG:
It retooled many of its events and created themes that aimed to help them stand out and appeal to WWE’s changing audience, which includes more women (around 36%) and kids (20% are under 18 years old) now that its weekly TV shows are PG. Its PPVS are also offered by more carriers overseas, including five in Mexico, increasing international audiences, who preferred more high-concept events.
“When we were just looking at the numbers, when there was a theme and a hook to the pay-per-view, our fans understood it and got excited by it,” said Michelle Wilson, executive VP of marketing, who oversees the company’s PPV biz at World Wrestling Entertainment.
“If something gets tired or old, it’s something we have to look at,” Wilson said. “It’s just like any entertainment property. It’s crucial to continue to reinvent yourself. “WWE fans will tell you right away if they like it or don’t like it and if it’s something they don’t want, we don’t do it again.”
