Jake Ziegler
The big news coming out of ROH this week is that after April 4, the ROH on HDNet television program will cease to exist. Apparently they had a two year contract and it is up and will not be renewed. What does this mean for ROH? And are they any better off now than they were two years ago?
HDNet is a channel that as I understand it, not a lot of people got. I’m not sure how many homes got it, or how many of them were watching the program, but I always had the feeling that the only people watching ROH on HDNet were those who were already aware of ROH and what they were doing. So did the TV show help create awareness? Maybe in some small amount, but for the most part it seems ROH is no better off than they were when the show began.
So where do they go from here? The show has actually been a pretty well produced and entertaining hour of wrestling, so will some other network pick it up? And if another network does pick it up, would ROH even be able to afford putting the show together? I understand that HDNet covered the production costs. I have no idea what the ROH financial ledger looks like, but going from Not Paying to produce a TV show to Paying to produce a TV show would certainly put some additional strain on.
Even if they do get another network, what is the end game? Having a taping structure similar to WCW’s in Orlando back in the day might not be the most effective way to sell wrestling in today’s market. The internet pay-per-views seem to be gaining more steam, but what about the house shows and DVDs? Where do they fit in?
ROH President Cary Silkin spoke on the matter, and he says ROH’s future is not in question, and that just like the dozens of times before when people have written them off, Ring of Honor has come out alright in the end.
What do you think? Should they go after a new TV deal? How’s this all going to turn out?
