Though I’ve been on the fence about how successful the WWE
Network can be, I cannot deny the fact that there are many advantages for
it. Here are some of the
advantages.
Being able to adjust their Shows – The best thing for the
WWE of having their own network is that they have more control over when to air
RAW, Smackdown, Superstar, and NXT.
Seasonal sports like football take away many viewers from RAW on Monday
nights. With Fox signing on the
UFC to their network, many are saying that they will take the Friday night
spot, which would take away any viewers if WWE does a Friday night show. So, with their own network,
the WWE has the freedom to not go head-to-head with any of these sports, allowing them
to retain many of their viewers.
Showing longer wrestling matches – As it is right now, there
is so much TV time that is used in recapping past events and promoting
up-and-coming pay per views. That
time usage can be minimized with the WWE Network, because they can do recap and
promo through out the day entire day on their channel. With less time allotted for those time
spots on Raw and Smackdown, more time can be given toward in-ring action. This will also free up time for
mid-carders and the women’s division to hone their skills in front of a
camera. Since many mid-carders and
women never done the independent circuit, they lack lots of experience in the
ring and in front of the camera.
Now that more time will be available, this will help them learn the WWE
style of story-telling, which in the long-run, make them better performers.
More on-camera promos – On-camera promos date back as far as
the conception of professional wrestling, but doing on-camera promos is easier
said than done. It’s in these
promos that we get to see the personality of a wrestler. I’m assuming that because air time is
limited, the WWE also had to limit how much time is allotted to promos, so that
there is time to promote any up-coming pay per view. Now when they have their own network, they can create a
pre-Raw show or pre-Smackdown show centered around promo work to enhance whatever the storylines are. This
will allow the fans to have a stronger connection with the wrestler and in
turn, be more invested in the wrestling storyline.
Commercials for WWE films – As it is right now, the WWE are
not that good in making films and neither is their promotion for these films. The only time I will see a trailer or a
commercial for a WWE film is when I watch a WWE program. With the lack of promotion for their
movies, the WWE Studios will take more losses than gains. Since the WWE doesn’t invest in getting
many commercial spots from various networks for their films, the WWE Network
now allows them to air their trailer as often as they want. Though this isn’t a big deal for the
typical wrestling fan, this is a big deal for the WWE.
Creation of more jobs – From a wrestling point of view, this
doesn’t mean much. But for people
in the entertainment industry or aspiring to be in the entertainment industry, this is a great thing. Though the WWE has a huge library of
wrestling footage which can start the new network, eventually, they will have
to create new and original programming in order to catch more viewers
attention. In creating more shows,
this will demand studio space, writers, camera-men, technicians, office
workers, productions workers, and whatever else it takes to create shows. In this day of our economy, the job
opportunities are really scarce, but with the WWE Network, there will be a need
for jobs to be filled. Plus, for
those WWE fans who would love to work for the WWE but not are not wrestlers, if
they have the skills sets needed for the channel, this allows them to work for
the greatest wrestling promotion of all time with out stepping in the ring.
These are just a few advantages for the WWE Network. Only time will tell as to how
successful it can be.
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