WWE Network has had it’s highs and lows, but the fact that WWE has not yet raised the price from the $9.99 value is a pretty big deal. Most have speculated that is due to the fact WWE has not sold as many subscriptions as they wanted, they would raise the price, maybe $10 or so a month, putting the average price at $19.99 per month. It would be a good idea for WWE, who wants to see the network succeed. However, they are not going to do that.
WWE Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Marketing Office Michelle Wilson claimed recently that WWE has done so much marketing of the $9.99 price that they really can’t increase it for the time being. Imagine changing it after they have heavily marketed the price for it on TV and on commercials. Even the WWE Network jingle song is touting the $9.99 price.
Many have felt that WWE would screw them if they got the Network. If it does bad, WWE would somehow force us to pay more per month or random price increases would come out of their account.
This is not likely. WWE cannot access your account with your say-so. They also cannot increase the network price if you have a current six month commitment deal.
WWE does have a monthly option for $20. This is due to the luxury you have of just a one month subscription, something many streaming services do.
The fact that you can get at least six PPVs for the price of what one used to be, plus the other notable WWE content you get, the WWE Network subscription pays for itself at the end of the day honestly. Many have claimed that if they can see content on YouTube or other websites, as well as get free live streams, the Network is of no use. Sadly, WWE is removing a lot of content from those places AND live streams always catch WWE’s attention. So you run into the fact you may lose the stream randomly.
WWE realizes in this day and age, they have to either start a revolutionary concept or jump in while they can. However, these types of ideas are tough for WWE to sell to fans because it does require money. The weird part is that many save money long-term with the WWE Network concept. The problem is that psychologically, people see a loss of any money, regardless of how small, as a significant thing. Still though, WWE has tried to keep fans knowing that the price for the network will not increase.
WWE runs into a problem trying to increase anything, due to CBS putting its primetime schedule on a streaming service for $5.99 per month. Many feel that CBS has made it difficult for anyone not doing regular live sports or premium events to charge much more.
What WWE has done to remedy any issues financially is to allow commercials to be on the network from advertisers. They would be quite limited, but they will run them. While we won’t expect this to be like a WWE RAW or SmackDown show, where commercials are going on for 5 minutes or so at a time, WWE will need limited commercials in order to keep the price the same.
It is said that WWE has been able to get current media partners such as Mountain Dew (Pepsi), Mattel, Kmart, 2K Sports and Pure TalkUSA to put up commercials.
[IMG Credits: Bleacher Report, WWE.com]
