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WWE Network |OT| $9.99 PPVs, that's gonna put some butts in the seats

Marvel

Marvel

could never
RP912 said:
The-Great-Khali-Vise-Grip-Finishing-Move_original_original_crop_exact.jpg
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I do not like this picture.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
iMax said:
Isn't it supposed to launch in like an hour or something? This has gotta be a new unprecedented low for this fucking company.
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Yeah, it is. That's pretty goddamn shameful. Really fucking pathetic.
 
I

iMax

Member
Vince McMahon said:
Yeah, it is. That's pretty goddamn shameful. Really fucking pathetic.
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I really wouldn't be surprised if this is just some sort of game-theory scenario that's been played out between Sky and WWE—see who flinches first.

I bet Sky literally just struck a deal with them at the last minute.
 
P

Petrie

Banned
So my girlfriend wants to check out some of the Attitude Era stuff, like Edge and Christian, the Hardy's, Kurt Angle, etc. Has that content made it up chronologically yet or is it still in the works?
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Petrie said:
So my girlfriend wants to check out some of the Attitude Era stuff, like Edge and Christian, the Hardy's, Kurt Angle, etc. Has that content made it up chronologically yet or is it still in the works?
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There's a good amount of it up there, but not all of it yet. Smackdown from 99 into the start of 2000 is up and they're putting new ones up every day or so. There's definitely content up there, and all the PPVs as well are up, but it has a ways to go.
 
I

iMax

Member
No wonder their churn is so high. They seem to have total disdain for their existing customer base. They just don't give a shit.
 
s_mirage

s_mirage

Member
Sir_Crocodile said:
If they've done a deal with sky summerslam is the last money they'll ever see out of me.

I only sporadically get ppv's now, but I'll stop completely. Not going to be hard given the lackluster quality of their product.

It's on their site now:

http://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/uk-launch-delayed-26767676

morons.
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I'm pretty much the same. You know something else that really gets up my nose about this? How they've announced this indefinite delay. No grovelling apology, no explanation, just "the launch has been delayed". Well thanks WWE, this really shows just how much you care for your UK fans!
 
P

Petrie

Banned
Vince McMahon said:
There's a good amount of it up there, but not all of it yet. Smackdown from 99 into the start of 2000 is up and they're putting new ones up every day or so. There's definitely content up there, and all the PPVs as well are up, but it has a ways to go.
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I'll probably wait till I know I can get '99 till like 2003. Thanks!
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
iMax said:
It must be. Either that or Sky think the launch violates their contract, leading it to be postponed until differences can be ironed out.
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That's the only thing I can think of. WWE only signed a new deal with sky this year that runs until 2019, so I can't imagine Sky will be too happy about the PPVs being available on the app for essentially £7 ($9.99).

I can imagine they've pulled up the contract and are probably in talks to make it an exclusive Sky Channel similar to how it is in Canada for extra £ a month. If that happens I'll not be buying it, and I'll just stick to using proxy/dns to access the content via the WWE App.
 
I

iMax

Member
Someone on Reddit has made a good point. They are going to get absolutely destroyed at RAW in Liverpool next week.
 
I

iMax

Member
Someone on Reddit is saying they've reached a deal for a 'Sky Sports WWE' channel to launch in January. Ugh.
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Hmmm.

I was never able to get it to allow me to register with November being a free month.

Is it for new accounts only?

Edit:

Actually, it's contradictory. It says:

November Free, Including Survivor Series
You will be billed $9.99 per month, starting December 1, 2014
No Commitment, Cancel Anytime

But then when I go through with paypal, it charges me for November.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
Not surprised if true.
Not interested if true.

Sky Sports channel will be at least £10. I think I posted earlier about the survey Sky sent out about the Sky Sports package deals, WWE was mentioned as a standalone service in that survey.
 
2

21st century cowboy

Member
What the hell. is WWE run by absolute morans. You can get away will delaying something once but now twice. I hope their stock takes a massive dump and that everyone kicks up a massive fuss in Liverpool for the Raw and Smackdown shows.

It seemed weird how they announced the network for release today but the apps in two weeks time.
 
I

iMax

Member
OK, might be time to cut the WWE a bit of slack.

People are saying on Reddit and Twitter that Sky actually filed an injunction against WWE at around 7pm, preventing them from operating the network in the UK until court proceedings are completed, which can take months.

If true, this is really kinda insane.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
iMax said:
OK, might be time to cut the WWE a bit of slack.

People are saying on Reddit and Twitter that Sky actually filed an injunction against WWE at around 7pm, preventing them from operating the network in the UK until court proceedings are completed, which can take months.

If true, this is really kinda insane.
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Well not really, they'd only file an injunction if they felt that the WWE was breaching it's contract. That would suggest that perhaps the WWE acted without really consulting bskyb or caring about the contract they signed with them in January 2014 that extended Sky's coverage of the WWE till 2019.

That contract included UK Exclusive coverage of Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, etc. as well as PPV coverage on Sky Box Office. So for WWE to then try and launch their app which would show the same content alongside Sky's at a lower price...

Of course I'm just guessing here.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
iMax said:
If they agreed exclusive-content through 2019, which seems to be the suspicion, WWE may not have a choice.
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Then why announce the network in the UK at all? They know what contract they signed, so they know what they could and could not offer here in the UK.

All they seem to have accomplished is to piss off their second largest fanbase and second largest media partner. What a complete shambles.
 
s_mirage

s_mirage

Member
brain_stew said:
Then why announce the network in the UK at all? They know what contract they signed, so they know what they could and could not offer here in the UK.
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This is what puzzles me. It's possible that WWE are incompetent, but I wonder if it's be more likely that Sky didn't quite sign the exclusivity deal that they thought the did, and are now kicking up a stink. Perhaps WWE tried to be clever and this area of the contract is too wrapped in legalese.
 
B

brain_stew

Member
s_mirage said:
This is what puzzles me. It's possible that WWE are incompetent, but I wonder if it's be more likely that Sky didn't quite sign the exclusivity deal that they thought the did, and are now kicking up a stink. Perhaps WWE tried to be clever and this area of the contract is too wrapped in legalese.
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Sky have more experience negotiating UK sports rights than anyone else in the UK. I just don't see how you could get anything past their legal team (or why you would even try) especially when the network was a known entity when the deal was drafted up. It makes no sense.

There has to be something more going on behind the scenes but the WWE's approach in public has been appalling. If you haven't got a deal struck then don't string along the fans until you have one. If you announce a specific price and date then you need to be confident you can stick by it, if you can't (which clearly they couldn't) then don't announce the bloody thing in the first place.

They've dangled the $9.99 carrot in front of UK fans now (and a free major PPV!), you can't go back from that to a £60 Sky package with less content and not expect a backlash.

What a complete disaster.
 
H

Hasney

Member
I wouldn't be shocked if Sky OK'd it all and did this at the last minute to get them a better deal. It is a Murdoch joint after all.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
bskyb are paying WWE 3x what they were paying for exclusive rights to WWE content in the UK before they signed the new deal in Jan 2014. That includes Raw, Smackdown, Main Event, Slam City, etc. and all the 12 major PPVs going to Sky Box Office.

This deal covered broadcasting digitally and on-demand.

Then 11 months later WWE want to release an app in the UK that undercuts that deal?
 
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