Bix Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 There will be some cut on the card processing, but they'll just use the same entity that they currently use on WWE.com. Would be interested who they're using to provide the backbone, or if they're putting it together to run themselves in 2 months. So who else is doing something remotely close to this that we can look at as an example? There's no way they're not using Amazon Web Services or someone similarly huge and reliable to host this. It would be spectacular dumb even by WWE standards and AWS is the obvious choice nowadays. Dave posted this after I mentioned MLB.TV being the closest service because of the combination of live and on demand content: They're working with MLB.tv on this project. I remember being told that a few weeks ago, but I didn't quite understand what that meant.So they're clearly moving in the right direction on the technical side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermillionaire Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 As someone who lives in Australia but who knows certain ways to still have a netflix/hulu account, this is the best possible outcome for me. Since they announced the network I was hoping they would choose this set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think going the online route is a disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be there only option at this point. WWE had major problems at WrestleMania 29 with their online feed and that was with only a fraction of the viewers they hope to get for the Network. The only saving grace is if this means that they can roll out the Network internationally then that may overcome the big negative that lots of people aren't willing to watch TV through their computer yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookeighana Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think going the online route is a disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be there only option at this point. WWE had major problems at WrestleMania 29 with their online feed and that was with only a fraction of the viewers they hope to get for the Network. The only saving grace is if this means that they can roll out the Network internationally then that may overcome the big negative that lots of people aren't willing to watch TV through their computer yet. He said "connect devices" so that implies XBOX360/XBOX-One, PS3/PS4 along with presumably services like Roku. If it's available via major video game consoles, it at least has a shot - and as been noted, should they get 80% of the cut instead of 33%, that should majorly help on the break-even point. Lastly, it won't completely gut normal PPV ordering until 2015 which they will have more TV money to supplement. Honestly, if I can get WM streamed in HD on my TV via XBOX360, the $60 is spent and the rest is gravy for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhindsight Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think going the online route is a disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be there only option at this point. WWE had major problems at WrestleMania 29 with their online feed and that was with only a fraction of the viewers they hope to get for the Network. The only saving grace is if this means that they can roll out the Network internationally then that may overcome the big negative that lots of people aren't willing to watch TV through their computer yet. He said "connect devices" so that implies XBOX360/XBOX-One, PS3/PS4 along with presumably services like Roku. If it's available via major video game consoles, it at least has a shot - and as been noted, should they get 80% of the cut instead of 33%, that should majorly help on the break-even point. Lastly, it won't completely gut normal PPV ordering until 2015 which they will have more TV money to supplement. Honestly, if I can get WM streamed in HD on my TV via XBOX360, the $60 is spent and the rest is gravy for me. Amen brother. I'm going to use my 360 also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think going the online route is a disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be there only option at this point. WWE had major problems at WrestleMania 29 with their online feed and that was with only a fraction of the viewers they hope to get for the Network. The only saving grace is if this means that they can roll out the Network internationally then that may overcome the big negative that lots of people aren't willing to watch TV through their computer yet. He said "connect devices" so that implies XBOX360/XBOX-One, PS3/PS4 along with presumably services like Roku. If it's available via major video game consoles, it at least has a shot - and as been noted, should they get 80% of the cut instead of 33%, that should majorly help on the break-even point. Lastly, it won't completely gut normal PPV ordering until 2015 which they will have more TV money to supplement. Honestly, if I can get WM streamed in HD on my TV via XBOX360, the $60 is spent and the rest is gravy for me. I do wonder if we're in the bubble here, being generally more tech savvy and hardcore than the average wrestling fan. I would be interested in knowing stats about how many people currently use consoles to watch online events through their TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookeighana Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think going the online route is a disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be there only option at this point. WWE had major problems at WrestleMania 29 with their online feed and that was with only a fraction of the viewers they hope to get for the Network. The only saving grace is if this means that they can roll out the Network internationally then that may overcome the big negative that lots of people aren't willing to watch TV through their computer yet. He said "connect devices" so that implies XBOX360/XBOX-One, PS3/PS4 along with presumably services like Roku. If it's available via major video game consoles, it at least has a shot - and as been noted, should they get 80% of the cut instead of 33%, that should majorly help on the break-even point. Lastly, it won't completely gut normal PPV ordering until 2015 which they will have more TV money to supplement. Honestly, if I can get WM streamed in HD on my TV via XBOX360, the $60 is spent and the rest is gravy for me. I do wonder if we're in the bubble here, being generally more tech savvy and hardcore than the average wrestling fan. I would be interested in knowing stats about how many people currently use consoles to watch online events through their TV. I don't doubt it at all. However, I see that as a plus for them in the sense that it won't completely kill the domestic PPV (ordering via Cable/Satellite) business in 2014. If anything, pushing the WWE App was a good benchmark for them to work on targeting WWE Fans that are tech-savvy enough to start interfacing with them via social media app with video streaming extras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 The following statement is in response to recent reports concerning the WWE Network: “In addition to not being able to confirm timing of WWE Network launch, WWE is still considering all options for distribution, pricing and role of pay-per-view.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzombie1988 Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Basically, this might be a small upgrade from their online WWE Classics on Demand service which they were already offering and didn't make much off of. There's no real problems with offering stuff online but the audience will be limited and it's going to be hard to get new people to buy in. There's also a small problem in that anyone who watches wrestling online usually tends to know where to find the stuff for free anyway. The only good thing is that it is a lot cheaper and a lot less riskier to run some servers than to set up a whole TV network. The trick to live streaming stuff online for mass people to view is having multiple streams open. A couple hundred or thousand people can kill one stream but if you can split those people into 5 different streams or more, there will be less problems. Other online live streaming sites seem to be able to pull it off. I don't know if it will hurt the PPV business or not. I prefer to watch wrestling on my computer but most people prefer it on their TV's. I do think charging $10 a month for PPV's is a great way to get younger fans and simply broke fans the chance to see PPV's. I don't care what anyone says, most people do not know 1 person who likes wrestling yet alone 5 or 6 others to split a PPV with. Even if you do, good luck getting them to drop everything to come do it. They may be able to get some of the people who watch free streams to plunk down the $10 a month like a lot of people do for Netflix even though they too usually torrent instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go exclusively online, it's hard to see that as a paradigm-shifter for them in the short term. It's more of a half-step into a new world. Not saying that's a bad thing; it would just be less seismic than a lot of the network talk has suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I thought they'd go the streaming route only as a secondary measure. Working with MLB.tv is smart, too, as they are the only major sport that has their online shit together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyBart Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 This, if true, is a very forward thinking move by WWE. I'm quite surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FedEx227 Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I have a very reliable source inside MLBAM that can confirm that WWE is working with them and by his words "an announcement should come pretty soon". It will probably be at CES, but yeah there's a lot of smoke to that which is great, they are the best streaming service available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookeighana Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. This is very true. I do like the $60/6 month idea. It protects WWE from a big drop right after Wrestlemania. It protects WWE if they have a big stream mishap up front from a huge exodus and it artificially inflates numbers quickly so they can tout them to investors. Plus, 6 months is a long enough that a lot of people might forget and not realize they're hooked up for something reoccuring. I am skeptical about the "every Raw, every Smackdown, every PPV" claim. That just seems like Rights clearance hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. The flipside is that there's a non-zero chance that they might just dump whole territories on demand, which would give, let's say Kevin, a chance to see some AWA he's never even seen before, just like that. I realize that's a bit of a longshot right now but it's at least possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. The fact that it will have a 24/7 live stream makes me think we'll still get plenty of original programming. I am skeptical about the "every Raw, every Smackdown, every PPV" claim. That just seems like Rights clearance hell. What issues would they have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. The flipside is that there's a non-zero chance that they might just dump whole territories on demand, which would give, let's say Kevin, a chance to see some AWA he's never even seen before, just like that. I realize that's a bit of a longshot right now but it's at least possible. Allow me to say something pretentious, which is that this could lead to a mini-renaissance at message boards like this one. If all the footage owned by WWE is eventually at our disposal, I see interactive threads becoming a possibility. Think Wrestling Message Boards 2.0. I don't think that's likely to happen, but it very well might. WWE may even find it benefits them to do so, as they could do all sorts of interesting reports and analysis on the most watched promotions, eras and performers based on the demographics of the viewer, which could result in some really targeted marketing campaigns. The potential is there for this to be a game changer. Whether it becomes one or not remains to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 At 10$ a month, even *I* could be interested if I could have access to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilclown Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Allow me to say something pretentious, which is that this could lead to a mini-renaissance at message boards like this one. If all the footage owned by WWE is eventually at our disposal, I see interactive threads becoming a possibility. Think Wrestling Message Boards 2.0. .... The potential is there for this to be a game changer. Whether it becomes one or not remains to be seen. As a writer, I think this is potentially a tremendous boon. Not only can I research and discuss a topic, I can show readers the original footage. That's super exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhindsight Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. The flipside is that there's a non-zero chance that they might just dump whole territories on demand, which would give, let's say Kevin, a chance to see some AWA he's never even seen before, just like that. I realize that's a bit of a longshot right now but it's at least possible. Allow me to say something pretentious, which is that this could lead to a mini-renaissance at message boards like this one. If all the footage owned by WWE is eventually at our disposal, I see interactive threads becoming a possibility. Think Wrestling Message Boards 2.0. I don't think that's likely to happen, but it very well might. WWE may even find it benefits them to do so, as they could do all sorts of interesting reports and analysis on the most watched promotions, eras and performers based on the demographics of the viewer, which could result in some really targeted marketing campaigns. The potential is there for this to be a game changer. Whether it becomes one or not remains to be seen. And since a large segment of their customers won't be on the app, this information could also dictate things like future DVDs. Although I wonder how much this service will eat into those sales. Really comes down to what is going to be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I'm already grumpy about all the podcast-driven people we have showing up. No, no. I'm kidding. You're all lovely people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 If they go the streaming route, this is going to be a huge letdown from a fantasy program director standpoint. The fact that it will have a 24/7 live stream makes me think we'll still get plenty of original programming. I am skeptical about the "every Raw, every Smackdown, every PPV" claim. That just seems like Rights clearance hell. What issues would they have? Music rights, although the era we're talking about ('93-on aside from the first several years of PPVs) is much easier to handle in that respect that older stuff would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Well, all of the pre-1993 PPV's have already come out on DVD with dubbed audio tracks already. Don't see how that would be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNLister Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Does broadcasting online only rather than on TV make any difference to music rights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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