WWE and Netflix: Is it Time for the Relationship to Go to the Next Level?
The biggest Superstars are about to have a little problem.
Watch the trailer for the new movie #TheMainEvent tomorrow! @netflix pic.twitter.com/puFSaVtzo7
— WWE (@WWE) March 26, 2020
The recent release of the WWE results for the first quarter of 2020 have made for interesting reading in a number of ways.
However, one of the most fascinating sections was related to WrestleMania Week and the strong figures that the brand recorded around arguably the biggest date in its calendar.
Setting records
The press release published on WWE.com reveals that WWE set viewership records in WrestleMania Week at the start of April, with the brand achieving more than 967 million video views across digital and social platforms. The figure marked a 20 percent increase from last year, while it is thought a total of 46 million hours of content was viewed across the week.
WrestleMania was also found to have had a big impact on the WWE Network, with weekend subscriber additions for the event reaching the highest level in its history. In addition, the network’s total subscriber figure reached 2.1 million on April 6th.
The average paid subscribers level for the WWE Network across the quarter stood at 1.46 million, with WWE stating it was consistent with the company’s guidance.
The power of streaming
Such results are interesting to note in a time when streaming is now big part of all of our lives. So many of us use the technology for a range of activities, including to listen to our favorite artists on platforms like Spotify. Furthermore, it has also had an impact on online casino sites, with norgeskasino.com – a comparison site that demonstrates the wide variety of platforms available – explaining how ‘live casino’ games hosted by dealers on a video link are among the fastest-growing gaming categories in that space. Then of course you have the likes of Netflix, which has gone on to dominate the world of film and TV streaming too.
According to Netflix.com, the latter service has a remarkable 183 million paid memberships in almost 200 countries, with such figures clearly dwarfing the subscriber numbers achieved by the WWE Network. However, one notable development in recent times has been how the wrestling brand has been developing a relationship with Netflix, working with it to create both the feature film The Main Event and the series The Big Show Show. In its financial results, WWE said both had ranked well on release.
With that in mind, should WWE look to undertake further projects with Netflix in an effort to get more wrestling content in front of people from across the world? It certainly seems a reasonable question to ask, particularly as such a step may not only raise the profile of wrestling in general but also have the knock-on effect of encouraging more people to check out what the WWE Network itself has to offer.
Time to strengthen ties?
The WWE Network platform has enjoyed some strong results recently, but building on WWE’s ties with a media powerhouse like Netflix and offering more content through that hugely popular service could prove very beneficial.
It might seem strange to use one streaming service to drive people to another, but WWE’s links with Netflix could just have that effect. It will be fascinating to see how the relationship between the two develops in the months and years ahead.
