Low Ratings put a WWE TV deal at risk

The rating matter, what if they matter. We have rarely met the McMahons to apologize for the bad product they have been offering lately. In fact, never until last Monday. The television contracts represent the great source of income of a large wrestling company, as well as the support of its media presence. Many millions are at stake when we now know that bad ratings put an agreement at risk.

Sky Sports is the payment channel that has been transmitting WWE content for some time in the British Isles. An alliance that may not have continuity, as revealed by Will Cooling, a journalist with Fighting Spirit Magazine, during his speech in the latest episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio.

“People think that the reason that WWE ratings have plummeted is because fans prefer to use on-demand cable service or online service rather than watching it on a normal television basis. And it is not true. Now we can check the statistics, and there are no differences.

“Simply, people have stopped watching WWE. There was a SmackDown that had just 20 thousand viewers a few weeks ago. The Sky Sports clearly failing to promote WWE. This week they have not been in their usual strip, and the same will happen next. They have other things that they prefer to emit. I do not know, it looks bad for WWE and Sky Sports. “

It must be said that the British chain is in the middle of a process of budget cuts. The situation that suggests a possible end of the agreement between the parties. Also, WWE Vice President George Barrios recently admitted that they would like to announce a new television deal for the UK market.

A case that echoes with that of Spain. Last month, the presence of WWE in this country suffered a major impairment. GOL, the chain in charge of offering interesting weekly summaries of everything that happened on Raw and SmackDown, ended its agreement with the company. Not seven months lasted the broadcasts, whose audience was partly burdened by the Soccer World Cup. Meanwhile, the contract with Neox (of the AtresMedia group), the other diffuser of its product in that territory, concludes at the beginning of 2019. And renewal is not guaranteed.

In short, the reality is that the interest in WWE has diminished ostensibly. This, together with the preference of tracking via Torrent or any illegal means, makes Europe a difficult territory to conquer. Obviating the time difference. And all, when next month will take place the first exclusive TakeOver of NXT UK.