WWE's co-presidents George Barrios & Michelle Wilson have just been fired

julesocean

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-Price has not been this low since May 2018.
-Price has been on downward trend since May 2019.
-Price has flirted with 100 twice in it's history
-Once in Oct 2018 (appeared to be driven down by all the Saudi controversy when that journalist was beheaded and they still said fukk it we going. also the announcement of the women Evolution PPV was lightly scrutinized as a "make-up call" because WWE did not push for them to be involved in the Saudi event. see: women's rights in Saudi Arabia and how absurd they are).
-The other in late April 2019, following Wrestlemania, and directly following their Earnings report for previous quarter. Highlights of that report included the infamous juelzing of "we have lot of key talent injured". Revenue and TV ratings were declining, and the Network had begun to plateau in memberships.

So long term if you have the money and time to sit on a buncha shares, that's easy profit. They are THE TOP DOG in their industry, and that alone should make them a winner again inside of a month to 6 months)

Short term, I feel it's still too risky to long OR short. (gun to my head I'm buying not selling though). There are several key events that are sure to impact price greatly for the next 1-3 months:

-XFL launches this weekend. Nuff said.
-they were very vague on what restructuring is being done to the Network, but a significant one is being considered that will definitely change the way it brings in memberships, and the way they earn money from those memberships. Was hinted as "imminent" should it go through.
-Wrestlemania season looms, and now is the time where it should be rallying around all the hype and business WM brings. Do the firings effectively kill all stock momentum WWE usually get at this time?
-The "Wrestlemania Wind-down" I call it, where most people hop off their Network subs for the rest of the year once WM is over.
-The Q1 earnings report, which will answer from real performance numbers and not analyst speculation how stable they can be in the face of scrutiny to both their consumer product and on the corporate side as well.
-Replacement announcement? Is he a young upstart? Does no one know him? Is he a dinosaur? Track record? Was he hired up from within the company?
-The biggest one, what is their new approach and timeline for audience engagement, conversion, and retention? Did they unveil a plan that makes sense for their industries? Do they juelz out for another 3 months like they just did today?


You can use that list as a checklist even, on when to check how price reacted.
This stock is going to recover and make money :feedme:, but I think there is still some erratic behavior to be had. :hubie:
 
julesocean

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Tommy Fits said:
The network isn't a failure, they're losing viewers because they're losing viewers like me. Lifelong fans so turned off by how bad the past ten plus years have been that we don't even want to watch the old stuff we actually like. They have lost me for life unless my 5 year old son likes wrestling. But if he doesn't, they lost a lifelong fan. The network was fukking great though I'm just so turned off from the entire product
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There are just a myriad of problems the Network has imo, and maybe Vince finally realized it too?

-What kind of original programming is going to excite and retain casual and hardcores? They are severely handcuffed by being PG because a personal draw from me would be if they actually put out an alternative more adult-oriented programming. They flirt with it (Camp WWE, E&C show). But that is 2 shows in half the decade Network has existed. Their core audience right now is 50 year olds, and they do nothing to cater to them.

-The rate at which original programming drops (every time I had a membership, they don't drop content like they should. They are the fukkin E, with money bags on money bags. It seems they sparingly produce shows, and sparingly spend budget on them. I feel they have failed here as well. and If you ask a casual OR hardcore what the best thing about the Network is. They sill say "Live Events" or "Back Catalog" 9 times out of 10 before they say "Original Programming".

-Because they license their weekly live events to TV networks, they are not able to bring the most important aspect of their brand until a WHOLE month after it has aired on TV. Their main brand weekly show! I imagine this is a deal killer for most people, as the casual will only want to watch the main show, or highlights of the main show. Again WWE can do nothing about this, but you can't ignore it kills the Network.

-The UI and functionality has always been lackluster, and I've been through two different iterations of redesigns.


I think they get credit for actually implementing a digital sub service, and a company like them will always profit from it. But I also think considering they are the "step child" of live sports, and they are more handicapped than other major sports leagues when it comes to these kind of platforms. They should have known they need to go above and beyond to spend more time and money to really make the Network special. And that content model should have been introduced and thriving way earlier than the 5th year of their existence.

They do not even want to spend the money to restructure their WWE Home movie distribution deals, so they can at least live premiere their shyt before Sony puts the plastics in every Wal Mart of America. They do not even spend the money to produce any sort of "feature film", even if it's directed by Jeremy fukkin Borash, to the Network. If you tell me they will begin releasing campy ass movies, and every superstar will get a chance to display their acting chops in a prominent role. "This month: Cessaro takes on a James Bond type role" No further does this need to go, I'm intrigued.

These are the types of "with the times" thinking that as totally doable, and should have been thought of, and enacted by now. The network should be TEEMING with original content that drops regularly, is different from the product you get from the TV network show, or from youtube videos. These things to make up for their lack of LIVE Events, should have been a necessity and staple for them by now.

Instead they rely on it as a place to dump catalog footage, which ranks last on the list of offerings that will gain and retain fans that will spend money on your current product.

I know their TV sucks, but there is alot more suckage within other areas of the company, and the Network has been one. It's basically been "Pay 10 dollars to watch some old WCW and ECW" for me every time I've had it. Nothing else has ever caught my interest, and certainly nothing to do with the current talent. How many "behind the scenes peak" documentaries can they do? A million because they are so cost effective? That is unacceptable 5 years into your launch.
 
The Rainmaker

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DoubleJ13 said:


:russ:
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Sleep 4 hours a day? No, fukk you. Real men sleep 2 hours
747hQKM.png
 
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julesocean said:
Recap for people who want something properly written:

Michael Weiss welcomed everyone to the call. Vince McMahon and Frank Riddikk are also on the call.

Vince McMahon said they hit the low end of their advisement as they work towards additional international deals and engagment of their audience. He said the management change recently had no bearing on their strategies. The change was due to different views in the execution and areas of focus. Vince said he appreciated George Barrios and Michelle Wilson and everything they did, but WWE won't miss a beat. He noted they were working on very things including "strategic alternatives" to the WWE Network, saying, "Quite frankly, that could come in the next quarter."

McMahon said they are changing the WWE culture to be mroe collaborative and inclusive and bringing in more executives to assist with that. They are looking for ways to reshape and grow WWE. He has more confidence than ever in their abilities.

Riddikk noted that they saw marked improvement in attendance and ratings for Smackdown since the move to FOX.

They noted a 5% increase in Raw in December.

They reviewed the earnings call data.

They noted that due to the launch of other streaming services and the importance of live content, they are looking at alternative possibilities for their strategies for the WWE Network. That would indicate they are looking at the idea of licensing streaming WWE content outside of the WWE Network for the first time since its 2014 launch.

Survivor Series brought in nearly 40,000 fans over the course of the weekend.

They feel the company is in a great position for the future, specifically when it comes to live sports content.

They recapped some of the expenditures they will undertake in construction of the new HQ they are moving into, piece by piece, in Stamford, CT.

They hope to announce plans for their future strategies regarding streaming content, etc. by the end of the first quarter of 2020.

They were asked about TV rights in India and the Middle East. WWE’s uncertainty is about the timing of new deals, not that they will happen. They are currently on in India.

In regard to the WWE Network’s future, they were asked what sort of potential strategies they are looking at. Vince said they had a lot of options, including the planned tiered version. There’s no better time to potentially sell their content to the “majors” and there’s a lot of clamoring for their content.

They were asked if any current WWE Network content be off limits in terms of being licensed off to another platform.

Riddikk said there’s nothing that would stop them from doing a “different type of transaction” for the Network.

They were asked if WWE will be merging or working with the XFL.

Vince said the XFL is completely separate and currently has about 400 employees.

When asked about the clamoring of rights, Vince said he's speaking about Over the Top programming, not network. He said there are lots of majors who are interesting in potential programming.

If the Network continues on as it currently is, they are considering adding advertising, but if they partner with someone else, they will go by what's best for the partner. If they partner with someone else, they will be announcing that in the first quarter of 2020, "that's how far along" they are in talks.

When asked why the Middle East and India deals are taking so long, there have been some regulatory changes in India that has led to delays. Dealing with the Saudi Arabian government is a unique situation. The issue isn't that the deals will be done, but when.

They don't believe their capital structure will change as they like having cash on hand for additional projects and strategies.

On their investments into the product, Vince McMahon said their investments into production and talents have been paramount and you could see the growth of late. They had a lot of talents that were injured and they don't have that issue right now. They have to put talents into the right storylines and going into Wrestlemania, they feel they are there and will be there beyond Mania. Vince was also asked specifically about the power Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard had on the product but didn't respond.

VInce said that if any one of the deals they are talking for the Network about take place, its going to be transformative. Vince said if they successfully achieve what they are trying to do with the majors and their desire for WWE's OTT.

They were asked about current profitability for the Network. They said they don't comment on that.

They declined to get into whether the UK, China or Latin America TV deals grew.

They were asked how the test version of the free WWE Network tier has done. They said it's been toThey eo early to discuss that data and when they have good data to share, they will.

They are still pursuing the new TV agreements in India and the Middle East. The existing India rights are currently included in their TV guidance.

They were asked about factors that make investors worried about buying into the stock, mentioning the XFL and whether they can count on the FOX/Comcast deals being guaranteed money. Vince said the deals are what they are but that's not to say WWE couldn't do more programming (for more money). He said that the XFL is run by itself and there is no investment whatsoever from WWE. There is no plan to put it back into the WWE system at all.

They were asking about money being spent on developing new revenue streams and what they could mean. The cost increases are production, including doing Smackdown four days later than they used to do. The increase in talent expenses, developing new content and costs related to that as well.

They were asked about the AEW launch and their using more edgy content. How has AEW changed WWE content and business? Vince says AEW hasn't changed their business. They are about characters and creating storylines that lead to a resolution. They don't need to be edgy He said they are one of the few programs out there that are truly PG. NXT is competing with AEW and is doing extremely well and they feel NXT will continue to be a success.

On the management change, Vince said he's currently getting a few more direct reports but that will change when they lock in new execs. He said he has broad shoulders and can deal with it.

On attendance being down internationally, they said it depends on what country, how many events, what venue they are in. There's nothing fundamentally different between the United States and international at this point.

They were asked about Vince's ideas on the transition of leadership. He said they are going to be far more inclusive and they are going to attract more world class individuals. He joked who didn't want to work with WWE? Vince said it won't take long for them to implement the changes.

They were asked to be specific about the strategy issues with the departed members of management. Vince said it was focus and execution related. Looking at the way they do business, its going to be different and more successful going forward.

On potentially acquiring other investments, they will make small investments but in terms of acquiring things that could be brought into the WWE organizaation, they don't believe there will be anything beyond a modest level.

Vince made it clear again the XFL is a totally separate entity.

They were asked who will fill the roles for Barrios and Wilson and how their spots will be filled. They are searching for an exceptional talent who can come in but have faith in the current management team.
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You should’ve sent this in to one of those online sites, could’ve made some quick freelance bucks.
 
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ryan Alvarez mentioned on Wrestling Observer Live an interesting text he got from someone within WWE about speculation that maybe the company could sell WrestleMania to FOX to air on its channel instead of the Network
 
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