WWE Network Subscribers Down 10 Percent
NXT On USA is the biggest culprit...
In their Q4 2019 results, WWE stated that WWE Network subscription numbers had declined by 10 percent, with US subscribers falling below one million for the first time since early 2015. As a result of these numbers, WWE is now in talks to sell pay-per-view rights to another streaming service, as opposed to keeping them on the Network.
While the WWE Network had close to two million total subscribers after WrestleMania 34, viewers have been cancelling their subscriptions ever since and now the company has a combined 1.389 million paying subscribers. Domestic subscribers have seen the largest drop and, according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this is because of NXT's move to the USA network.
Most of the Network's cancellations occurred in the United States, where the black and gold brand is less accessible, as opposed to WWE's international markets where little has changed with NXT's coverage, with the exception of the UK.
For the avoidance of doubt, Meltzer penned: "In 12/31, the WWE Network had 996,000 U.S. subscribers and 393,000 outside the U.S. for 1,389,000. At the close of 2018, the numbers were 1,116,000 in the U.S. and 412,000 outside the U.S., so annual declines of 10.8 percent in the U.S. and 4.6 percent outside the U.S.
"The fourth quarter declines were big every year. For a comparison, in 2017 the decline was 41,000 in the U.S. and a gain of 5,000 outside the U.S. In 2018, with the key factor being people cancelling when WWE went to Saudi Arabia, the decline was 70,000 in the U.S. and 17,000 outside the U.S. This year, with the key factor being NXT moved live to USA, which was only in the U.S. and wouldn’t affect overseas numbers, the decline was 66,000 in the U.S. and 11,000 outside the U.S."
While the WWE Network had close to two million total subscribers after WrestleMania 34, viewers have been cancelling their subscriptions ever since and now the company has a combined 1.389 million paying subscribers. Domestic subscribers have seen the largest drop and, according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this is because of NXT's move to the USA network.
Most of the Network's cancellations occurred in the United States, where the black and gold brand is less accessible, as opposed to WWE's international markets where little has changed with NXT's coverage, with the exception of the UK.
For the avoidance of doubt, Meltzer penned: "In 12/31, the WWE Network had 996,000 U.S. subscribers and 393,000 outside the U.S. for 1,389,000. At the close of 2018, the numbers were 1,116,000 in the U.S. and 412,000 outside the U.S., so annual declines of 10.8 percent in the U.S. and 4.6 percent outside the U.S.
"The fourth quarter declines were big every year. For a comparison, in 2017 the decline was 41,000 in the U.S. and a gain of 5,000 outside the U.S. In 2018, with the key factor being people cancelling when WWE went to Saudi Arabia, the decline was 70,000 in the U.S. and 17,000 outside the U.S. This year, with the key factor being NXT moved live to USA, which was only in the U.S. and wouldn’t affect overseas numbers, the decline was 66,000 in the U.S. and 11,000 outside the U.S."
Written by Aidan Gibbons
Editor-in-Chief of Cultaholic.com Twitter: @theaidangibbons