WWE Network in Late Stages of Negotiation

“There will be a WWE network in some shape or form,” Wilson said. “Getting a distribution agreement for a cable network is not easy.”

Wilson said that despite promotional material that initially suggested a launch date of this weekend, there was never a target launch date and still isn’t. She said that WWE will charge a subscription fee to each distributor, with the hope to reaching 50 million homes. She also suggested that they’re not partnering with anyone to share the cost burden, stating, “This is an all-WWE initiative — fully. It’s going to be a game-changer.”

WWE has filled thirty positions for the network so far, with an anticipation of 120 more that will need to be filled. The current hirings have come from ESPN, Viacaom, Discovery, and Warner Brothers. Wilson said that the company is working on a Divas reality show to go along with WWE Legends House. Raw and Smackdown will remain on their current networks.

Analysts that were interviewed stressed the issue of the substantive cost, plus the fact that WWE will need to convince cable network distributors to accept the rate fee that they charge as well as believe that WWE can draw an audience to sell TV time to advertisers.

Credit: NewsTimes.com