Wrestling as an entertainment is apparently a huge business, and a majority of this business is moving online.
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Network announced yesterday that it currently has 667,287 paying subscribers, just 42 days after the network launched on February 24. The company predicts it will reach its goal of one million subscribers by the end of the year.
“WWE Network will provide transformative growth for our company and unprecedented value for our fans,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said back when it first launched in February. “We believe that is the future,” WWE chief of revenue and marketing officer Michelle Wilson added.
The WWE Network was first announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Currently, the live streaming network with live and scheduled programming is available only in the U.S. The company noted in the press release it would be rolled out to Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Nordics later this year, and into early 2015.
WWE Network costs $9.99 per month and comes with a six month commitment. Paying subscribers will be able to receive access to live events and library content. They can view them on whatever device they want, be it the Apple TV, Sony PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, iPad or iPhone, Kindles, Android devices, as well as on the company’s Web site, WWE.com.
WWE is not the first company that embraces the paradigm shift to online consumption: in February, Disney also introduced a new service called Disney Movies Anywhere, where users can purchase any digital movie from Disney’s library of films as well as those from Pixar and Marvel.
Looks like the entertainment space is going online.
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