IMPACT! & Superstars Ratings Update + Big WWE Problems
– WWE issued the following press release today: WWE to Report 2010 Fourth Quarter Results STAMFORD, Conn.– WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced that it will report its 2010 fourth quarter results on February 10, 2011, before the opening of the market. The Company's Chairman and CEO, Vincent K. McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results. All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live webcast that will be hosted through the Company's website at https://corporate.wwe.com. Participants can also access the conference call by dialing 888-647-2706 888-647-2706 (conference ID: WWE). Please reserve a line 15 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call. The earnings release and presentation to be referenced during the call will be found at https://corporate.wwe.com. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company's website. If you have additional questions, please contact WWE Investor Relations via e-mail at investor.relations@wwecorp.com.
– WWE announced today that it believes, based on the currently available data, that the company's earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2010 will be around $0.08 to $0.10, well below analyst estimates of $0.16 per share. "These results are preliminary and subject to the completion and review of the 2010 financial statements by the Company (including its Audit Committee) and its independent auditors," said the company. "The Company is continuing to review its financial and operating results and actual results may differ from the earnings per share estimates contained herein. Until completion of that process, the Company is not in a position to discuss individual aspects of its financial results, which will be disclosed in the normal course." Immediately after the announcement was made, WWE's stock took a dive. After opening at $13.50 this morning, it fell to $12.28 before rebounding back to $12.50. Anyone surprised they announced it late on a Friday afternoon before the weekend break?!
– As reported before, TNA iMPACT! did a 1.15 (1.2) cable rating this week. The viewer count was 1,648,000.
– Thursday night's episode of WWE Superstars did a 0.49 (0.5) rating with 565,000 viewers. The replay did a 0.18 (0.2) rating with 174,000 viewers.