WWE Reportedly Drops Plans For Premium Network Tiers
WWE has reportedly dropped plans for higher-priced tiers for the WWE Network.
WWE has planned for the rollout of the tiered version of the WWE Network for a few years now, but it was reported on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the idea for the tiers has been dropped.
The idea was that WWE would include more premium content, including other non-WWE promotions such as PROGRESS Wrestling from the UK and EVOLVE from the United States. The version with the extra premium content would allow them to charge different price points, up from the standard $9.99 subscription fee they charge now.
Now word is that WWE is dropping the indie wrestling content, and some of the other content they had planned to go along with the higher-priced tiers.
It was noted that the idea behind the recently-launched free version of the WWE Network is that it will lead consumers to the premium $9.99 version, instead of the $9.99 version leading to higher-priced versions. It's possible that they increase the $9.99 price point down the line. It's also possible that they decide to move forward with the tiered versions again, especially given the way WWE Chairman Vince McMahon changes his mind these days. However, he has reportedly changed the direction of the Network for now, and they are not introducing the tiered versions with more premium content.
This new report from Wrestling Observer Radio is interesting as it was recently reported that WWE had plans to begin airing content from other promotions soon. We noted back on July 21, via @Wrestlevotes, that there are plans to begin airing EVOLVE and wXw programming on the WWE Network before the end of 2020. WWE recently purchased the EVOLVE promotion from WWN Live, and wXw is a German promotion that WWE has a working relationship with.
Stay tuned for updates on the WWE Network and the possibility of outside content airing. We should have an update on the future of the Network after today's Q2 2020 earnings report at around 5pm ET.