TKO exec says ESPN Unlimited price point is ‘somewhat prohibitive’ for WWE fans
TKO head Mark Shapiro is very excited about the day when ESPN Unlimited is fully authenticated for subscribers of all major cable & streaming TV providers, giving them free access to WWE premium live events.
Shapiro spoke Monday at the annual Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference where he was asked about the ESPN/WWE relationship following their PLE shift last September and how it might impact both reach and popularity.
He said “it definitely impacts us” and noted they were asked all the same questions about accessibility when WWE moved to Peacock years ago.
“(Moving to Peacock) was a total success. We play the long game with WWE and we’re doing the same with ESPN,” he said.
He then put over the ESPN Unlimited platform, calling it a “phenomenal package if you’re a sports fan” and added that “things will immediately get better” for WWE when Comcast, YouTube and Dish all allow their subscribers to authenticate and get the service for free. (Comcast Xfinity actually launched that capability last weekend while it might be until the fall for YouTube.)
“That is (the $29.99 monthly cost without authenticating), I believe, is somewhat prohibitive, especially in today’s economy and the struggles that certainly middle income and low income earners are having with affordability. They have to get those deals done. Until they do, that will affect our audience,” he said, adding they are excited about everything getting done.
Shapiro said that for this past weekend’s Elimination Chamber, they saw “a significant increase in audience” from last September’s Wrestlepalooza and “are already making strides.” He admitted they aren’t where they were a year ago with Netflix or Peacock, but he was “super encouraged” by the numbers WWE president Nick Khan was sending him every hour this past weekend.
The future of WWE NXT PLEs on Peacock did not come up.
What did come up with the impending possibility of Paramount Skydance acquiring WBD which Shapiro said is “only good for us.” He specifically mentioned TNT and HBO being synonymous with sports, something he brought up before, suggesting that TNT might make a good home for UFC events if a deal was to go through.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.