WWE Conference Call Report – Vince McMahon Speaks

Credit: Prowrestling.net

-The call is hosted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios, and WWE Investor Relations Michael Weitz.

-Vince said WrestleMania 30 was a big success. He also touted the success of WrestleMania on social media. Vince said they passed 1.3 million subscribers.

-Vince spoke about the new programming, including the new Diva Search that will be exclusive to the network.

-Barrios also spoke about the new programming. He mentioned plans to launch in countries they have not launched in yet. He attributed the growth of the network to the free month of February for new subscribers and WrestleMania.

-They are holding another free month for new subscribers in April.

-Barrios said they still believe they can get to 3-4 million subscribers.

-The first caller raved about Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania, and asked about the eight new network programs and whether the budget is increasing. Vince said the budget will remain basically flat.

-A caller asked for a breakdown of how many people who signed up for a free month are still with the network. Barrios said they haven’t been public with that number.

-A caller asked about the network pricing model changing. Barrios said they are “really comfortable” with the $9.99 price point, but he didn’t close the door on changing it somewhere down the road.

-A caller asked about breaking into China. Barrios said China and India both present unique opportunities. He said they are already a strong brand in India and the television deal is the company’s third largest. He said there are a variety of options for China. He said he found it interesting that Netflix intends to “go it alone” in China rather than former a partnership.

-The caller asked about using Chinese talent in China. Vince spoke about how the star power of the talent is what people want to see worldwide. He said it would help if they had someone of Chinese descent once they venture into the market, but he said only if that person is a star “and deserves to be treated as a superstar.” He said the talent needs to make it on a global basis.

-A caller asked if they are giving any consideration to giving a network price point that includes the pay-per-views and one that does not. Barrios said the $9.99 for everything is a good fit, but he once again left the door open just in case they change their minds as they go forward.

-A caller asked about the Tapout deal and it taking until 2016 to have the product available. Barrios spoke about trying to strike a deal in the past. Barrios said 2016 is the real launch.

-Barrios said they did not give an international number for the network, but they will do it during the quarterly conference call.

-Barrios said they won’t get any data on WrestleMania pay-per-view for several days.

-A caller asked if the investment has changed regarding the talent budget. Barrios said they won’t get into line items in that area.

-The caller brought up how some are saying WrestleMania 31 was the greatest WrestleMania ever. He brought up how creative drives the business and asked how this will affect business the remainder of the year. Vince said it’s all about content and the quality of it. He said they have their doubters “and that’s okay.” He said they have a history of “pulling it off.” He said they knew this would be an excellent event and he said the drive to WrestleMania was a late one and that was the approach they took this year. “By and large, we have a pretty good track record,” he said.

-A caller asked if they are talking with pay-per-view companies, basically to get the network out via different means. Barrios pointed to the deal they made in Canada. He said they would consider. Vince said they’re not in favor of cord cutting, it’s about getting the content out.

-The next caller asked how things went with the streaming of WrestleMania on the network. “The performance was rock solid,” Barrios said regarding the streaming.

-Another caller asked whether the new programming appeals to different parts of their audience. Vince said yes. He said their demographics on USA and Syfy is “across the board.” He said they want to reach various demographics.

-The caller mentioned they brought in Sting and attributed it to the feedback they received from the network. Vince said it’s important to monitor all of that. He said it wasn’t just because of what she’s saying. “We took someone from obscurity and developed that character and made it important,” Vince said. He again said they took him from “obscurity to a main event of WrestleMania.”

-Barrios noted that they are “pretty much full distributed” in Canada. This wrapped up the call.

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