What’s the story?
WWE seems to churn out a never-ending stream of content, but nobody is quite sure as to just how much new wrestling content the company makes on an annual basis. The question has now been answered by the company’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, Michelle Wilson.
Wilson made an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where she revealed just how much content WWE produces on a yearly basis.
The following quote is attributed to Wilson by Business Insider, here’ s what she said:
“Five years ago, we were putting out about 750 hours of original content every year, which is a lot. Fast-forward to today, we’re putting out double that, about 1,500 hours of original content.”
The content Michelle is referring to is just the long-form stuff that is ready for TV, without mentioning short-form content for YouTube, Snapchat and other platforms. In short, WWE produces a lot of content annually.
In case you didn’t know
The WWE Network has opened a lot of doors for WWE when it comes to producing content.
No longer restricted by television time availability and the need to meet rating targets, WWE has a free hand to produce what they want, when they want, and as a result, the network is becoming progressively populated with original content.
Also read: WWE News: Top WWE Executive reveals why Vince McMahon is hell bent on pushing Roman Reigns
WWE is in an incredible position, with vaults of tapes ready to be uploaded alongside fresh content, and it could easily rest on its laurels as a result. As such, producing so much original content every year must be applauded.
The heart of the matter
Wrestling fans have never had more professional wrestling available to them, but in many ways, promotions are forgetting that there is more to life than wrestling.
1,500 hours of original content is an incredible number, but WWE is moving dangerously close to focusing on quantity over quality. It is an impressive number, but if it is consistently mediocre then people will be quick to cancel their network subscriptions.
What’s next?
WWE is only increasing its monopoly on professional wrestling, and as such, one can be safe in the assumption that this number will continue to grow.
With a weekly United Kingdom show being talked about, WWE may well soon have close to 10 hours of original wrestling content every week, not to mention the various talk and reality shows available on the network as well.
It is somewhat strange to complain about, but it could well be too much of a good thing.
Sportskeeda’s take
WWE’s obsession with quantity will matter little in the wider landscape, as the WWE Network gives the company a free hand to do what they like. The number is impressive, but it is also somewhat meaningless if the quality isn’t taken care of.
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