We got the following memo from a reader who told us that he works in the cable industry. According to the memo, WWE will do one less PPV show next year but raise the base price for each regular (non-WrestleMania) show to $44.95, one would think to make up for the missing revenue of the deleted show. At a time when buyrates are dropping, a price increase doesn't sound like the brightest idea to me. Anyway, here's the memo as we received it.
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As part of our ongoing efforts to maximize the WWE pay-per-view business, we have made several changes to our branding strategy in 2009. A key priority was to rename and retheme several of our events to better describe those pay-per-views and to build interest for our fans through new “hooks” and stronger themes.
In contemplating the future of the pay-per-view business, we would like to make you aware of two important changes we are making to our pay-per-view strategy in 2010.
1. WWE will increase the suggested retail price of its pay-per-view events (excluding WrestleMania), by $5.00, to $44.95. This change in the SRP shall become effective commencing with Royal Rumble, which will be held on January 31, 2010. This will be the first price increase for non-WrestleMania events since 2006. Please note that the SRP for WrestleMania will remain $54.95.
2. WWE is eliminating one of our June pay-per-view events therefore reducing the number of pay-per-view events in 2010 to 13 events. Please find the preliminary 2010 WWE pay-per-view event schedule below and attached.
EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | ARENA |
Royal Rumble | Sunday, January, 31, 2010 | Atlanta, GA | Philips Arena |
Elimination Chamber | Sunday, February 21, 2010 | St. Louis, MO | Scottrade Center |
WrestleMania XXVI | Sunday, March 28, 2010 | Phoenix, AZ | University of Phoenix |
Backlash | Sunday, April 25, 2010 | Baltimore, MD | 1st Mariner Arena |
Extreme Rules | Sunday, May 23, 2010 | Oakland, CA | TBD |
WWE The Bash | Sunday, June 20, 2010 | TBD | TBD |
TBD | Sunday, July 18, 2010 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center |
SummerSlam | Sunday, August 15, 2010 | Los Angeles, CA | Staples Center |
Night of Champions | Sunday, September 19, 2010 | Chicago, IL | Allstate Arena |
Hell in the Cell | Sunday, October 3, 2010 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center |
WWE Bragging Rights | Sunday, October 24, 2010 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center |
Survivor Series | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | Miami, FL | American Airlines Arena |
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Sunday, December 19, 2010 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center |
The strategy of reducing our pay-per-view calendar to one event per month (except for October) achieves both creative and business objectives for WWE. It allows us to better develop compelling storylines and arcs in order to motivate our fans to purchase more pay-per-views. This change also allows for increased marketing windows for each event, during which we can more effectively communicate our sales message.
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