The war between Dish Network and WWE is continuing, as the satellite provider announced once again in a statement it will not be airing any more WWE PPV events this year – including WrestleMania 30, the big moneymaker of the year for both cable providers and WWE.
As usual in these type of disputes (which at this point, clearly fall on the shoulders or Dish rather than their partners), Dish tried to pass the buck onto WWE.
“Please note that WWE is not willing to adjust PPV costs to satellite/cable companies, which is unfair to their customers. DISH needs to re-focus efforts to support partners that better serve DISH customers and other satellite/cable companies, including DirecTV, have also expressed they may no longer provide WWE PPV events in the future.”
The only people losing out here are the WWE fans that have Dish. If they don’t have high-speed internet in their area, they’re screwed – they can’t give their money to their provider to watch the show, and they can’t pay WWE $9.99 per month to watch online. Dish’s typical jargon of “we’re trying to look out for you” is a load of crap, since those people that they’re looking out for are the ones that are getting screwed over by Dish refusing to carry the PPV events.
And really, Dish is voluntarily sacrificing a substantial chunk of income here. WrestleMania is the most expensive and popular PPV on WWE’s yearly docket, and Dish is giving up their cut of those sales because they’re angry about the WWE Network launch? It’s just silly on Dish’s part, and another indicator about why Dish should be your last resort as a cable customer.DirecTV has been quiet about WWE PPVs since January. Could hardcore wrestling fans that aren’t WWE Network subscribers make the switch to DirecTV just in time for WrestleMania? If you’re DirecTV, why wouldn’t you offer something your main competitor has handed you on a silver platter, at least for the short term?
The bigger issue at stake is the future of over-the-top services, which one Fox executive today called “a trojan horse that threatens our very business.” That’s the entire point, really. Over-the-top takes away the middle men of networks and cable and satellite providers and delivers content straight to viewers. The WWE Network has largely been a success thus far for fans and it could inspire other leagues to do the same in the future. That’s what has cable and satellite companies most concerned.
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