WWE blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: WWE

Line change for the NHL: COVID-enforced innovation arrives as ‘D-Day’ commences

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

7 Jan 2021

With 2021 commencing, the start of ‘ D-day’ or ‘ Year 0’ for sporting rights is upon us, as the major domestic sports rights start coming up for renewal. Nowhere is ‘D-day’ for sporting rights...

WWE Q3 Earnings – An innovative digital strategy helps WWE overcome COVID-19 disruption

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

12 Nov 2020

WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment

covid

WWE’s Q3 2020 results provide a fascinating insight into how a live event-focused entertainment business has successfully navigated a global pandemic. In its financials for the quarter , WWE saw a 19%...

Move Over Mickey, The NBA is Set to Become Disney World’s Star Attraction

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

27 May 2020

AFL

Australian Rules Football

basketball

COVID-19 forced sports leagues to think outside the box for restarting live sports. The UFC wanted to rent a private island , the NRL to ferry players to and from games, and the WWE performed to empty...

The Last Dance – ESPN Raining Threes

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

18 May 2020

Adam Silver

bundle

Chicago Bulls

With the pandemic-enforced postponement of live sports creating an entertainment void for sports fans, US broadcaster ESPN played its trump card to capitalise on the thirst for stimulating content during...

Forget Virtual – UFC and NRL going Remote

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

10 Apr 2020

Associated Press

broadcaster

With fans currently starved of sports entertainment during lockdown, rights holders are jumping out of the gate to be the first to put on live sports to serve any form of quick fix to see a jump in engagement....

Olympics Postponement: The Sports Media Landscape of COVID-19

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

26 Mar 2020

Advertising Revenue

broadcasters

business model

The global COVID-19 pandemic is increasing pressure on the viability of emerging and legacy media business models, and is already having an unprecedented impact on the sports industry. An unprecedented...

Six Nations Behind a Paywall: Can Rugby Afford to Bench Free-To-Air?

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

6 Mar 2020

business model

consumption habits

cricket

Six Nations organisers are reportedly considering awarding the exclusive distribution rights for its annual competition to pay-TV operator Sky, in an unprecedented £300 ($384) million deal. Organisers...

Can BT Lay the Smackdown on Its Rivals?

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

3 Jan 2020

addressable audience

broadcast

This Saturday at 1am GMT BT will debut its live broadcast for WWE Smackdown, having acquired the exclusive rights from long-term UK broadcaster Sky in June 2019 . This signalled the end of Sky’s tenure...

Why the UFC Wants to Replicate the Yao Ming effect

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

25 Jun 2019

athlete

audience culture

brand leverage

The NBA is the third highest grossing league globally, generating $7.4 billion in 2017, behind domestic rivals MLB and NFL. Whereas the MLB and NFL have largely struggled to entice a truly global following,...