Vince McMahon loses 1/3 of his fortune in a day. What does this mean for the UFC?

[FaTaL FaTaL]

While I agree that losing 350,000,000$ is a little more than expected for financial loss, having your company for public offering and allowing the public to dictate your value on a day by day basis is why the WWE network was such a big risk.

UFC is still privately held/owned.

I thought WWE network, from the outside looking in, was a solid idea. Same for Fight Pass. I've had it since the beginning and I actually like that I can watch TUF's in Brazil and elsewhere while I'm at work or some downtime at home. I wish they didn't black out the american market when shows were on Fox because I would rather stream them.

Would you not pay 20$ for a PPV and 10$ a month for Fight Pass? Majority of newer TV's can wirelessly be connected to laptops (Windows 8 preferred). I have a different setup that allows me to do certain things that maybe others can't.

theres not enough depth on the ufc roster for me to even consider buying more then 1-2 pay per views per year no matter the cost. the roster is very thin and over exposed by dana. he needs to cut down on the events and get better fighters, when rhonda is your biggest name you have a problem. replacing gsp and anderson is going to take a long time.

 

[sorrynottoday]

you know, I've got to say I really hope you're right. My Comcast bill is $189/month. If I buy a single UFC PPV that bastard jumps right up to about $250. That's just insane money for television/visual entertainment. Especially when so many of us are out working 40-60 hours a week, taking care of kids, rarely watching tv - yada yada

It's insane. I watch like 4 shows on TV and occasionally I'll have the time to sit and actually watch a movie. And I pay nothing less than $2,268 a year (that's with ZERO PPV purchases of ANY kind) for that. Disgusting.

Do you have a land line, HD cable, and internet package or something? 185$/mo seems REALLY high.

 

[campbecc]

a drop in stock price is obviously not good but it's not really a loss until you sell. His net worth is down but stocks often rebound.

 

[countswagula]

UFC isn't publicly traded, it means less than nothing.

 

[YourfatherII]

Who gives a shit about the wwe though? I seriously have no idea how anyone could watch such garbage, but then again jersey shore was on for a long time too.

 

[TripLikeIDo]

Damn! He only has $700 million left. Time to break out the Kraft dinner and canned dog food for dinner. Poor, poor Vince!

this. 1/3 of a billion is not that big of a deal when you have a billion to start with.

I don't know about you, but the last time I lost $350 million dollars, I was very, very bummed out.

 

[chaoticmayhem]

a drop in stock price is obviously not good but it's not really a loss until you sell. His net worth is down but stocks often rebound.

Exactly

 

[NeverAgainPlaya]

Do you have a land line, HD cable, and internet package or something? 185$/mo seems REALLY high.

Yep, with 2 DVR boxes. My wife is a TV junkie, yet ironically is never home to watch it (she works in the medical field anywhere from 65-80 hrs a week) and refuses to trim down on shit. She's also not very educated in the ways of the internet, which always leaves her hesitant when I bring up other alternative services.

I work in the publishing field and am able to work from home 80% of the time and stay with the kids, so we're not drowning financially due to the cable bill, but I still think it's disgustingly absurd what we pay. I'd rather feed a half dozen starving Indonesian kids with that money every month. At least I wouldn't feel like I was tossing greebacks in the trash can. Which is exactly what I'm doing right now.

 

[ULCards]

Now let's put some facts into the discussion...

It's been 43 days since the WWE launched their online network, and they've gotten 670k subscribers in that short amount of time.

The network has only been launched in the US.

The network will be gradually launched worldwide throughout 2014.

WWE needs 1.2-1.3 million subscribers to break even on the PPV revenue it lost.

They expect to reach $1 million subscribers by the end of this year, and exceed 2 million subscribers in 2015.

WWE has stated that they expect revenue earnings to be down approximately $45 million in 2014, due to the transition...but they expect a $50+ million revenue increase (above 2013 levels) in 2015.

The "investigation" launched is by a Louisiana attorney (former LA Attorney General) and nothing will likely come from it. They aren't being investigated by the SEC.

Two factors played into the investors fears, which has driven the stock down over the last couple months:

One, the TV deal with NBC Universal wasn't what the WWE (and analysts)anticipated, and that is what really tanked the stock on Friday (down 43% in one day). Yes, it wasn't what was expected but it was still $50 million better than the 2013 deal.

Two, investors doubt the online subscription model. They can't fathom that online streaming is the future, so they're selling their stake in the company. Their loss, because it certainly is the way of the future, and the numbers will soar when they launch globally.


It's not like the WWE is filing bankruptcy. Their core business is still thriving. They just did the largest gate in the history of the Super Dome. Their TV shows are still some of the most watched. The ratings are still some of the highest on television. They have a tremendous amount of content, and the online network is supposedly as good as it gets.

Anyone paying attention knows Vince McMahon typically has the last laugh. Doubt him all you want, but the man does promotion and entertainment better than anyone in the business.

Now please, proceed...

 

[ManyJudgesGuess]

UFC started before DW to see what the best discipline was. It evolved into MMA, but the idea was lost when big fights began selling more for fireworks than actual top-level skill. UFC has become market hungry, with a greedy agenda to boot. Fight suits, big number of injured fighters, Fight Pass, the company looks whored out. On the flipside, companies like WSOF and Bellator get a chance to grow in popularity.

Over the years my interest has dwindled but never faltered... I just believe fighters and fans alike deserve more respect and a more giving atmosphere.

I'm content with what I'm given. I can't stand fake wrestling, but to each his own. MMA for me = Buffalo Wild Wings + Internet + Sherdog \thread

 

[RUkickboxer]

you know, I've got to say I really hope you're right. My Comcast bill is $189/month. If I buy a single UFC PPV that bastard jumps right up to about $250. That's just insane money for television/visual entertainment. Especially when so many of us are out working 40-60 hours a week, taking care of kids, rarely watching tv - yada yada

It's insane. I watch like 4 shows on TV and occasionally I'll have the time to sit and actually watch a movie. And I pay nothing less than $2,268 a year (that's with ZERO PPV purchases of ANY kind) for that. Disgusting.

man... amazon prime is worth it for the shipping alone. You get TV, movies, and 2 day shipping for less than you'd pay in gas to go buy crap you need over the course of a year. With Hulu and fight pass, that makes roughly $360 a year. You could spend $640 a year buying seasons of TV shows you like on Google or Amazon or iTunes and STILL only be at $1000 a year.

I just couldn't spend $1200 a year for 4 TV shows. Oh, and I just got done watching TUF Brazil episode 11.

 

[Guestx]

UFC isn't publicly traded, it means less than nothing.

It could influence their ideas about staying with, or moving away from, the PPV business.

 

[jiujitsuforever]

Wwe put way to Much hope in their fans. I agreed with Dana not putting in Ppv on fight pass now.

 

[Guestx]

Who gives a shit about the wwe though? I seriously have no idea how anyone could watch such garbage, but then again jersey shore was on for a long time too.

It's just a form of entertainment. It's a scripted TV show like any other.

 

[MilesAbove]

Seriously? Do we have to go through this again?

There was a sell-off after historic surges following the network debut.

*graph to follow*

 

[IloveTHIS]

Who gives a shit about the wwe though? I seriously have no idea how anyone could watch such garbage, but then again jersey shore was on for a long time too.

there always one. never fails. always at least ONE of "those guys."

so insecure they need to trash PW any time its mentioned. Fuck, these people get red in the face if someone even says the word "we" in a sentence. DONT YOU FUCKING DARE ADD ANOTHER W IN FRONT OF THAT WORD. STOP LIKING THINGS I DONT LIKE! only my beliefs matter!

 

[MilesAbove]

Who gives a shit about the wwe though? I seriously have no idea how anyone could watch such garbage, but then again jersey shore was on for a long time too.

"Meh! I hate fun! Fun is terrible and all I want is realism all the time. Fantasy is for suckers!"

 

[Guestx]

there always one. never fails. always at least ONE of "those guys."

so insecure they need to trash PW any time its mentioned. Fuck, these people get red in the face if someone even says the word "we" in a sentence. DONT YOU FUCKING DARE ADD ANOTHER W IN FRONT OF THAT WORD. STOP LIKING THINGS I DONT LIKE! only my beliefs matter!

LOL. Yeah, no shit, right?

 

[foard32]

While I agree that losing 350,000,000$ is a little more than expected for financial loss, having your company for public offering and allowing the public to dictate your value on a day by day basis is why the WWE network was such a big risk.

UFC is still privately held/owned.

I thought WWE network, from the outside looking in, was a solid idea. Same for Fight Pass. I've had it since the beginning and I actually like that I can watch TUF's in Brazil and elsewhere while I'm at work or some downtime at home. I wish they didn't black out the american market when shows were on Fox because I would rather stream them.

Would you not pay 20$ for a PPV and 10$ a month for Fight Pass? Majority of newer TV's can wirelessly be connected to laptops (Windows 8 preferred). I have a different setup that allows me to do certain things that maybe others can't.

This is pretty much it. Unrelated for the most part because one is privately owned and one is a publicly traced company. Believe they will transition PPV's onto fight pass at a discounted rate eventually, just hard to do right this minute

 

[abs_maniac]

Cable TV will one day go the way of newspapers. It'll take a while, but it will happen. I pay for fightpass, and I'll keep doing it. I wish it had chromecast support, but it'll happen.

Why pay $100 a month for cable when I can get Hulu and Fightpass for $20? Plus, Amazon prime gets you free shipping plus movies for $100 a year. That's less than $30 a month.

i dunno about cable TV specifically, but comcast ain't going nowhere so long if net neutrality is killed. if people stop subscribing to cable tv services, comcast gonna make hulu and netflix pay through the nose for bandwidth, and hulu's prices will go up as a result.