ESPN and WWE enter into partnership

Last week ESPN announced it entered into a partnership with the WWE to feature weekly segments of wrestling highlights.

The move is thought to help both companies.  ESPN’s subscriber numbers and ratings have been down and ad revenue were off based on the last report this past June as reported in the Wall Street Journal.  The WWE has had its own issues with viewership of Monday Night Raw hitting record lows.   The WWE roster is in flux as they are seeking another top level star aside from Brock Lesnar.

ESPN has dipped its toe into partnering with the WWE in the past with reporting Brock Lesnar’s re-signing with the WWE and coverage of Ronda Rousey’s appearance with The Rock at this past Wrestlemania.

Payout Perspective:

This might receive some criticism from sports purists but the partnership should help both entities.  As we noted, the additional mainstream visibility should help WWE with marketing its product.  While many people will not admit it, the trickle of pro wrestling into ESPN might bring back some fans that watched it when they were younger.  For ESPN, it’s another way to diversify its programming to attract more viewers.  It is a move into more entertainment but we’ve seen the network segue into this in the past (recall Rush Limbaugh on the network’s NFL pre-game show) with differing results.