WWE issued the following:
WWE® today announced that its digital subscription service, WWE Network, reached a record 1.82 million total subscribers following last night’s WrestleMania®, the most viewedWrestleMania in history. This is a 39% increase from March 30, 2015, the day after WrestleManialast year.
“History was made last night with both a record-setting crowd at AT&T Stadium and more households than ever before watching WrestleMania on WWE Network,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “WWE Network continues to drive transformative growth for our company.”
“Results today further demonstrate the power of our brand, illustrate our potential to drive long-term growth and provide evidence that we are effectively executing our multi-platform content strategy,” said George Barrios, WWE Chief Strategy & Financial Officer.
WWE Network Subscriber Highlights
- WWE Network reached record levels of total subscribers, total domestic subscribers and total international subscribers as of April 4, 2016
- Total domestic subscribers increased 24% to 1.39 million; total international subscribers increased 126% to 434,000 from March 30, 2015 – the day after WrestleMania last year
- Domestic and international paid subscribers reached 1.11 million and 345,000, respectively as of April 4, 2016
| WWE Network total subscribers at WrestleMania 32 and WrestleMania 311,2,3: | |||||||||
| Total Subscribers
(thousands) |
April 4th, 2016
WrestleMania 32 |
March 30th, 2015
WrestleMania 31 |
% Growth | ||||||
| Total (Paid + Free Trial) | 1,824 | 1,315 | 39% | ||||||
| Total Paid | 1,454 | 1,315 | 11% | ||||||
| Total Domestic (Paid + Free Trial) | 1,390 | 1,123 | 24% | ||||||
| Domestic Paid | 1,109 | 1,123 | -1% | ||||||
| Total International (Paid + Free Trial) | 434 | 192 | 126% | ||||||
| International Paid | 345 | 192 | 80% | ||||||
| (1) | Metrics reflect subscribers who are direct customers of WWE Network and subscribers reported under licensed partner agreements, which have different economic terms for the network. The impact of these subscribers on WWE Network results is reflected in the network’s average revenue per subscriber (ARPU). | |
| (2) | The Company did not offer a free trial promotion in March, 2015. | |
| (3) | Additional information regarding WWE Network subscriber levels can be found in the Company’s website presentation at www.ir.corporate.investors.com. | |
WrestleMania Engagement Milestones
- Video views reached 65 million across social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, and YouTube), representing an 87% increase over last year
- WrestleMania garnered a record 10.9 million social media fan engagements4, up 19% from the prior year
(4) Social media fan engagements are defined as the cumulative fan response to WWE content measured by the number of “likes”, “follows”, “shares”, “mentions”, and “retweets” across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr.
WWE 2016 Perspective
Q1 2016: Based upon preliminary data to date, WWE Network attracted an average of approximately 1.29 million paid subscribers over the first quarter 2016, representing a 39% increase from the first quarter 2015 average. The first quarter 2016 average was in-line with guidance of 1.28 million (+/- 2%).5
The Company expects to exceed the high end of the range of its estimated first quarter 2016 Adjusted OIBDA of approximately $19 million reflecting higher performance expectations across its businesses.
Q2 2016: If the acquisition and retention of subscribers is consistent with recent activity, the range of average paid subscribers for the second quarter 2016 would be 1.48 – 1.55 million, representing an increase of approximately 22% – 27% from the second quarter 2015.5 As future subscriber performance may differ from recent trends, this range is provided for perspective rather than as guidance.
(5) Additional information regarding estimated WWE Network subscriber levels can be found in the Company’s website presentation at www.ir.corporate.investors.com.
2016: WWE management continues to believe that if the average paid subscribers to WWE Network increases at a rate between 20% to 25% in 2016, 2016 Adjusted OIBDA could be in a range of approximately $70 million to $85 million. This range assumes the previously communicated incremental investment of $15 million to $20 million in content, technology and emerging markets.
Additional Information
As previously announced, WWE is hosting a conference call at 3:00 p.m. ET today to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers followingWrestleMania. All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at ir.corporate.wwe.com. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 855-200-4993 (toll free) or 913-489-5104 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 5504071).
The presentation referenced during the call has been made available on the Company’s website at ir.corporate.wwe.com. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.
About WWE Network
WWE Network is the only place to get all 12 WWE pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania, at no additional cost plus 24/7 programming featuring ground-breaking original series, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches, exclusive coverage of special events and the most comprehensive video-on-demand library with nearly 5,000 hours of content, including every WWE, WCW® and ECW® pay-per-view.
Like other digital subscription services, such as Netflix and Hulu, fans are able to sign up for WWE Network online by going to WWENetwork.com, and can watch WWE Network on their TVs through connected devices such as Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku streaming devices as well as Smart TVs including Sony, Samsung and Panasonic.
For a complete listing of WWE Network availability by country and device, please click here.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 24 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
