Some good WWE news for once!

[Guest JericholicEdgeHead]

World Wrestling Entertainment Names Experienced Cable Exec to Head Business Development

 

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 2003--World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. today announced Tom Barreca as its new Senior Vice President, WWE Enterprises, the company's recently launched new business unit.

 

Barreca will lead WWE's business development efforts, with an emphasis on digital and video products, including new technology such as Video on Demand. His first focus will be on monetizing WWE's extensive library of wrestling programming, which has been expanded significantly over the past few years with the acquisition of footage from World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling®, and the American Wrestling Association®.

 

Barreca is an excellent match for this assignment, having served most recently as Senior Vice President, AMC Digital Ventures, part of AMC Networks. In that position, he managed all aspects of WE and AMC's non-network television businesses and new ventures, including interactive TV, Video On Demand, digital set top box programming and licensing. Prior to AMC, Barreca also had worked on the launch of several successful basic cable networks, including HA! TV Comedy Network, Comedy Central and MTV Europe. He also worked at Hanna-Barbera, where he successfully used Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network's extensive character and video libraries to create new revenue streams and partnerships.

 

"Tom has a proven track record of using video libraries and intellectual properties to create new businesses and revenue-generating opportunities," said Linda McMahon, WWE CEO. "We expect him to hit the ground running to take advantage of our vast tape libraries and added intellectual properties utilizing new technologies and multiple distribution platforms to create new businesses for WWE."

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If they can start an On Demand PPV channel for classic wrestling shows I will be VERY happy.

This could be an old-school wrestling fan's dream. Let's just hope they show a wide range of footage from the 70's, 80's and 90's!!

This is the best news I have seen from WWE in quite some time.

[Guest Fook]

*Does happy dance*

[Blue Bacchus 0]

This could prove to be interesting.

[Guest Ecto Cooler]

WWE 24/7 channel - this much closer to reality

[Guest JumpinJackFlash]

(The future...JJF is watching TV on his Digital Cable system)

 

JJF:Hmmm...what's on the tele'?

 

(Switches to 24/7 Wrestling Channel)

 

JJF:Best of ECW...? I'm game!

 

(JJF watches 30 minutes of quality wrestling from the greatest promotion ever, ECW.....he chants E-C-DUB the entire marathon.)

 

JJF:Awesome! But I wish there could've been more. And why did they cut out parts of the matches? Oh well....What's on next?

 

(JJF continues to watch the 24/7 wrestling channel, and sees what's on next.)

 

JJF:Best of Hogan...great! From 1993 only?!!!!! 12 straight hours?!!!!!! Oh my fucking goodness! Change the channel! Please! I can't bear to watch this! Oh wait....I have the remote.

 

(JJF changes it to Playboy Channel and whacks off for 12 hours)

[Guest wwF1587]

if they do use the ecw/wcw and other promotion shows then i will be very happy, since i was pro wwf back then and missed alot of ecw and didnt watch wcw much..but if i get shows like the best of the mcmahons i am going to be pissed...

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

I'd hold off on the champagne until they stop talking about "utilizing new technologies and multiple distribution platforms to create new businesses for WWE" and actually produce a tangible product. It seems like they've been flapping their gums about this for years now.

[razazteca 0]

I see a career retrospective of JR in the works.

[Guest Dmann2000]

I see a career retrospective of JR in the works.

If it's on all the matches he covered in NWA/WCW, I'm game.

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

If its any WCW or ECW stuff then thats awesome. But....does nayone give a fuck about the AWA?

[Insane Bump Machine 0]

But....does nayone give a fuck about the AWA?

*raises hand*

[Guest Coffey]

I hate the fact that ECW DVD's have to come out with no entrance music because they all used real songs.

 

That would be a lot of royalties.

[Guest webmasterofwrestlegame]

They should get an independent company to run this channel - if WWE run it, then it will be full of politics and whatever Vince wants you to see.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

They've had WCW footage since 2001 and we can't even get a Rey Mysterio DVD to focus on his WCW career.

[Guest The Real Nosferatu]

(The future...JJF is watching TV on his Digital Cable system)

 

JJF:Hmmm...what's on the tele'?

 

(Switches to 24/7 Wrestling Channel)

 

JJF:Best of ECW...? I'm game!

 

(JJF watches 30 minutes of quality wrestling from the greatest promotion ever, ECW.....he chants E-C-DUB the entire marathon.)

 

JJF:Awesome! But I wish there could've been more. And why did they cut out parts of the matches? Oh well....What's on next?

 

(JJF continues to watch the 24/7 wrestling channel, and sees what's on next.)

 

JJF:Best of Hogan...great! From 1993 only?!!!!! 12 straight hours?!!!!!! Oh my fucking goodness! Change the channel! Please! I can't bear to watch this! Oh wait....I have the remote.

 

(JJF changes it to Playboy Channel and whacks off for 12 hours)

Hogan didn't wrestle enough to fill 12 hrs. in 1993.

 

Although the joke was funny. LoL.

[Guest The Rising Star]

What do you think the WWF,WCW,ECW and AWA library is worth all together? Vince is sitting on a gold mine, and doesn't even know it.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I hate the fact that ECW DVD's have to come out with no entrance music because they all used real songs.

 

That would be a lot of royalties.

How does it work with old music? ESPN Classic can show hockey games with old music playing. Do they pay royalties, or does it not matter because the music is a passive component rather than an active one, as it is for entrance music?

[Guest Ecto Cooler]

I hate the fact that ECW DVD's have to come out with no entrance music because they all used real songs.

 

That would be a lot of royalties.

How does it work with old music? ESPN Classic can show hockey games with old music playing. Do they pay royalties, or does it not matter because the music is a passive component rather than an active one, as it is for entrance music?

I think ECW payed the royalties so that they could have liscensed music on all home video releases along with the ability to use it in the arena.

 

However, when Pioneer released the DVD's, they only acquired the rights to the actual wrestling footage, not all the ECW liscensing that went along with it.

 

So I believe WWE assumed the rights of both ECW liscensing and video distribution, so they should be ok to release the currently recorded footage with the audio.

 

Heyman used to bitch in interviews all the time about having to shell out a fortune for "Enter Sandman".

[The Czech Republic 0]

Even if they can use the original music, they'll just dub "The Game" over everyone's music.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

I hate the fact that ECW DVD's have to come out with no entrance music because they all used real songs.

 

That would be a lot of royalties.

How does it work with old music? ESPN Classic can show hockey games with old music playing. Do they pay royalties, or does it not matter because the music is a passive component rather than an active one, as it is for entrance music?

I think ECW payed the royalties so that they could have liscensed music on all home video releases along with the ability to use it in the arena.

 

However, when Pioneer released the DVD's, they only acquired the rights to the actual wrestling footage, not all the ECW liscensing that went along with it.

 

So I believe WWE assumed the rights of both ECW liscensing and video distribution, so they should be ok to release the currently recorded footage with the audio.

 

Heyman used to bitch in interviews all the time about having to shell out a fortune for "Enter Sandman".

Yeah, I think you're right, since WWE owns it.

 

Heck, on the 1998 re-release of the WrestleMania 1 video, they had the original songs on it ("Another One Bites The Dust", "Born in the USA", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and "Eye of the Tiger")...so I don't see why they wouldn't with the ECW stuff.

[Guest Ecto Cooler]

Even if they can use the original music, they'll just dub "The Game" over everyone's music.

heh - everyone gets their WWF themes

 

Chris Candido doing his pelvic-thrusts to the "Bodydonnas" theme would be too funny

[Guest Coffey]

So I believe WWE assumed the rights of both ECW liscensing and video distribution, so they should be ok to release the currently recorded footage with the audio.

I don't think so. Hell, the WWE change Edge's theme song on some DVD's, so I doubt they'll care about people like Shane Douglas & Raven in ECW...

[the max 0]

I don't want PPV. I don't have a cable box, so I don't get PPV channels.

 

I want DVD's!!1!!11!!!111

[Guest Ecto Cooler]

So I believe WWE assumed the rights of both ECW liscensing and video distribution, so they should be ok to release the currently recorded footage with the audio.

I don't think so. Hell, the WWE change Edge's theme song on some DVD's, so I doubt they'll care about people like Shane Douglas & Raven in ECW...

But the thing is ECW paid for the rights to include their theme music in home videos.

 

WWE's deal with Rob Zombie only allowed them to use the theme in arenas, and if they wanted the video/DVD rights they would have to pay extra (which they did for the release of big shows like Mania). Same thing can be said for certain production themes (Booker T, Flair, etc.).

 

Vince fucking *hates* spending money on music (but not as much as before).

 

That's why Johnston is still on the payroll.

[Guest Choken One]

I don't want PPV. I don't have a cable box, so I don't get PPV channels.

 

I want DVD's!!1!!11!!!111

Fuck paying $24 bucks for dvds when you can get 24/7 9.99 a month In Demand!

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

If its any WCW or ECW stuff then thats awesome. But....does nayone give a fuck about the AWA?

You can check out the Midnight Rockers when they were 2 skinny-ass youngsters. That brunette guy is going places. Too bad the blonde one never amounted to anything...

[Guest The Rising Star]

Who owns the rights to Savage and Flair's themes? Isn't that 100 year old music (literally)?

[Vern Gagne 0]

If its any WCW or ECW stuff then thats awesome. But....does nayone give a fuck about the AWA?

If they show Bobby Heenan wear the Weasel suite than yes.

[Guest Choken One]

Who owns the rights to Savage and Flair's themes? Isn't that 100 year old music (literally)?

It's music that is open for Public Use I believe

 

 

Since Flair's Music been around forever, I believe TDR used it for his election Theme Song.

[Guest Choken One]

If its any WCW or ECW stuff then thats awesome. But....does nayone give a fuck about the AWA?

If they show Bobby Heenan wear the Weasel suite than yes.

Aside from the Hogan retropectives...and Maybe a few Henning Matches...

 

Nothing else...