TNA on Spike?

[Astro101 0]

PWTorch.com

 

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6091...p;referral=SUPP

Spike TV Pins TNA Deal

 

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. fare will depart this fall, but Spike TV evidently won’t go without grappling.

 

Sources close to the network said the men’s-targeted service is finalizing a deal with Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA) for a weekly late-night run.

 

Just two weeks ago, it appeared as if TNA was moving toward a pact with Superstation WGN, but sources said those negotiations broke down late last week.

 

Spike officials would say only that the network is in “continuing discussions” with the upstart pro-wrestling outfit. But sources said Spike is targeting a one-hour, late-Saturday-night time slot for TNA, which has been without a network outlet since its one-year agreement with FSN expired last month.

 

Under that deal, TNA leased time on FSN for its weekly Friday-afternoon series.

 

It’s unclear if TNA would pay Spike for carriage. Representatives from the organization could not be reached for comment by press time.

 

In April, Spike opted against renewing WWE’s highly rated Monday Night Raw franchise -- which will return to USA Network this fall -- in favor of upping its investment in original programming.

 

Spike has also made a major commitment to combat-sports outfit Ultimate Fighting Championship, renewing freshman reality series Ultimate Fighter and agreeing to run six live UFC events over the next two years. It will also telecast 26 one-hour episodes of a still-untitled series featuring classic footage of UFC events.

 

This would be very nice, though two hours instead of one would do such wonders for TNA.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

A one-hour show is best for all concerned. Let TNA learn how to walk with a one-hour show on a major station before they try running with a two-hour show.

[Astro101 0]

Really I want a two hour show because I'm tired of seeing guys like Sabin, Petey, and Abyss on every other show because of time constraints. And they've done two hours before, I think they can handle it. Not like it would be live anyway.

[BoboBrazil 0]

Keep Jarrett out of power and maybe they can turn the company around by the time it starts airing on Spike.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

It's best for them to start off on Spike with a one-hour show. For one thing, they don't have to run through so many angles and matches in a short space of time. This gives them a wider choice of matches to build to on PPV, which is where they can make the most money. Secondly, this isn't producing a two-hour PPV for DirecTV, which is markedly different to producing a two-hour television show for a major cable company. They have to not only deal with the placement of ad breaks and the like, but they also have to produce the program to a standard that is acceptable to Spike TV, and I wager that the standards of Spike TV are just a little higher than DirecTV. It's much better that they show Spike TV that they can handle a one-hour show, because they are more likely to succeed with a one-hour show, than give them a two-hour television show right off the bat, which they have no experience with, and risk giving Spike TV the impression they've struck a deal with a bunch of monkeys.

[Silence 0]

The problem with a one-hour show is that TNA might keep featuring too many jobber squashes on Lex Lovett and Buck Quartermain almost every week when the more popular TNA wrestlers (not anything too PPV-worthy, though) could be having matches with each other instead.

 

On the other hand, TNA probably does need to keep "testing the waters" with the ratings before going ahead with a two-hour timeslot on Monday or Tuesday nights.

[Precious Roy 0]

I REALLY hope this is true. 10 or 11 on Saturday isn't such a hot time, but it's better than being on WGN which I and most of the Northeast don't even get.

[snuffbox 0]

Im never around on weekend nights...but if Jarretts not on top (or, preferably, not even around) Ill at least tape the shows.

[RedJed 0]

Well the problem is still that if they get on Spike here, what are they going to do for TV time up until October?

 

Until then, they should do one of two things, or both.

 

1) Try and renegotiate with FSN for a short term contract run. Month to month, or week to week preferably. By paying for their slots, they can actually promote the move to Spike the right way with plenty of time to do so. I dont even think its necessarily a bad idea to have both an FSN show (as long as it was on a better timeslot) and a Spike TV show. I wish TNA could talk FSN into having their show on an hour before Raw each Monday, which would moreless fill the same void of the WGN deal, without going head to head at all with WWE.

 

2) Pump up the syndicated network. It sounds like Xplosion is going to become Impact anyway so why not. They might be able to get more bang for their buck in this way versus having to take out a long term contract with FSN to renew from a financial perspective.

 

Either/or way, TNA should have a second one hour show with unique content to compliment the other hour which would be on Spike, and this would be the one to do for syndication/FSN. The one hour a week formula to promote the ppvs, characters, angles, etc, has proven that in this day and age and with the roster they have, that TNA needs more than just the one hour, to me.

[Precious Roy 0]

Agreed. One reason I wasn't a big fan of Impact is that most weeks it felt rushed or incomplete. They either tried to pack everything in and couldn't do it all justice, or only gave time to a few guys. With the type of talent and M.O. that TNA has they could really benefit from 90-120 minutes, especially given that on Spike they'll have to plan for commercial time

 

EDIT* Just heard on the LAW that TNA will be showing Impact via their website, so that's a start I guess....

[TNABaddboi 0]

Either/or way, TNA should have a second one hour show with unique content to compliment the other hour which would be on Spike, and this would be the one to do for syndication/FSN. The one hour a week formula to promote the ppvs, characters, angles, etc, has proven that in this day and age and with the roster they have, that TNA needs more than just the one hour, to me.

 

I agree that the FSN run showed that they need more than just 4 hours a month to properly build up a whole show and I agree with Red that this is the solution. If they can't get FSN to come down on the price or agree to a less long-term deal, then they do need to be up the syndicated network again and run the shows there even when the Spike show starts. They can't make the mistake of making it a B-Show like they did with Xplosion though, because no one will watch. They need to make it like Raw and Smackdown when SD first came around or Nitro and Thunder where the storylines progress from show to show. People will go find the syndicated show if they find go things, even if they have to have it online, so I'd suggest TNA do a kick-ass match per show on that show (kinda like when they set the Impacts up with one long match like the X Division 4 way) that people will want to see, and run angles and feature the bigger players/matches on Spike, because of the wider audience.

[Astro101 0]

You can catch iMPACT! on the TNA website every Friday until they get a deal.

[Fro 0]

4 1-hour shows is plenty of time. The booking just needs to be on, and since D'Amore has taken over it's been very good.

 

OVW builds up to a show every 2 or 3 weeks on its weekly TV during the summer, so there's no reason TNA can't successfully build a PPV every 4 or 5 weeks.

[TNABaddboi 0]

Just heard on the LAW that TNA will be showing Impact via their website, so that's a start I guess

 

Does anyone know if this Tuesday's taping will be the only one between now and the PPV? I'd imagine so if they are only showing the shows online. That could be a lengthy taping though if they have to tape four 1 hour episodes.

[Guest JMA]

I hope they get a 9 to 10 timeslot.

[Guest Fishyswa]

This is funny, you guys do realize that TNA doesn't get to just pick where it wants to air and when, I mean it's not like they'll role on saturdays for a few weeks before deciding there ready for a 2 hour monday night show, there gonna have to make due and I really don't see them doing it.

 

The Impact format was horrible, it was predictable, it was rare for a match or segment to not seem rushed, and the ME segment just never seemed special, with 2 hours they could actually build something early and work to for the ME and have matches that actually might make people think there's a better brand of wrestling there. Plus that'll give them time to build an undercard beyond random indy jobbers.

[what 0]

One hour is not enough time to do a successful WWE style show. They need to do shows like ECW did and feature what makes them different than the WWE: it's X-Division.

[zyn081 0]

This is funny, you guys do realize that TNA doesn't get to just pick where it wants to air and when, I mean it's not like they'll role on saturdays for a few weeks before deciding there ready for a 2 hour monday night show, there gonna have to make due and I really don't see them doing it.

 

The Impact format was horrible, it was predictable, it was rare for a match or segment to not seem rushed, and the ME segment just never seemed special, with 2 hours they could actually build something early and work to for the ME and have matches that actually might make people think there's a better brand of wrestling there. Plus that'll give them time to build an undercard beyond random indy jobbers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree. I like the way people in this forum things that wrestling exists in a vaccuum.

 

I vote for 2 90 min shows on different channels if possible or 1 2 hour show. I dont think that they are ready for a 2 hour show, a show that could get dragging. Different channels (Spike, FSN or whatever and the syndicate of Xplosion) would garner them exposure, whilst they will be more sharp and to the point (hopefully).

[RedJed 0]

"--In what is a story that could potentially have huge ramifications to pro wrestling, today's Hollywood Reporter noted that with Howard Stern's TV deal on E! expiring on 7/8, they talked about a potential deal with Spike TV. The key to that is Stern's show on E! airs at 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and if Spike goes with a similar time slot if they were to make the deal, and runs a Saturday night show, it could affect negotiations with TNA."

 

I doubt Spike would run Stern on Saturdays but who knows. Normally I think the E show would air repeats of Stern on Saturdays and normally try to have new shows M-F.

 

To take things a step further, I really dont see TNA getting the Spike TV deal in all honesty, but time will tell. Regardless, that is why they need some plan of action NOW for either upping the syndication or renewing/renegotiating with FSN. Either way, they are going to be basically dark until October at the latest if they dont do something else, and being dark that long is going to make those off months very questionable to pull in any even half decent buyrates. Sure, they wont lose $20,000 a week off the TV show on FSN, but the losses from people not even bothering to get the ppvs anymore when there would be no TV deal would probably be even a more significant loss overall.

 

Regarding the advantages of 2 hours v. 1 hour to promote the ppvs each week, quite simply, if anything, the matches they could book on the show could be made longer (which isnt a bad idea) and in general promos and vignettes to get characters over could be more prominent. That right there lies the problem with one hour of TV a week. How do you get a relatively roster over completely with such limited time? Great booking can only take you so far.

[zyn081 0]

Plus, TNA's roster is relatively on the large side.

[RedJed 0]

Plus, TNA's roster is relatively on the large side.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yah thats what I meant to say, but left out "large" near the end of my last post for some reason.