Going Mainstream

On a pretty bland sports Saturday night, one of the headline television events was a replay of WWE's Wrestlemania XXVI on NBC. (Interesting how Wrestlemania and the Super Bowl are the two annual sporting events using the Roman numerals).

Wrestlemania XXVI actually took place in March and was another mega-hit for WWE, with live attendance of more than 72,000 in Glendale, AZ, and pay-per-view revenue of around $39 million. But why put a five-month old event on network television when almost everyone already knows what happened?

Primarily, WWE wants to expand its audience and grow its brand. Pro wrestling is already a ratings leader on cable, especially among younger viewers. The move to NBC is an attempt to reach the larger, but older, network audiences, especially those stay-at-homes on Saturday night. NBC and WWE tried this last year with mixed results, but what do either have to lose by doing it again? It certainly gives WWE a more mainstream image, and provides NBC something to program during a lull on the sports calendar.

Both ESPN and NFL Network were carrying the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in the same time slot. It will be interesting to see which carries the ratings day.