Professional wrestling is real.
At least that would be the implication of WWE highlights appearing on—or, as some may consider, blaspheming—the hallowed grounds of the world’s premier sports network.
During Tuesday’s edition of SportsCenter, ESPN announced a partnership with WWE that would feature weekly segments of WWE highlights. The partnership couldn’t have come at a better time for both industry-leading franchises.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on ESPN’s declines in subscribers and ratings. ESPN’s ratings dip speaks to a bigger story of the rise in popularity among online streaming services like Netflix, which is quickly growing into an industry-wide epidemic for television.
2015 saw ESPN lose three of its biggest stars as Keith Olbermann, Colin Cowherd and Bill Simmons led an unprecedented mass exodus that was not without its share of controversy. ESPN is now looking to regroup by ”nurturing big-name stars,” as President John Skipper put it, in a climate where ratings are shrinking.
Sound familiar?
WWE has had its own share of struggles that are eerily similar to that of ESPN’s. Monday’s edition of Raw once again drew a record-low rating as ShowBuzzDaily.com noted an alarmingly small viewership of 3.285 million. With John Cena nearing the end of his run on top of WWE, the promotion is in a transitional period as first-time champion Seth Rollins (who guested during the aforementioned SportsCenter broadcast) looks to be one of many fresh faces to lead WWE into the future.
Credit to Forbes who originally published this article
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
