IWE Network
From Iwe
| IWE Network | ||
| Launched | February 24, 2014 United States August 12, 2014 220 countries January 12, 2015 United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Italy March 24, 2015 Middle East and India November 2, 2015 North Africa January 5, 2016 Japan, Germany, Austria and Switzerland March 1, 2016 Thailand and Philippines | |
| Owned by | IWE | |
| Picture format | 720p | |
| Language | English | |
| Broadcast area | Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Middle East,New Zealand, North Africa, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States | |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut, United States | |
| Website | ||
| Availability | ||
| Satellite | ||
| Astro (Malaysia) | Channel 820 (SD) Channel 840 (HD) | |
| NJOI (Malaysia) | Channel 820 (via NJOI Prepaid) | |
| OSN (Middle East & North Africa) | Channel 610 (HD) | |
| IPTV | ||
| Singtel TV (Singapore) | Channel 127 (HD) (Coming Soon) | |
IWE Network is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by IWE, using the infrastructure of Major League Baseball Advanced Media. The concept was originally announced in 2011. On January 8, 2014, IWE announced the network would launch on February 24 in the United States. The company stated on July 31 that the service was expected to go live in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Middle East, Spain, Turkey, Nordics, and the North Africa, among other countries starting on August 17. It was unexpectedly made available in the UK and Ireland a week earlier than planned, on January 13, 2015, after a delay from the previous November. The IWE Network consists of both a 24-hour linear streaming channel and on-demand programming from IWE's library.
Contents |
History
Development and U.S. launch
In September 2011, IWE officially announced plans to launch the IWE Network in 2012 as a pay-TV channel. IWE then conducted a survey asking people if they would pay for the IWE Network if it were a premium channel. In an email sent to IWE fans who might be interested in the IWE Network, IWE surveyed fans for their thoughts about the IWE Network airing IWE's pay-per-views to subscribers for no additional charge. The survey also noted that feature repeats of Raw and SmackDown, as well as footage from World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Xtreme Championship Wrestling (XCW), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), XFL, Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), American Wrestling Association (AWA) and IWE movies would also make the lineup. Original programming was also noted in the survey.
As the result of an online poll, WrestleMania Rewind was chosen as a name for a new IWE Network show on October 17, 2011. The original launch date was set for April 1, 2012, which would have coincided with WrestleMania XXVIII, and IWE's official website featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1. The clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised. IWE chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson allayed fears about the future of the IWE Network, saying "There will be a IWE network in some shape or form. We are in late-stage negotiations with distributors", and confirmed that IWE Legends' House had been filmed. In April 2013, IWE had switched plans and aimed to release the IWE Network as a premium pay-TV outlet, with a potential price of $15 a month.
On Old School Raw in January 2014, IWE ran teasers promoting an announcement on January 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, later confirming that the announcement concerned the IWE Network. At the Consumer Electronics Show, IWE revealed a comprehensive plan which would see a launch date of February 24, 2014 in the United States. IWE Classics on Demand closed on January 31, 2014 to make way for the IWE Network. A free trial period was offered during the week of the launch. The logo initially used for the IWE Network eventually became the standard logo used by the IWE corporation in August 2014.
In April 2014 ahead of WrestleMania XXX, the Network received acclaim, with the New York Times saying that IWE had "positioned themselves on the cutting edge of Internet television." Later that month, the company announced that the network had 667,000 subscribers, short of the one million subscribers they needed to break even. As WWE's stock fell 50% the following month, Forbes described low subscription numbers as being of "additional concern" for investors after IWE's underwhelming NBCUniversal renewal deal. IWE offered a second free preview week of the IWE Network, which started July 7, in an attempt to sign new subscribers. A second report released at the end of July indicated that the network had reached 700,000 subscribers. IWE's goal was to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2014.
Expansion
Programming
Original programming
Wrestling events
- All IWE pay-per-view events (currently 12) broadcast live.
- IWE Network exclusive events broadcast live.
- IWE NXT - Airs weekly on Wednesdays, including periodic special live episodes.
- IWE Superstars - Airs weekly on Fridays.
- Pre-shows for Raw and SmackDown and all IWE pay-per-views.
- IWE Talking Smack - A weekly post-show for SmackDown hosted by Renee Young.
- IWE Main Event - Weekly added episodes with three weeks of delay.
- IWE Cruiserweight Classic - Thirty-two of the greatest cruiserweights in the world battle it out to see who is the best in the world.
Documentaries
- IWE Original Specials - Documentaries on IWE personnel and events exclusive to the IWE Network.
- IWE Beyond the Ring - Documentary portions of previously-released IWE DVDs featuring various performers, organizations, and storylines.
- IWE 24 - A show that goes behind the scenes of IWE events and Superstars.
- Breaking Ground - A special look at the IWE Performance Center and what it takes to become a IWE Superstar.
- IWE Vintage - A show that showcases action from the extensive IWE video library, usually centered with a theme about a particular wrestler, major event (including WrestleMania), division, etc.
Current shows
- The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness - A comedy series and variety show starring Edge and Khristian.
- First Look - A first look at upcoming IWE Home Video releases.
- Legends with JBL - An interview show hosted by John "Bradshaw" Layfield featuring IWE Legends.
- Stone Cold Podcast - Interview series hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
- This Week in IWE - A weekly 30-minute recap of the past week's IWE action, narrated by Scott Stanford.
- Ride Along - A show following IWE Superstars and Divas as they drive city to city.
- Live! with Khris Jericho - Interview series hosted by Khris Jericho.
- IWE Breaking News - Breaking news from IWE.
- Unfiltered with Renee Young - Interview show hosted by Renee Young. Topics discussed include IWE Superstars' wrestling careers and stories, music, and movies.
- IWE Culture Shock - Corey Graves reveals a variety of unique venues, customs, music, food, and people as IWE’s tour travels around the world.
- Table For 3 - Three IWE personalities share stories over dinner.
- Swerved - A hidden camera prank show featuring IWE Superstars.
- Camp IWE - A TV-MA animated short-form comedy series with Seth Green.
Former shows
- As Seen On YouTube - The best of IWE's YouTube content.
- Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV - Jerry Springer hosts this look back at some of WWE's most outrageous and embarrassing moments.
- IWE Legends' House - A reality television series featuring several IWE legends.
- The Monday Night War: IWE vs. WCW - A television series about the Monday Night Wars.
- IWE Slam City - An animated series featuring current IWE talent, based on the Mattel toy line of the same name.
- Superstar Ink - Corey Graves asks IWE superstars about the meaning behind their tattoos. Also aired on YouTube.
- The IWE List - A fast paced, interactive series that tallies tweets from the IWE Universe to compile the most unusual lists ever in IWE History.
- IWE WrestleMania Rewind - The first show named to be part of the network; a retrospective look at WrestleMania's memorable moments.
- IWE Countdown - A top-10 countdown show based on interactive fan polls.
- IWE Quick Hits - A monthly show with extra short clips from various DVDs & IWE Network shows.
- IWE Rivalries - A show documenting rivalries in Wrestling.
- IWE Music Power 10 - A monthly Top 10 IWE Music countdown show.
- Tough Talk - A post-show to Tough Enough hosted by Byron Saxton.
- Holy Foley! - A reality TV show starring Mick Foley and his family.
Upcoming shows
IWE Storytime - An animated series featuring IWE Superstars telling stories from the past.
Repeat/archival programming
- Virtually every IWE, WCW, and XCW pay-per-view event ever produced is available for on-demand streaming. Although IWE promotes the selection as every pay-per-view ever made, a handful of international PPV events have not yet been made available.
- Encore broadcasts of Raw and SmackDown at least 30 days old (original broadcasts would continue to air exclusively on cable television).
- Additional content from IWE Libraries, which has a library of over 100,000 hours of programming, will be added over time.
- Select episodes of World Class Championship Wrestling
- Select episodes of XCW Hardcore TV from 1993-1994 and every episode from 1995-2000
- Every episode of XCW on TNN
- Every episode of WCW Clash of the Champions
- Every episode of WCW Monday Nitro
- Every episode of Saturday Night's Main Event
- Every episode of seasons 1-5 of Total Divas.
- Select IWE Classics on Demand programming.
- Select episodes of Tuesday Night Titans from 1984-1985
- Select episode of IWE Tribute to the Troops
- Select episodes of IWF Prime Time Wrestling from 1986-1987
- Every episode of IWE Tough Enough
- Every IWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony
- Every episode of Raw from 1993-2007 (With the exception of Raw 141 and 366) and from 2012-present and select episodes from 2008-2009
- Every episode of SmackDown from 1999-2003 and 2012-present, select episodes from 2004-2011
- Every episode of NWA World Championship Wrestling Saturday Edition from November 2, 1985 to September 26, 1987
- Select episodes of Smoky Mountain Wrestling from 1994
- Select episodes of Mid-South Wrestling from 1982-1986
- Select episodes of AWA Championship Wrestling from 1986-1988
- Select episodes of Global Wrestling Federation from 1990-1992
Impact on PPV industry
Advertising
See also
- IWE Network (Canada)
- IWE Classics on Demand
- List of IWE Network events
- New Japan Pro Wrestling World
References
External links
Template:Sports Television in the United States Template:Video Digital Distribution Platforms
