FanPost

2.24.14 OT Part Deux - Good Gawd Almighty! Stop the Damn Match!

Wwe-network_medium


The WWE Network is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by WWE. The concept was originally announced in 2011.[1] On January 8, 2014, WWE announced the network launched on February 24, 2014 in the United States, with launches in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Nordic countries set for late 2014/early 2015.[2]

In September 2011, WWE officially announced plans to launch the WWE Network.[1] WWE conducted a survey asking if people would pay for the WWE Network if it were a premium channel. In an email sent to WWE fans who might be interested in the WWE Network, WWE surveyed fans for their thoughts about the WWE Network airing WWE'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 WCW, ECW, NWA and AWA would also make the lineup. Original programming was also noted in the survey.[3][4]

As the result of an online poll, WrestleMania Rewind was chosen as a name for a new WWE Network show on October 17, 2011.[5] The original launch date had been April 1, 2012, which would have coincided with WrestleMania XXVIII. WWE.com featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1, however the clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised.[6]

Two years later, on Old School Raw in January 2014, WWE ran teasers featuring the WWE Network logo promoting an announcement on January 8 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.[7] It was later confirmed that the announcement would concern the WWE Network.[8] At the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, WWE revealed a comprehensive plan which will see a launch date of February 24, 2014 in the United States.[9][10]

WWE Classics on Demand closed on January 31, 2014 to make way for the WWE Network.[11]

WWE Network is available on desktops and laptops via WWE.com. WWE Network will also be available through the WWE App on: Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices; Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku streaming devices, PlayStation 3 & 4 and Xbox 360. Availability on additional devices, including Xbox One and select Smart TVs, will follow in the summer of 2014. Vince McMahon has stated that all 12 WWE pay-per-views will be featured on the network for no additional charge, starting with WrestleMania XXX.[9][10]

The launch of the network would also coincide with the launch of a new corporate logo, replacing the "scratch" logo that has been in use in one form or another since 1997, used as the company's primary logo since 1998, and unmodified since 2002.[12]