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Topline
As wrestling behemoth WWE seeks to compete with younger up-and-coming promotions like AEW and Impact Wrestling, it has inked a deal with Spotify to partner with its sports podcast unit, The Ringer, to create original content.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – WWE logo is shown on a screen. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
On Wednesday, The Ringer and WWE announced the launch of an audio network that will be the exclusive home of WWE podcasts.
The network will house existing WWE programming and The Ringer’s existing wrestling shows, and WWE and The Ringer will also collaborate on new programming, including a podcast series called MackMania, from WWE personality Evan Mack.
The partnership will kick off this weekend at WWE’s annual Summerslam in Las Vegas.
The WWE’s viewership has dropped sharply over the past five years. Its flagship show RAW averaged approximately 2 million viewers in 2020, down from 4 million in 2015, according to data from Nielsen.
Big Number
365 million. That’s how monthly users are active on Spotify. Nick Khan, WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer said he hopes the deal will help with “introducing WWE content to the millions of Spotify listeners.”
Key Background
Although WWE has dominated the entertainment wrestling market for decades, its been challenged over the past few years by younger promotions. At the forefront of those is Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which streams on TNT. AEW debuted a new show, AEW: Rampage, earlier this month to 740,000 viewers.
Tangent
WWE is a publicly traded company run by CEO Vince McMahon, who Forbes estimates to be worth $1.9 billion. His wife, Linda McMahon, served in President Donald Trump’s cabinet as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.