TNA Thread - It's newsworthy again!

[IANdrewDiceClay 9,357]

I could be wrong about this but i thought this weeks airing of impact was from the uk?

It is. Dixie Carter will probably still a pre-taped interview on the end on the show making the announcement, like they did with the Hogan press conference. Probably the best place to announce you are going on the road, when you are showing an event held in Wembley in front of thousands.

 

On the direction front, I think you have to have something really compelling to the mainstream audience to market to anything but kids if you are a wrestling promotion and nobody has that anymore. And to be honestly the Attitude era was a fad which left wrestling in a right state once the bandwagon jumpers left. If you are TNA's size you have to try and attract sponsors and advertisers and you just can't do it with Vince Russo like programming. They need to get young kids coming to the shows. TNA's house shows draw, like, 800 people with Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy on it. They must bring in the families somehow. That's the core audience.

Edited January 31, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[UK Kat Von D 2,363]

I think something that always gets missed is that children are stupid and will like whatever is in front of them. You don't need to change your product to suit them, because they will like it anyway. The 18-35 demographic is a lot harder to please, so gear the product towards them and eventually the kids will come. Plenty of kids watched during the attitude era despite the product not being made for them.

 

Building the X-Division back up would be enough to get kids interested. Thats all they need to do to pull that market in

[Carbomb 5,883]

Building the X-Division back up would be enough to get kids interested. Thats all they need to do to pull that market in

 

Think they need to do a little more than that, like make it a bit more vivid, character-wise. Guys like Anthony Nese and Jay Lethal Being Himself wouldn't interest them very much.

[IANdrewDiceClay 9,357]

I think something that always gets missed is that children are stupid and will like whatever is in front of them.

If they are already watching, yeah. If they don't know you exist, its hard for them to watch or buy into your characters. Sponsors and advertisers are more likely to get interested if you are clearly targeting kids. And if kids are flocking to your product big brothers and Mams and Dads put their hand in their pocket. But if you have the coolest product in the world, there's still no guarantee 18-35 market will watch. There are just better things on TV these days. Its still just gay wrestling no matter how much you shine it up to young people.

Edited January 31, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[garynysmon 1,907]

I agree. I don't want yet another promotion aimed at kids - WWE's great, but having to wade through childish shit to get to the goodness can get tiresome. I want a product that's aimed at me, quite frankly. Sounds smarky, but this is the market - WWE don't provide exactly what I'd like, so I tune in to TNA because it has that feel. If they started aiming at kids (ooer), I'd stop watching because I could just go back to watching WWE, who do all that better, or I'd go off and download puro, go to BritWres shows or maybe even start watching lucha.

 

 

This.

 

I think why I only really watch TNA these days as

1) It's 2 just hours a week to catch up on

2) Has characters that interest me, and doesn't insult my intelligence to the same level as WWE often does.

 

If TNA went down that road, you just know they'd half half a dozen midgets because Hornswoggle's popular with the kids.

I don't really trust TNA to try and copy WWE in anything, as is just comes over as a second rate copy of what they can do better. They've tried this so often in the past (WWE Lite) and it's come over looking shit.

 

The only way to increase TNA's share of the market is to appeal to an audience that's largely jaded by a lot of stuff that goes on WWE TV, and provide solid TV on a weekly basis (which most regular viewers would agree has been consistently better than Raw over the past year). It's going to be a long and hard road, but getting out of the impact zone and having a few thousand rather in a few hundred in the arena, will help with perception at least.

[AshC 483]

The Impact Wrestling tapings I went to were roughly 9 million times more enjoyable than the Raw one I attended. I think if TNA takes that live experience around North America, they'll make a lot of fans along the way. Draw them in with the names, it worked here.

Edited January 31, 2013 by AshC

[Buzz Lightyear 1]

I agree. I don't want yet another promotion aimed at kids - WWE's great, but having to wade through childish shit to get to the goodness can get tiresome. I want a product that's aimed at me, quite frankly. Sounds smarky, but this is the market - WWE don't provide exactly what I'd like, so I tune in to TNA because it has that feel. If they started aiming at kids (ooer), I'd stop watching because I could just go back to watching WWE, who do all that better, or I'd go off and download puro, go to BritWres shows or maybe even start watching lucha.

 

 

This.

 

I think why I only really watch TNA these days as

1) It's 2 just hours a week to catch up on

2) Has characters that interest me, and doesn't insult my intelligence to the same level as WWE often does.

 

If TNA went down that road, you just know they'd half half a dozen midgets because Hornswoggle's popular with the kids.

I don't really trust TNA to try and copy WWE in anything, as is just comes over as a second rate copy of what they can do better. They've tried this so often in the past (WWE Lite) and it's come over looking shit.

 

The only way to increase TNA's share of the market is to appeal to an audience that's largely jaded by a lot of stuff that goes on WWE TV, and provide solid TV on a weekly basis (which most regular viewers would agree has been consistently better than Raw over the past year). It's going to be a long and hard road, but getting out of the impact zone and having a few thousand rather in a few hundred in the arena, will help with perception at least.

 

Like I said, I'm not discussing changing the main show or the promotion overall but more of a basic show focusing on kids which will help attract the next generation of fans to the shows now and for the next decade.

 

Simple matches, advertise new products like shirts, figures etc, focus on important shows coming up (iMPACT on the road, PPV's). Have these kids grow up with the product because as you can see with the WWE majority of them will stay loyal to the company.

[garynysmon 1,907]

Simple matches, advertise new products like shirts, figures etc, focus on important shows coming up (iMPACT on the road, PPV's). Have these kids grow up with the product because as you can see with the WWE majority of them will stay loyal to the company.

 

I'd be inclined to agree with you, and a Saturday morning show on Spike would certainly achieve this.

I'm not too convinced on what you say about brand loyalty thing though. When audiences switched channels to Nitro in the mid 90's, they certainly hadn't grown up watching WCW Pro, but just found a better product (with bigger stars).

[diamond_dust 0]

Simple matches, advertise new products like shirts, figures etc, focus on important shows coming up (iMPACT on the road, PPV's). Have these kids grow up with the product because as you can see with the WWE majority of them will stay loyal to the company.

 

I'd be inclined to agree with you, and a Saturday morning show on Spike would certainly achieve this.

I'm not too convinced on what you say about brand loyalty thing though. When audiences switched channels to Nitro in the mid 90's, they certainly hadn't grown up watching WCW Pro, but just found a better product (with bigger stars).

 

Though you could argue they were loyal to the stars they grew up with in the WWF.

[IANdrewDiceClay 9,357]

You cant judge what happened back in 1995 to the audiences today because it isnt even the same business. There were far more wrestling fans in 1995/96 than now and a larger underbelly of potential fans. When I was growing up we all knew there was another wrestling show knocking about. Kids dont have that luxury now. They have grown up knowing WWE and nothing else. Also, Nitro was running in large arenas, had bigger stars than WWF and had the backing of one a Turner owned network. WCW had all their ducks in a row when they because big. TNA in 2013 and WCW in 1995/96 are in different worlds.

Edited January 31, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Buzz Lightyear 1]

Simple matches, advertise new products like shirts, figures etc, focus on important shows coming up (iMPACT on the road, PPV's). Have these kids grow up with the product because as you can see with the WWE majority of them will stay loyal to the company.

 

I'd be inclined to agree with you, and a Saturday morning show on Spike would certainly achieve this.

I'm not too convinced on what you say about brand loyalty thing though. When audiences switched channels to Nitro in the mid 90's, they certainly hadn't grown up watching WCW Pro, but just found a better product (with bigger stars).

 

They grew up watching Hogan though

 

I just feel that now TNA are in a position where they have a strong partner who are behind the company maybe it's time to lay down the foundations for the next 10 years. It might not bring in the killer ratings for iMPACT but it might help get TNA a solid attendance number every week, sponsorship and shift merchandise.

Edited January 31, 2013 by Buzz Lightyear

[garynysmon 1,907]

I know Ian, TNA isn't anywhere near where WCW was in the mid 90's. But I can't see why TNA can't be a viable number two and then from there, who knows.

TNA have been making no money whatsoever from tapings at the Impact Zone, which is mental when you think they should be looking at every income stream. Even renting 2,000 seat arenas and filling them should bring in a few bob.

[Buzz Lightyear 1]

I know Ian, TNA isn't anywhere near where WCW was in the mid 90's. But I can't see why TNA can't be a viable number two and then from there, who knows.

TNA have been making no money whatsoever from tapings at the Impact Zone, which is mental when you think they should be looking at every income stream. Even renting 2,000 seat arenas and filling them should bring in a few bob.

 

But they haven't been losing big money either. Touring will have that effect.

[garynysmon 1,907]

That's why I think it would be prudent to start off in 2,000 seaters and work your way up.

[Buzz Lightyear 1]

That's why I think it would be prudent to start off in 2,000 seaters and work your way up.

 

Hope that's the case myself but with TV these days how will it look?