WWE No Longer Pays for A&E Documentaries Production

WWE is truly the global juggernaut of professional wrestling with a rich history that remains unparalleled in the business. The company knows how to expand its horizons with multiple partnerships, and this includes their partnership with A&E, largely thanks to the documentaries.

Over the years, A&E has been responsible for documentaries such as Biography: WWE Legends and WWE Rivals, among others. All of them give more insight into the careers of many WWE Superstars, and fans truly can’t get enough of such shows.

While speaking during Fightful Select’s Q&A podcast, Sean Ross Sapp noted that WWE has been strategic with their rights fees, utilizing multiple platforms for their content. They are now available on cable TV, streaming services, Netflix, Peacock, and even have a social media show. When the WWE Network launched, it offered access to their library, documentaries, NXT, and pay-per-views for ten dollars.

Since then, they have licensed their library and pay-per-views to Peacock, distributed NXT across various platforms, and partnered with A&E for their documentaries. This arrangement allows WWE to provide the content without the costs of production, as A&E handles that aspect.

“I have mentioned this before: WWE is brilliant with their rights fees. They are now on cable TV, streaming, Netflix, streaming on Peacock, and network TV, in addition to having a social media show. When the WWE Network started, they had their library, individual documentaries, NXT, and their PLEs, all for ten dollars on the WWE Network. Since then, they’ve licensed out their library and PLEs to Peacock, licensed out NXT to a variety of platforms, and licensed out the production of their documentaries to A&E. Now, WWE doesn’t have to pay to produce them anymore—they just provide the materials, and A&E handles production.”

WWE plans to produce even more documentaries focused on various Superstars and different aspects of professional wrestling. Since they no longer bear the production costs for these shows, it’s evident that their business strategy is working effectively.

What do you think of WWE no longer having to pay for producing the A&E documentaries? Is WWE truly ahead of the game when it comes to business? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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