WWE Q2 Conference Call Notes: Questionable Claim About SmackDown TV Rating, NXT

WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Chief Strategy and Financial Office George Barrios spoke and took questions about the Q2 (April 1 to June 30) earnings release that took place today.

McMahon and Barrios started the call off by reading highlights from the investor presentation and earnings press release.

McMahon mentioned that the first live SmackDown (on July 19) was the highest-rated edition of the program since its move to cable, which happened in October 2010. The rating for July 19 was 2.20. According to records of Live+SD ratings kept at Gerweck.net, there have been a number of episodes of SmackDown since October 2010, both live and taped, that were rated higher.

As usual, the most interesting part of the call was the Q&A, where market analysts who cover WWE asked questions.

• An analyst asked whether WWE expected any impact on business, possibly through television viewership, from the upcoming Summer Olympics, which begin August 5. Barrios said the company doesn’t expect any impact.
• Brandon Ross from investment firm BTIG asked WWE to provide some color on WWE’s rationale for the brand extension. McMahon responded, praising the “influx of talent” thanks to Paul Levesque’s work with NXT and the Performance Center. Because they have so much talent, it allows them to have more pay-per-view events, more live events and more licensing opportunities, McMahon said.
• Eric Katz from Wells Fargo asked if WWE has seen any signs that storylines from the brand extension are driving WWE Network subscriptions. Barrios took the question, saying SmackDown just went live last week. He noted they’re three days into the brand extension itself. They have no trends in place yet, he said, but the company expects the brand extension to help drive engagement across all media platforms.
• Laura Martin from Needham & Company asked whether the new deal in China with partner PPTV is exclusive. Barrios confirmed that it is. This is the first time RAW and SmackDown are being provided live in that market.
• FBN Securities analyst Robert Routh asked how WWE views the sale of UFC, which recently sold for $4 billion. He inquired whether WWE itself would ever consider a similar transaction. Barrios emphasized that UFC is a private company, so all that’s known about its business is what’s reported in the media. Trying to portray the sale in a positive light for WWE, he said the sale of UFC shows how much value branded live content has today, which is obviously something WWE has a lot of. As to whether WWE would consider a sale of the company, Barrios said, “We’re always willing to listen… We care about doing what’s best for our audience, our shareholders and our employees.”