The Hamilton Ave Journal 01.28.10: Volume 2 – Issue 122

Posted by JP Prag on 01.28.2010

Is there about to be a four way collision on Monday night? What jobs can you get with the WWE? Could SuperStars be the new ratings behemoth? Will TNA fix their PPV situation in the UK? All this and more is answered in this week’s edition of the Hamilton Ave Journal!

THE HAMILTON AVE JOURNAL
By JP Prag

Volume 2 – Issue 122

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Hamilton Ave Journal is the only wrestling news report focused solely on the business of wrestling. Here in the Journal we not only look at the stories that are important to the investor and business-minded person, but also delve deeper into stories that most fans of wrestling would overlook. That is because the Journal is about getting the heart of the matters that affect the companies and outlooks of the wrestling world.

And where is Hamilton Ave? That is the location of the WWE Production Studio in Stamford, CT, and thus the most powerful place in the wrestling world. Besides, The East Main Street Journal just does not have the right ring to it.

Who am I? I am JP Prag: consultant, entrepreneur, businessman, journalist, and wrestling fan.

Now, ring the bell because the market is open.






The Journal's front page area known as What's News isn't just about telling you what has happened. The stories in this section are about what will have an effect on the wrestling industry, individual federations, and the wallets of the fans.

LEAD STORY: Monday Night Wars Part 2 x 4

After TNA and the WWE went head-to-head on January 4, 2010, people have been wondering when the next chapter of the "Monday Night Wars" would be written. Well, the date is no longer in question, but the players certainly are.

On Monday March 1, 2010, there will be four wrestling promotions going putting their product on the air. For anyone who is looking for any type of wrestling, the options will certainly be there.

The night begins at 8:00pm EST with ROH on HDNet. ROH is now billing their show as "The ONLY hour of pro wrestling on Monday Night", obviously trying to brand themselves as the "pro wrestling" alternative to the WWE's "sports entertainment". Of course, HDNet is only available in about 3 million homes and does not track ratings, so the potential exposure for their programming is relatively small.

Whatever the case, the main event begins at 9:00pm EST when WWE RAW goes live against what is apparently going to be a live episode of TNA iMPACT. As of right now, TNA is the only one involved who has not confirmed the date as Universal Studios and SpikeTV have both stated that March 1, 2010 is happening. Universal Studio also says there is a taping the next day. It is unknown at this time if the taping will air on Thursday to keep up the momentum or if this is part of a plan completely move to Monday nights starting that week.

That night, RAW will have Cheech and Chong as the guest hosts, two men who do not fit into the current WWE target demographic. Last time the companies went head-to-head, TNA scored a 1.3 rating in the hours they were both on. Since TNA is scoring that rating right now alone on Thursday nights, it would appear they are able to carry at least that audience. The question will be can they pull in new audience with the excitement like they did last time and can they steal market share from the WWE? If there is any night that they could do it, it would appear that this would be a good choice.

But then again, the night does not end there as at 11:00pm EST Wrestlicious debuts on MAV TV in the United States (at the same time on Bite TV in Canada). MAV TV is available in 33 million homes across the country, but Wrestlicious was not satisfied with those numbers. Over the past two weeks they have signed a number of syndication deals, including one this week with America One. In those markets that America One is available (60% of the United States) the show will air Saturday nights at 11:30pm, so these figures will not be included in the Monday Night War numbers.

All together, whatever the quality of wrestling on TV on Monday March 1, 2010, the sheer quantity will certainly make for an interesting night.


Newsbites

Some items of note in the rest of the wrestling business world:

In a continual effort to organize and track data, TNA has signed a deal with Knotice, Ltd. to track the efficiency and messages of their various online marketing efforts. TNA has thus far had a very "try everything and see what sticks" mentality when it comes to new technology delivery methods, but this is the first concerted effort to track results from such efforts. Says TNA Chief Marketing Officer Steve Allison:

"TNA has some of the most passionate fans in the world, so it's extremely important for TNA Wrestling to keep our communications targeted and consistent across any digital experience our fans may have… Simply, Knotice is the only software platform provider in the market capable of bringing all of the vital direct digital marketing functions together in one location while maintaining a seamless relationship with data."

ROH is starting to expand internationally as they have signed a deal with Dahlia TV in Italy. The show will begin sometime in February.

Despite having many layoffs in the past year, the WWE looks to be ready to hire again. Among the job postings are:

* Art Director
* Administrative Assistant to Creative Writing
* Audio Engineer
* Web Developer
* Master Control Supervisor
* Director FP&A
* Sales Associate
* Sales Accountant
* Product Manager
* Functional Analyst
* Temporary Part Time Logger (a position that includes watching hours of WWE footage and logging what is on each tape)

So there are plenty of opportunities for those looking for a job with the WWE!




In the Marketplace we look at the trends in television ratings. This section is less for critical analysis by the Journal but more for the reader to see what is really going on and to draw their own conclusions.

As with stocks, here in the Journal we track the progress of television ratings. If ratings are the barometer by which we judge the product, then over the course of 52 weeks we should be able to see patterns, trends, and anomalies.

For the week ending January 27, 2010, here are the current standings of our shows:





RAW
Close (This Week's Rating): 3.6
Open (Last Week's Rating): 3.6
Percentage Change: UNCH
52-Week High: 4.5
52-Week Low: 3.1
All Time High: 8.1
All Time Low: 1.8

SmackDown*
Close (This Week's Rating): 2.1
Open (Last Week's Rating): 2.2
Percentage Change: ▼ 4.5%
52-Week High: 2.3
52-Week Low: 1.6
All Time High: 5.8
All Time Low: 1.0

* SmackDown! ratings may include fast overnight if final ratings are not posted. Also, SmackDown! ratings are for the prior week as overnights are not available before this article goes to print.

ECW
Close (This Week's Rating): 0.9
Open (Last Week's Rating): 0.9
Percentage Change: UNCH
52-Week High: 1.4
52-Week Low: 0.7
All Time High: 2.3
All Time Low: 0.6

TNA iMPACT**
Close (This Week's Rating): 1.3
Open (Last Week's Rating): 1.3
Percentage Change: UNCH
52-Week High: 1.5
52-Week Low: 0.7
All Time High: 1.5
All Time Low: 0.6

** TNA iMPACT's are for the prior week as ratings may not be available at the time of the Journal's posting

SuperStars***
Close (This Week's Rating): 1.1
Open (Last Week's Rating): 0.8
Percentage Change: ▲ 37.5%
52-Week High: 1.1
52-Week Low: 0.7
All Time High: 1.1
All Time Low: 0.7

*** SuperStars ratings may include fast overnight if final ratings are not posted. Also, SuperStars ratings are for the prior week as overnights are not available before this article goes to print.

Analysis:

Rating this week were full of first and steaks. Let us go through the shows one at a time.

RAW begins this by having a 3.6 for the second week in a row. More importantly than this, this is the fifth week in a row that RAW has scored a 3.6 or higher, the first time they have done so since the seven week stint from July 27, 2009 to September 7, 2009. The end of Monday Night Football has been of a great benefit to the show, so they should be safe in this range for a while.

As reported last week, the 2.6 rating that some were portending for SmackDown was far off the mark. The show on January 15, 2010 did a 2.1 rating. Still, it was the second week in a row with a 2+ rating and actually makes the four week rolling average a 2.0.

For ECW's second week in a row statistic, they scored a sub 1.0 with another 0.9 rating. This makes the second time they have scored sub 1.0 two week in a row, the last time coming two weeks ago. Five of the last eight weeks have seen rating below 1.0, the other weeks were just 1.0. The last time ECW was above a 1.0 was on November 17, 2009 with a 1.1 rating. Despite these ratings, ECW has apparently got another contract with SyFy and is safe for the time being. Besides, these ratings are still relatively good on the fledgling rebranded network.

Over in TNA, the showed scored a 1.3+ rating for the third week in a row (actually a 1.26 rounded up). This is the third time the company has done so, with the other two being February 19, 2009 to March 5, 2009 and April 2, 2009 to April 16, 2009. Now the question remains if iMPACT can break this record and go for four weeks or more starting tonight?

And finally, the big news is that SuperStars got their highest rating ever with a 1.1. The show has not had a 1.0 rating since November 19, 2009 and has only sporadically jumped over that mark. It is unsure what caused such a jump in ratings (37.5%), but SuperStars and TNA prove that Thursday night is the place to go for ratings right now.




We all know that wrestling is a business, but we don't often pay attention to what sells and makes money. Money and Investing looks into the top selling items in the world of wrestling and any interesting figures that may have come out this week.

What are the top selling items for the WWE? WWEShopZone.com releases a list of varying numbers to show what is selling for them:

1. John Cena Attitude Adjustment T-Shirt ($25, on sale $14.98)
2. John Cena Never Give Up T-Shirt ($25.00)
3. Hardys Leather Cuff Bracelet ($10, on sale $5.98)
4. John Cena Never Give Up Sweatband Set ($12.00)
5. John Cena Never Give Up Baseball Cap ($20.00)
6. Bret Hart Emblem T-Shirt ($25.00)
7. The Best of Raw 2009 DVD/T-Shirt Package ($55.95, on sale $25.99)
8. John Cena Never Give Up YOUTH T-Shirt ($22.00)
9. Edge Rise Above T-Shirt ($25, on sale $14.98)
10. MVP Crest T-Shirt ($25, on sale $14.98)
11. The Best of Raw 2009 DVD ($34.95, on sale $19.80)
12. Jeff Hardy Immune to Fear Baseball Cap ($20, on sale $9.98)
13. D Generation X Worlds Biggest Member T-Shirt ($25.00)
14. Miz I'm Awesome T-Shirt ($25.00)
15. D Generation X Valentines Day 2010 Package ($27.99)
16. Jeff Hardy Immune to Fear T-Shirt ($25, on sale $14.98)
17. WWE Superstars Party Pack ($27.99)
18. WrestleMania 26 Beanie Bear ($10.00)
19. John Cena Valentines Day 2010 Package ($27.99)
20. John Cena Attitude Adjustment Basics YOUTH T-Shirt ($9.99)

For the first time since his premier, Bret Hart has been knocked out of the number one spot. And what has knocked him down? None other then top seller John Cena and a discounted Jeff Hardy. Either not being on the shows is hurting Mr. Hart's selling potential, or his point of saturation has come a lot sooner then expected.

Also appearing on the list this week were a number of discounted items from Edge, MVP, and Jeff Hardy, showing the WWE is trying to clear out a lot of older inventory. This tactic is usually seen by TNA, but the WWE does sometimes build up excess inventory that they need to get rid of.


TNA sometimes releases a list of top selling items on ShopTNA.com. According to the site the top selling items were:

1. Hulk Hogan – Change T-shirt ($19.99)
2. Don's Insane Brown Bag Special ($20)
3 HOGAN JOINS TNA - Limited Edition Plaque and Card ($39.99)
4. "Hulkamania" T-shirt ($19.99)
5. Beer Money T-shirt ($19.99)
6. Emergence CD ($14.99, on sale $9.99)
7. Bound For Glory 2009 DVD ($19.99, on sale $17.99)
8. AJ Styles "Phenomenal Brand" T-shirt ($19.99)
9. Hard Justice 2009 DVD ($19.99, on sale $9.99)
10. Sting "Discharge" T-shirt ($19.99)

Eric Bischoff has stated many times about how he is going to get this company organized. It would be beneficial to the Journal's Money and Investing if he started.




Wrestling isn't just about watching and reading. The best way to be a wrestling fan is to experience it live. Where is wrestling coming to in the next 2 weeks? The Personal Journal answers that question.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
31 (Jan) WWE Royal Rumble (Atlanta, GA)	1 (Feb) RAW (Nashville, TN)	2 SmackDown / ECW (Memphis, TN)	3	4 TNA Live (Topeka, KS)	5 RAW Live (Philadelphia, PA) TNA Live (Wichita, KS) ROH on HDNet (Philadelphia, PA)	6 RAW Live (Alexandria, LA) SmackDown / ECW Live (Waco, TX) TNA Live (Joplin, MO) ROH on HDNet (Philadelphia, PA)
7 WWE Supershow (Lake Charles, LA)	8 RAW (Lafayette, LA) SmackDown / ECW Live (Baton Rouge, LA)	9 SmackDown / ECW Live (New Orleans, LA)	10	11 SmackDown / ECW Live (Quito, Ecuador) TNA Live (Charlottesville, VA)	12 RAW Live (East Lansing, MI) SmackDown / ECW Live (Guayaquil, Ecuador) TNA Live (Norfolk, VA)	13 Raw Live (Madison, WI) SmackDown / ECW Live (San Jose, Costa Rica) ROH Live (New York City, NY)

Do you know a wrestling event coming up? Send one in to The Hamilton Ave Journal and we'll be sure to add it to the list.




The Editorials section is designed for you, the readers, to respond to the views presented in the Journal, send an important news item, or talk about another overlooked business related item in wrestling. Just beware: the Journal reserves the right to respond back.

From the commentary section last week, some seem to question the value of Jeff Hardy, such as wow:

Jeff Hardy is a merch draw, but I never seem to remember his PPVs and / or TV shows moving the needle....

Guest#8858 provides the logic that wow is missing:

As long as he moves the cash register, he is an asset. I would have to believe that some portion of those who buy his products watch television, or else how would they even know about him?

To be fair, no one has really moved the needle in the past few years. The only things that have moved is merchandise, and that is dependent on the star.

Guest#0196 decides to help us leave the sales talk and move into the legal realm:

I have a question based not on sales numbers, but about legalities and professional management.

Recently Awesome Kong attacked Bubba the Love Sponge back stage, because of his comments about Haiti.

Now I am not arguing that she was in the right, but Bubba and Hogan discussed this publicly on Bubba's show. Hogan said that Kong should be fired and that Russo was the one who put her up to it.

This handling of the matter bothers me. Hogan, whether it is true or not, claims to be part of management. He is discussing internal company business on air. He is already on record as being against Russo and now drags him into a back stage fight.

Could this be construed as creating a hostile work environment for Russo? What possible legal consequences are there for handling employee matters this way? What are TNA's legal liabilities for this type of situation? Are they lessened by Kong's request to be released from her contract?

While this question came about because of the Kong/Sponge fight, I do wonder about the legal and business ramifications of Hogan's known tendency to run off at the mouth.

The problem with your question is you are thinking of TNA as an office with employees, which it is not. TNA is a place where independent contractors sign on for a set of time to perform specific duties. Because of this, they don't have to worry about things like a "hostile work environment" because they are not providing a "work environment". If you ever need to see this in action, look no further then Rena Mero's sexual harassment case against the WWE. She made the same type of claims of a hostile work environment, but the courts ruled that she was not in a "work environment" as constituted by employment laws.

The question is what does it say in Vince Russo, Awesome Kong, Hulk Hogan, and Bubba the Love Sponge's contracts? What are they allowed and not allowed to say and do? This is the only legal matter, though it would have to be taken through civil channels. Legally, TNA is not responsible for anyone under contract who is not an employee.

Even if Hogan is a part of management, he is still a contracted person and not an employee. If anything, his role is closer to consultant with executive decision power then anything else. Mr. Russo is also a contracted employee in the role of a writer and producer. Although TNA want to provide an environment for everyone to work in, they are not obliged to do so (so long as they do not make contract decisions based on discrimination according race, creed, or religion [sexual orientation is currently not included in the discrimination laws]).

The only thing that anyone needs to worry about is defamation of character. Since Hulk Hogan sued Vince Russo for this in the past, he should be acutely aware of it. If he says something that is blatantly untrue, he could be sued by Russo for defamation of character and slander, but that would just be on Hogan and not on TNA (unless TNA supported those statements, which they would not).

Finishing off with some TNA, BringTheNoise asks:

Any thoughts on TNA's PPV situation in the UK? Seems like a massive backwards step to me.

Apologies from the Journal for missing this story last week. For those who do not know, with no notice TNA has pulled their PPVs off of Bravo 2 in the UK and moved it to BT Vision. BT Vision is a mix subscription box service and online streaming system that has less then half a million subscribers. This is in comparison to Sky Digital which has 9.5 million viewers. The move has perplexed many, including the aforementioned commenter.

As it turns out, it appears that TNA is in the middle of contract negotiations and something may be in the works. TNA sent the following e-mail out to those who asked about the situation:

We are currently working hard to supply the fans in the UK with what they want. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you will still remain a loyal fan to TNA Wrestling's programming as you the fans are the most important part. Check back to TNAwrestling.com later this week for more news regarding TNA programming in the UK in 2010.

Thus far no announcement has been made (this letter was sent out on January 18, 2010). One has to imagine that TNA is in contract negotiations and are looking for favorable rates. Expect them to come to some agreement in the coming weeks.


Plenty more was written, so be sure to take a look. And if you enjoy the Journal, why not bookmark 411mania.com and make it your home page? You can do that by clicking here.




This concludes Issue #122 (Volume 2) of THE HAMILTON AVE JOURNAL. Join us next week as we get ready to ring the bell again.

Till then!