wrestling / Columns

The Hamilton Ave Journal 11.03.07: Volume 1 – Issue 6

November 3, 2007 | Posted by JP Prag

THE HAMILTON AVE JOURNAL
By JP Prag

Volume 1 – Issue 6

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 Hamilton Ave Journal

WHAT’S NEWS

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: WWE Third Quarter Results
Yesterday, the WWE released their third quarter results and declared a 24-cent per share dividend, despite only having 12-cent per share net income. Although net income was down, it still beat analyst expectations of 9-cents per share. Co-currently, the WWE CEO Linda McMahon hosted a conference call to review the quarterly results.

The Journal will have a continued, more detailed analysis next week. Below are some highlights and initial analyses:

  • Despite growing revenue by 17% from $93 million to $109 million, the WWE profit margin dropped from 9.9% to 7.7% on Net Income of $9.2 million and $8.4 million respectively. The largest gain to the WWE’s top line was the recognition of sales for the Marine totaling $12.8 million in sales. Discounting this, Revenue rose 3.4% to $96.2 million, or relatively above the rate of inflation.
  • New regional offices will be open in Brazil and Australia. This is amid SG&A costs increasing 21.9% from $23.7 million to $28.9 million. The WWE claims that much of that cost was due to the Chris Benoit tragedy and realignment of the Wellness Initiative.
  • North American attendance grew 28% from 4,300 to 5,500 on average per event, but revenue from these events dropped from $14 million to $13.5 million. Meanwhile, international events jumped 206% from $3.2 million to $6.6 million, reflecting the WWE’s growing focus on international markets. While North American tickets averaged $38.92 per person, international events averaged $77.75.
  • The Great American Bash, SummerSlam, and purchases of prior events all saw slight buy rate increases. Unforgiven saw a drop in buys from 289,000 to 210,000. Overall, buys in the quarter fell 5.6% from 1,126,000 to 1,063,000.
  • Cash and Cash Equivalents dropped from $86 million to $67 million while short term investments jumped from $162 million to $202 million. This is an obvious change in the WWE’s asset policy, mostly involving their investment in WWE Films that have not reached the books. Total liabilities remain near $62 million, showing the WWE is not leveraged and in no danger of having any cash follies.

    All and all, although core businesses saw some declines and struggles, new markets made up the difference. Once again, a more detailed and complete analysis will be completed next week.

    Wellness Policy Begins Next Phase
    Also on November 1, 2007, the WWE began the next phase of its Wellness Policy by starting to release the names of those caught being in violation of the policy. The next day, Chris Masters (second offence) and DH Smith were both suspended, though what they tested positive for remains unknown. The Associated Press has already picked up on the story.

    TNA Cancels Trip to Israel
    In a surprising move, TNA cancelled its shows in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 15 and November 17. No reason has been given at this time. Some have speculated that this is due to low ticket sales, but this would go against company literature explaining ticket sales going quite well. According to Phil Lowe, though:

    Tickets for the dates at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena had been selling relatively slowly, with less than half of available tickets sold. The Nokia Arena can hold up to 11,500 depending on how it is set up for a live event.

    Cancelling both events is a hard move for TNA. They undoubtedly lost money on promotion, hiring local people to handle logistics, cancelling airfare and hotels, and an untold amount of goodwill.

    This is also amidst a cancelled press conference and tickets not going on sale for expected international events. TNA has had trouble creating a solid domestic base, so some international events outside North America may have been ill advised anyway. Still, there appears to more happening in TNA than meets the eye. Although the company is not in any danger of going under, it seems like there is a lot of turmoil revolving around company operations.

    MARKETPLACE

    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. Please note that gaps in the chart below are due to data not being released/available.

    For the week ending Thursday November 1, 2007, here are the current standings of our shows:

    Ratings

    RAW
    Close (This Week’s Rating): 3.5
    Open (Last Week’s Rating): 3.3
    Percentage Change: ▲ 5.4%
    52-Week High: 4.3
    52-Week Low: 2.5
    All Time High: 8.1
    All Time Low: 1.8

    SmackDown!*
    Close (This Week’s Rating): 2.7
    Open (Last Week’s Rating): 2.6
    Percentage Change: ▲ 3.8%
    52-Week High: 3.3
    52-Week Low: 2.2
    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): 1.6
    Open (Last Week’s Rating): 1.4
    Percentage Change: ▲ 14.3%
    52-Week High: 2.3
    52-Week Low: 0.9
    All Time High**: 2.3
    All Time Low**: 0.6

    ** ECW’s All Time figures include ECW on TNN

    TNA iMPACT***
    Close (This Week’s Rating): 1.0 (0.98)
    Open (Last Week’s Rating): 1.0
    Percentage Change: ▼ 2.0%
    52-Week High: 1.2
    52-Week Low: 0.6
    All Time High: 1.2
    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

    Analysis:
    All and all, it was an excellent week for WWE programming. All of the brands saw climbs in the ratings, especially ECW with a 14.3% gain. The Journal would like to acknowledge that the trends for RAW are proceeding almost exactly as predicted. TNA, despite giving away a World Title rematch on TV, saw no increase in ratings. TNA needs to learn to build their programs before giving away marquee match-ups in order to capitalize on these events instead of lose.

    MONEY AND INVESTING

    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 ten selling items for the WWE? From WWEShopZone.com:

    1. Triple H the Conqueror T-shirt
    2. Stone Cold Steve Austin Destroyed That T-shirt
    3. Triple H Grey Skull T-shirt
    4. WWE Action Trading Cards
    5. WWE Black Gift Bag
    6. D Generation X – DXMas T-shirt
    7. WWE 2006 Superstar Stocking
    8. WWE Topps Dog Tags
    9. Undertaker WrestleMania 23 Commemorative Plaque
    10. John Cena My Life DVD

    Much like many other retail outlets, the WWE is offering earlier discounts in the pre-holiday season to bolster sales in what is expected to be a relatively light holiday season. Interestingly enough, a 2006 item made its way back into the list this week as most likely the WWE was trying to move old inventory. The Black Gift Bag remains one of the most consistent items available by the WWE, although it is only $3. Meanwhile, Stone Cold Steve Austin jumped the list, another sign that the WWE is in trouble with John Cena missing in action. This is the second former wrestler to outperform almost the entire roster with the exception of Triple H.

    TNA requires a little bit more research. Their website does not release Top Ten lists, so the Journal does a general search for a space and sorted by most popular. They came up in order as:

    1. The Original 3 DVD Set
    2. Against All Odds 2007 DVD
    3. Sacrafice 2007 DVD
    4. Christian Cage Instant Classic T-shirt
    5. Best of the Bloodiest Brawls 2003 DVD
    6. Against All Odds 2006 DVD
    7. String Crawl T-shirt
    8. No Surrender 2006 DVD
    9. TNA Crest T-shirt
    10. TNA Anthology – The Epic DVD Set

    Nothing much new of interest. TNA continues to be dominated by events, and those events are mostly more than a year into the past. Even TNA’s most recent creations are not selling like the past, including Christian Cage’s latest DVD. This is disheartening sign for existing TNA merchandise, especially moving into the holiday season.

    PERSONAL JOURNAL

    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
    4 (Nov)

  • RAW Live
    San Bernardino, CA
  • SmackDown!/ECW Live
    Stockton, CA
  • 5

  • RAW
    Los Angeles, CA
  • 6

  • SmackDown!/ECW
    Bakersfield, CA
  • 7 8 9 10
    11

  • TNA Genesis
    Orlando, FL
  • 12

  • RAW
    Topeka, KA
  • TNA iMPACT
    Orlando, FL
  • 13

  • SmackDown!/ECW
    Wichita, KA
  • TNA iMPACT
    Orlando, FL
  • 14 15 16 17

  • WWE Supershow
    Fort Myers, FL
  • 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.

    EDITORIALS

    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.

    No critical pieces were written this issue, so instead worth your read this week is:

  • Bayani wonders when is the proper time to strip an injured champion of his title… or was that strip as Asian girl?
  • I forwarded Steve Cook an e-mail for Ask411mania. Did he answer it?
  • Csonka ranks RAW again… because he’s got nothing better to do
  • Sforcina is already updating his Evolution Schematic of Chris Jericho

    And, of course, a week would not be complete without a good dose of my very own HIDDEN HIGHLIGHTS!!

    CLOSING BELL

    This concludes Issue #6 (Volume 1) of THE HAMILTON AVE JOURNAL. Join us next week as we get ready to ring the bell again.

    Till then!

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