PPV Buy Rates in the 90’s

Scott,

What kind of effect on the buy rates did those cable "black boxes" through the 90’s do your think? I myself watched every wrestling ppv from 1990 – 2000 on one of those, and so did all the other wrestling fans I knew in my area. Growing up in a rural area, that means this was just a small sampling, but 10 of us skipping out on paying for a $25 ppv but watching it anyway means the companies missed out on $250 in a town of around 500 people.

So do you think this type of thing is overlooked when reflecting back on buy rates vs. excitement or buzz around a show?

​Nah, I don’t think it was a huge factor, any more than people getting together for PPV parties was or piracy is today. I know that if there was a PPV I wanted to buy enough, I’d buy it, despite having access to many alternative options through most of the Monday Night wars. And today I’m happy to pay $10 / month for the WWE Network.

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