WWE Network Subscriber Count – how many people subscribed during WrestleMania Week?

WWE financial executive George Barrios noted in WWE’s Network conference call on Monday that there is still an “old system” PPV behavior among viewers. Specifically, fans deciding to make that PPV-like purchase/trial subscription to WWE Network late in the game.

Barrios said WWE noticed a big uptick in Network trial subs in the days leading up to WM32, as part of the old system mentality of deciding whether to order a PPV.

WWE’s reported numbers indicate…

First Quarter 2016 Conclusion (March 31)

• 1.469 million total paid and trial subscribers
  • 1.357 million paid subscribers
  • 112,000 trial subscribers

Post-WM32 (April 4 – a few days later)

• 1.824 million total paid and trial subscribers (increase of 355,000/25%)
  • 1.454 million paid subscribers (increase of 97,000/7.1% increase)
  • 370,000 trial subscribers (increase of 258,000/230% increase)

The number of trial subscribers is subject to variance with an unknown number of March 31 trial subscribers being rolled into April 4 paid, but WWE added a net total of 258,000 free trial activations from Mar. 31 to Apr. 4.

– There is also a domestic and international consideration…

First Quarter 2016 Conclusion (March 31)

• 1.469 million total paid and trial subscribers
  • 1.107 million domestic (75% of total)
  • 362,000 international (25% of total)

Post-WM32 (April 4 – a few days later)

• 1.824 million total paid and trial subscribers
  • 1.390 million domestic (76% of total)
  • 434,000 international (24% of total)

WWE added more domestic trial subscriptions for WrestleMania than internationally. It appears that a preponderance of U.S. viewers who have the “old PPV system” behavior of ordering one or two PPVs per year took advantage of the free trial or re-activated a lapsed subscription.

WWE noted that “free trial subscribers refer to WWE Network customers who received a free trial upon activating network service, and were still within their promotion period as of the date reported. Subscribers are eligible to receive a free trial upon their initial service activation, or upon reactivation (i.e. following a period of discontinued service) if they did not previously receive a free trial.”