BY WADE KELLER

The cover story of the PWTorch Newsletter five years ago reported that Spike TV was on the verge of announcing a prime time weeknight clearance for TNA Impact. It was, to date, the biggest moment in TNA history, with the possible exception of Spike giving TNA its first TV clearance.

What jumps out when looking at this story is that the latest Saturday night Impact drew a 1.1 rating. Yes, basically the same rating as they've been averaging since, with a few upticks and downturns from time to time. The 1.1, though, was the highest rating to date, so there was some momentum or optimism at the time.

Also, the Sting signing, with Spike TV officials pushed for and helped with, was seen as a necessary boost in star power to justify a prime time slot. Sting helped draw that 1.1 rating and gave TNA a new central star for the company. Five years later, though, he hasn't proved to be enough to take TNA to "a new level." Here is my analysis of the news five years ago. Feel free to comment in the reader comment area below.

PWTORCH NEWSLETTER COVER STORY
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 4, 2006

Spike TV is on the verge of offering TNA a Thursday night prime time clearance. Key sources say it is expected within weeks, if not days, to be announced as part of a new Thursday night line-up on Spike.

TNA Impact would open the evening at 8 p.m. ET with a one hour show, followed by UFC Unleashed (a best-of program) and The Ultimate Fighter series. The coaches on the next Ultimate Fighter series will be Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. There are high hopes that they can shatter all previous ratings records for that program with those two high-profile coaches.

TNA president Dixie Carter tells PWTorch she is unaware of an official decision to shift TNA Impact to Thursday nights in prime. She adds, though, that's been her company's goal for a while. "We've always had our eye on prime time, and we feel we've performed really well with the timeslot we've been given," she says.

The latest TV ratings for Impact have been strong. The latest edition of Impact on Saturday night drew a 1.1 rating, the best rating for Impact yet. Monday replays have been strong lately, putting TNA near the two million level for overall viewership. Carter says that the ratings news elevated the mood of everyone on Tuesday afternoon before this week's TV taping.

Saturday's Impact was built around Sting's first official appearance on the show. So far, the teasing of Sting's name, and this week's first appearance, appear to be drawing viewers. When Jerry and Jeff Jarrett launched TNA nearly four years ago, they initially believed their main target demographic was attracting former WCW fans back into wrestling. So much time has passed that such an approach would be misguided at this point as a primary business plan, but that doesn't mean that there aren't fans out there curious about what Sting looks like, what he has to say, and whether he can "still go" in the ring.

Sting alone, though, isn't seen by Spike TV officials as enough to put TNA into a position to compete directly with WWE Raw. In fact, Spike has officially decided not to offer TNA the Monday night prime time slot when Raw is preempted on Feb. 13 for the Westminster Dog Show. Instead, that will go to a "UFC: Best of 2005" special. The reasoning behind it is that there wasn't enough time to promote it properly and TNA didn't have a series of storylines and matches in place that could climax in the form of a two hour special - live or taped. Spike TV does have its eye on those two weeks in September when Raw is preempted for U.S. Open Tennis. By then, though, it may not be an issue if TNA has cemented itself as a staple of Thursday nights.

With Smackdown having performed well on Thursday nights, but moved to Fridays last fall, Thursday is seen as an "empty wrestling night," a time when fans have proven they will watch wrestling in large numbers - numbers large enough to satisfy Spike TV even if it wasn't considered blockbuster numbers for broadcast network UPN.

If Spike goes through with the Thursday night timeslot for TNA, it's a strong sign of commitment to the product because it will be an interruption in the weeknight strip of CSI, which currently airs every night at both 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. From 9-11 p.m., the expected timeslot for the two UFC programs on Thursday night, Spike currently airs a movie.

What TNA has not been able to do successfully at this point is turn solid TV ratings into increased buyrates. Hovering in the same 35,000 range since the move to Spike as they were with no national TV clearance or a weaker Fox Sports Net clearance, steps need to be taken to get the nearly two million weekly viewers to decide to spend $30 a month to see three hours of commercial-free premium TNA action. Early indications on Sting's influence on the January PPV aren't great. Buys were up, but only 10-20 percent, hardly worth his salary, an estimated $500,000.

But the decision to sign Sting isn't being judged on a dollar out/dollar in basis. Signing Sting was a "statement" to fans and to Spike TV that they are willing to spend money to bring in stars. If Sting was the only available name TNA management felt could immediately increase TV ratings, even if he doesn't sell enough merchandise and enough PPV buys to pay for his salary, if the increase in TV ratings he generates is what leads to a primetime weeknight clearance, that makes it tough to conclude Sting was overpaid. If Sting, though, defines down TNA as being merely a revisiting of the late-'90s rather than what Spike TV touts TNA Impact as being - "The new wrestling alternative of high-risk, live-action entertainment" - then Sting could ultimately limit TNA's growth potential.

If TNA is able to sign another major name or two, then they may have enough star power to enhance Sting's presence and provide some "dream opponents." Bret Hart, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan are all out there as potential "statement signings." Austin may be the only one contractually locked in with WWE due to his WWE Films deal. The others, with Bret being the most likely, have at least the legal ability to make an appearance for TNA. Brock Lesnar may be legally free and clear soon, also. Any one of them would be a strong way to open the anticipated Thursday debut.

The Ultimate Fighter 3 series, which began taping last week, will begin airing on Thursday, April 6. That would be the likely date that TNA Impact would shift to Thursdays, also.

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