Will WWE Network Be Able To Handle High Volume Wrestlemania Streaming?
WWE Network has largely been a success since it’s launch in February. Millions of people have subscribed to the network, and it seems that the idea of Vince McMahon worked at the end of the day. We should not be surprised as he is possibly one of the best promoters in the history of entertainment.
While the WWE Network has done well, there have been issues with it. One of the main issues dated back to the first week when the LIVE NXT special had a few issues that dropped the stream for many. There have also since been issues with playback and even freezes for some.
Due to this, many were wondering what the status of these issues would be in April. WWE obviously would not want to lose a stream or have really, any issues come Wrestlemania 30 this April. If they did, a massive amount of people would be upset. When I say massive, I mean MASSIVE!
WWE has managed to work out their problems for the most part and, according to sources, they feel very confident about the network stream heading into the Wrestlemania event. They were even nice enough to give fans a free trial just to prove how cool the product is. It does end soon, however.
As many know by now, WWE has given fans something that was unrepresented. An entire network full of WWE content as well as WCW, ECW, and much more. Every PPV that has ever been, even RAW and SmackDown stuff. On top of that, original content you can only see on the WWE Network.
The coolest part, all WWE PPVs will air LIVE on the network. This means that you can throw away your average $45-60 WWE PPVs. Instead, for just $9.99 you get all of what was said above PLUS all WWE PPVs live and up for viewing. This could save the average fan hundreds of dollars annually. So the WWE Network more than pays for itself if you’re a hardcore fan.
While it certainly is well worth the buy, the issue will always come down to the stream. Even for WWE PPVs on DirecTV and other cable outlets, WWE has had issues with the stream with broadcasting issues with certain cameras. For the Royal Rumble, it seemed to freeze up with the entrance camera during the Rumble match itself.
WWE has taken steps, they claim, to make sure issues do not happen. The company said regarding the issues that they have:
“Put in place significant quality assurances. These steps include increased capacity to handle high volumes of transactions, logins, and concurrent live streams, daily ‘stress’ testing of all systems over an extended period, and the addition of technology experts to review our plan and procedures.”
Despite this, could we still have issues with the stream?
It is something to think about and consider greatly. WWE Network is clearly a terrific product for the WWE Universe. The issue at the end of the day is, is the money worth it when it comes to the quality? WWE Network has a lot of eyes already. Will it disappoint when it is streaming the grandest event in Pro-Wrestling, Wrestlemania? Time will tell. At least WWE seems confident. We as fans however, aren’t just yet.
