WWE President Nick Khan provided a detailed analysis of the evolving media landscape during his appearance on the Impaulsive podcast, focusing specifically on the company’s pivot away from the traditional Pay-Per-View model. Khan credited the leadership prior to his arrival for the foresight to launch the WWE Network, a move that fundamentally changed how the company distributes its premium content.
“WWE Got out of the Pay Per View business. In 2014 again, predates me. Brilliant move. Get out of that volatility and all of that stuff,” Khan stated.
The traditional model relied on customers purchasing individual events at high price points, creating significant fluctuation in revenue depending on the strength of a specific match card. By moving to a subscription-based model—first with the WWE Network and subsequently through licensing deals with Peacock in the United States and soon Netflix globally—WWE stabilized its revenue streams. Khan contrasted this with the current state of boxing, which often still relies on the high-cost barrier of entry.
“It doesn’t work in the modern distribution ecosystem,” Khan said, referring to the practice of charging exorbitant fees for single events. “If you’re going to expect people to show up and watch your event… can’t charge another $80 for it”.
The Piracy Problem
A significant driver of this strategic shift is the rampant nature of digital piracy. Logan Paul initiated the topic, noting that his own boxing ventures have likely lost “10s of millions of dollars” due to illegal streaming. Khan agreed with this assessment, highlighting how accessible pirated content has become on social media platforms.
“It’s so rampant Logan you can’t avoid it. If you’re flipping through Tiktok during a pay per view fight, you will get [the stream],” Khan observed.
Convenience as the Solution
Khan argued that the most effective countermeasure to piracy is convenience. By bundling premium events into affordable subscription services that consumers already use, the friction of the transaction is removed.
“Make it easy for the consumer,” Khan advised. “If I was telling you, hey, I had difficulties ordering your pay per view… at a certain point…You’re going to tackle it. I’m just not going to order it”.
He emphasized that entertainment options are abundant and often free, meaning sports properties must compete for attention without creating financial or technical hurdles. “There’s so much free entertainment on your phone, you could just sit there all night and text your friends, look through X, go on Tiktok, you can entertain yourself for free,” Khan explained.
The Netflix and Paramount Strategy
Khan pointed to recent developments in combat sports distribution as evidence of this trend’s acceleration. He specifically cited the distribution of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight on Netflix and the UFC’s upcoming distribution deal with Paramount+.
“One of the brilliant things about Canelo Crawford was the Netflix distribution,” Khan noted. “New subs stay right. It’s hard to unsubscribe from things… Netflix is so easy, Paramount+ is so easy”.
Future Consolidation
Looking ahead, Khan predicted that the media landscape will see further mergers and acquisitions. He suggested that the current political climate will facilitate these moves, leading to fewer, larger media entities controlling vast libraries of content.
“You’re going to see more consolidation, especially at this moment in time with the current administration, which is more business friendly to mergers and acquisitions,” Khan forecasted.
He mentioned the ongoing bidding for assets like Warner Bros. Discovery as an example of this trend. “Paramount’s made an offer. Netflix has made an offer, Comcast has made an offer,” Khan listed. “To be able to compete against Netflix, you have to beef up, you have to have a library, you have to have the right distribution”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Impaulsive with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full interview on the Impaulsive YouTube channel.
