Dish Network released a statement to Zap2it.com on their decision to drop WWE pay-per-views. Their statement is below:
“WWE has chosen to launch a 24/7 online network, without its TV partners, that includes all of its pay-per-view events. As WWE enters the increasingly fragmented media world by themselves, DISH will continue to consider the value of WWE pay-per-view on an event by event basis.
“DISH continues to provide a variety of WWE programming, including ‘WWE Raw’ on USA, ‘WWE Smackdown’ on Syfy, ‘WWE Main Event’ on Ion and ‘WWE Total Divas” on E!. At this time, WWE pay-per-view events are not available on DISH.”
Dish also posted the following on their Facebook page:
“DISH will not offer the ‘WWE Elimination Chamber’ PPV on 2/23. WWE is not willing to adjust their PPV costs to satellite and cable companies, which is unfair to their customers. We need to re-focus our efforts to support partners that better serve DISH customers. Other satellite and cable companies, including DIRECTV, have also expressed they may no longer provide WWE PPV events in the future.”
WWE issued a statement in response to the article:
“WWE is pleased that the majority of our cable and satellite Pay-Per-View distributors are giving our fans an option to purchase traditional Pay-Per-Views as we prepare to launch WWE Network on Monday, February 24. Unfortunately, DISH will not be doing so. We hope DISH will reconsider for this Sunday’s ‘Elimination Chamber’ Pay-Per-View event and especially for ‘WrestleMania 30’.”
As noted before, I can understand why Dish and other satellite/cable companies would be upset and they’re in a tough spot but they are also losing out on a lot of money by not carrying WWE pay-per-views.
