I was sitting, watching Wrestlemania, looking at the similarities between WWE and Fortnite. Hell, I even wrote about it here.
What didn’t click until the other day, though? Was that all of this on Netflix? I’m being served adverts for products on Netflix, via WWE.
It’s blatant, there’s no hiding it, and none of us seems to have twigged that it’s happened.
I’m watching regular WWE content at the moment. Namely, RAW and SmackDown on a weekly basis, and I’m sitting there taking it all in. Like we all are. It’s just a given that adverts are a part of US Sports broadcasting, right?
WWE breaking boundaries
I don’t think anyone can say for certain that this was a part of the plan. But holy cow. Here we are.
WWE obviously need to keep the cash rolling in, so sponsorship deals, ad space on-screen, etc, are a given. Nobody really minds. That’s how it works, right?
It’s no skin off my nose; this is the world we live in, and it’s been like that for decades. The US obviously take it a a new level, but it is what it is.
So we all moved to streaming services that we pay for monthly, and got away from adverts. Lovely!
My kids don’t really understand what adverts are, thanks to streaming services. But all of a sudden, these aren’t ad breaks by the TV network/streaming provider (yes, this does exist now). No, this is an advert spot in WWE content.
I’ve watched, bemused at adverts for Snickers and Old Spice. Talked about the Clash of Clans crossover, muttered about the ring mat sponsor for a week.
It’s all there, but it flies in the face of why we have streaming services and pay a premium to not have adverts.
We’re being served ads when we shouldn’t. WWE has broken that barrier, and it was with a whimper, not a bang.
Does anyone care?
I’m not even mad, to be honest. We’re all so desensitised to it that most people haven’t realised.
Am I impacted by these spots? Not really. But as an ’80s kid, I’ve been advertised to on TV my whole life. I imagine there was a lot of discussion in the WWE/Netflix negotiation about the morality of it (perhaps I’m a little naive here…). But just because a live event is showing on a different channel/platform, it doesn’t remove their costs and need to drive revenue elsewhere.
The fact that I’ve seen nothing about it anywhere indicates to me that people just don’t care. That’s fine. Like, do we need to be up in arms about everything all the time?
I’m just finding it really interesting how it happened overnight, and now it sets a precedent for everything else moving forward.
Watching the NFL games on Christmas Day. I’m now thinking back, what adverts were there then? Were there any? I bet there were, and it was all just a part of the broader presentation.
Future impact
What does this mean long term, though? This is my concern.
I think it’s almost expected of sporting events, and maybe that’s a nice clean line to draw under it. But what deals are Netflix making? Are they getting revenue from these adverts from the WWE? Or are they still relying on the core subscriptions model?
If it’s suddenly a money maker through the back door from the WWE, you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll be seeing more.
I’m mostly concerned that it took me months to even realise it was happening. How much more is being thrust at us without even realising? Either because of the context of the adverts, or because we’re already so desensitised that it makes no difference anyway.
Shrewd business? Sure. But what impact will it have on us, the viewer, who thought we were paying for ad-free viewing?
Let’s keep our eyes open and see if only WWE pulls this off, or if it becomes more prevalent.
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