WWE’s presence online broadens, doesn’t appear to be slowing down

A8 | SundAy, FebruAry 26, 2023 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Jun Lomibao

Editor:

WORLD Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, an organization that is already king of the ring on social media, will attempt to expand its online presence this year with the $6.5 billion sports entertainment company hinting that it may put itself up for sale.

W WE surpassed 20 million followers on its flagship TikTok account during its most recent quarter, the first sports league to do so, and it’s launching three international TikTok accounts after the WWE Español TikTok handle reached nearly 2 million followers in its first year, according to the company.

W WE’s presence online is already broad and it does not appear to be slowing down.

The company’s YouTube channel topped 92 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, making it one of only 10 channels on the platform to surpass the 90 million subscriber mark, according to Paul Levesque, the company’s chief content officer and director who wrestled under the name Triple H.

To put those numbers in perspective, the National Basketball Association has 19.8 million subscribers, the National Football League has 10.6 million, and Major League Baseball has 4.05 million.

Part of the reason is that, unlike the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, the WWE has no off season. It churns out new content from television shows and premium live events all year long and its fans eat it up.

The online presence of the company is so pervasive that it seeps into the social media posts from some of the world’s biggest athletes.

A fter defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and MVP Patrick Mahomes posted a photo of himself on Twitter holding the Vince Lombardi trophy in one hand, and a WWE belt in the other.

Th at photo has been viewed more than 23 million times and that number keeps rising.

Constant innovations that are blended with entertainment sets WWE apart on social media platforms, said Christopher Zook, chairman and chief investment officer of CAZ Investments.

It has consistently found ways to generate interest and stay ahead of the growing changes in consumer behavior,” Zook said. “The viral, fanservice nature of their content is how they have built so much staying power.”

I ncreased sports viewership has put a premium on the value of organizations with a large following and that moves WWE to the front of the line for companies looking to expand into new areas, said Zook, particularly when seeking to reach key demographics willing to spend.

A nd the platforms on which the WWE is focused increasingly attract a crowd with discretionary income to spend.

A mong those between the ages of 18 and 29, 95 percent say they use YouTube, according to a Pew Research Center survey on social media use by US adults in 2021.

TikTok is expected to overtake Facebook next year as the mostconsumed social network among US adults over the age of 18, according to Insider Intelligence. The research firm expects 18-to-24-year-old TikTok users in the US to spend an average of 1 hour on the platform every day this year.

A nd WWE has been quick to partner with people that have a massive following on social media platforms, most recently the social media personality Logan Paul.

Th ree months after signing a contract with WWE last year, Paul took out a cell phone and filmed himself jumping from the ropes and onto Roman Reigns. That video garnered more than 40 million views across Paul’s and WWE’s social platforms in less than 24 hours, according to Levesque, topping all social media posts for the Stamford, Connecticut, company last year. AP