Meltz is reporting that TNA officials are meeting with Spike TV brass about a new prime-time slot, and that the likely outcome is a Thursday night spot prior to UFC programming.
If true, Spike seems to be lurching about an overreacting. First they decide to pass up the golden opportunity of putting a primetime Monday night show on the night Raw is preempted by the dog show--how many times in the past decade has there been no wrestling at all on Monday night. Then, TNA pops one good rating thanks to Sting, and rather than just add a show that night, they start talking about committing to a weekly primetime slot?
Personally, I'd be very happy to see anything that raises TNA's profile. But from a business perspective, Spike needs to calm down and not overreact to small ratings tics. Their best opportunity right now would be putting on a special against the dog show, and making sure it's a really good show that will grab the interest of the displaced Raw fans. If they really are going to hand TNA Thursday nights, I hope they'll use that Monday to kick things off.
He means that Spike passed on one Monday night, i.e. having a special the Monday that Raw is pre-empted for the dog show. Reportedly, Spike passed on the idea.
Well, I for one think that the new timeslot could help TNA attract new fans who don't have the ability or the inclination to watch the show at its current time.
However, in order for this new show to succeed in my view, TNA's got to radically alter the way they put together weekly television.
Each show I've seen on SpikeTV (save the New Year's special) has only had one or a maximum of two matches that weren't a foregone conclusion. TNA needs to stop relying so heavily on glorified squash matches. This week, TNA's actually promoting, on their website with a graphic and everything, a match between AJ Styles and Jay Lethal. Uh, gee, I wonder who's gonna win that one.
Instead of seeing Buck Quartermaine and Kenny King get dismantled by Team 3D, or Jeff Jarrett beating the shit out of Shark Boy, there ought to be meaningful matches that are given the proper amount of air time and that either competitor could realistically win.
In addition, TNA fans shouldn't have to buy the pay-per-view to see any title matches at all (and again, I'm not including the occasional specials). Samoa Joe wrestles on iMPACT! all the time; why not have some of those matches be for the X-Division title? It may slightly detract from the "specialness" of getting a title match, but frankly TNA could use a little unpredictability and excitement.
In any event, whether you agree with those opinions or not, I think it goes without saying that TNA needs to put on better shows if they're going to look their best in prime-time. And this is coming from someone who likes TNA and wants to see it succeed, not from someone who's criticizing it and trying to put it down.
I think this could be a good move for TNA/Spike TV.
I don't agree with putting TNA on Monday nights just yet, since, let's face it, WWE is an established brand - you can't expect them to automatically produce monster ratings just because it's an alternative.
With a new primetime slot on Thursdays (which, I presume will be longer then an hour), they'll be able to produce more meaningful (and longer matches) rather then try to fit in a bunch of storylines in 40+ minutes. I'd love to seem them take the show on the road, too, so they can mix up the audience a bit - even if you stay in the south, at least it would be a welcome change of scenery every now and then.
I do agree that title matches *need* to take place on Impact - I have yet to see one (I don't have digital cable, therefore I can't order TNA pay-per-views); it doesn't even have to be a world title, but can't they at least put the X-Division title up for grabs once in a while? It would, at least, get the current holder over as a credible champion by having some title defences once in a while.
Originally posted by Dolphin safe tunaEach show I've seen on SpikeTV (save the New Year's special) has only had one or a maximum of two matches that weren't a foregone conclusion. TNA needs to stop relying so heavily on glorified squash matches. This week, TNA's actually promoting, on their website with a graphic and everything, a match between AJ Styles and Jay Lethal. Uh, gee, I wonder who's gonna win that one.
Instead of seeing Buck Quartermaine and Kenny King get dismantled by Team 3D, or Jeff Jarrett beating the shit out of Shark Boy, there ought to be meaningful matches that are given the proper amount of air time and that either competitor could realistically win.
Back away from the IWC for a moment. Outside of the WWE castoffs and former WCW stars, all of these guys are jobbers to the average fan who hasn't read about how awesome AJ is or ever seen the show before. The product is still new enough that they have to establish who is who. The squash match does that pretty well.
I just hope we aren't going to see an eternity of "Hey let's introduce the fans to these guys for the first time" type matches after every move. I'm hoping that this Spike move is the final Establish-who-everyone-is cycle that we have to go through.
Of course, we'll probably see this yet again if they move it to Prime time. New fans need to get up to speed quickly, so they are going to book it like they are bringing in new fans.
Originally posted by Dolphin safe tunaEach show I've seen on SpikeTV (save the New Year's special) has only had one or a maximum of two matches that weren't a foregone conclusion. TNA needs to stop relying so heavily on glorified squash matches. This week, TNA's actually promoting, on their website with a graphic and everything, a match between AJ Styles and Jay Lethal. Uh, gee, I wonder who's gonna win that one.
Instead of seeing Buck Quartermaine and Kenny King get dismantled by Team 3D, or Jeff Jarrett beating the shit out of Shark Boy, there ought to be meaningful matches that are given the proper amount of air time and that either competitor could realistically win.
Back away from the IWC for a moment. Outside of the WWE castoffs and former WCW stars, all of these guys are jobbers to the average fan who hasn't read about how awesome AJ is or ever seen the show before. The product is still new enough that they have to establish who is who. The squash match does that pretty well.
I just hope we aren't going to see an eternity of "Hey let's introduce the fans to these guys for the first time" type matches after every move. I'm hoping that this Spike move is the final Establish-who-everyone-is cycle that we have to go through.
Of course, we'll probably see this yet again if they move it to Prime time. New fans need to get up to speed quickly, so they are going to book it like they are bringing in new fans.
TNA almost has to serve up a lot of squash due to the time restraints. It's not like Samoa Joe can't work longer. I'm not sure the same can be said for The Boogey Man or Lashley
Granted. But a title match on free TV every once in awhile shouldn't be too much to ask for. Maybe the ratings would start getting higher if TNA were able to put over the idea that "tonight's Impact main event matters and you'll actually still remember who won it a month from now."
But I'm hoping that if they get a prime-time TV slot on Thursday, hopefully it'll be for more than just an hour-long program and TNA will be able to show us some good, important matches that matter, instead of simply serving up squash week after week.
The recent Abyss/Rhyno match was pretty good as was the X Division six-man. It's not ALL squash matches. Those were matches that progressed a storyline, unlike the 3D matches followed by a PROMO that progresses the angle.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Multichannel.com released the following statement regarding TNA Impact:
"After losing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.'s WWE Monday Night Raw series last fall, Spike TV will once again feature pro wrestling in primetime when the network moves its Total Nonstop Action Wrestling series, TNA Impact!, to Thursday nights beginning in April.
TNA Impact!, which currently airs Saturdays at 11 p.m., will move to 9 p.m. Thursdays beginning April 13, according to executive vice president of programming and production Kevin Kay, who said he believes the move will help the show to increase its 0.8 rating to at least a 1.0.
TNA will join Spike reality series Ultimate Fighter, which will move from Mondays to the Thursday 11 p.m. time slot."
TNA will most likely make an announcement as well sometime today.
Credit: multichannel.com
So is it still only 1 hour as originally speculated? Or since Ultimate Fighter now comes on at 11 PM with Impact at 9...dare I say...TWO HOURS?! I really hope and pray it is.
TNA will get to face off against WWE....sort of. On Thursdays, WWE Smackdown is shown on THE SCORE in Canada, and their first hour should be at the same time as hour two of Smackdown. (if the timing is correct).
I wonder how that will do for THE SCORE's ratings and stuff.
Originally posted by The Vile1The timeslot is "official" now according to 411 wrestling.
No, really, when 411 quotes an ENTIRE MultiChannel News article (multichannel.com) I'm pretty sure "according to 411 wrestling" is the LAST attribution you should be granting. In fact, it looks like all the "news" about this is just a rehash of the press release Spike TV sent out. (Interesting that they shopped the press release out to the "wrestling" outlets, yet you can't seem to get it from PRNewswire or any of the usual Viacom PR outlets. Don't tell me...wrestling still has a stigma attached to it!)
As for the hour between Impact and TUF, I would speculate that they'll either slot "UFC Unleashed" there, or foolishly provide a replay of the previous week's TUF in that slot. Impact going to two hours ain't an option at this point.
They don't mention if it will be extended to two hours, although the fact that an encore presentation will be aired in the current timeslot, it's a pretty safe bet that it will still be a one hour long program.
The primetime slot will definitely be good, in terms of increasing awareness to the brand, but I wish Spike would of given them an extra hour - they need to have more time to build out storylines and develop interest in their characters.
I disagree about TNA going to two hours at this point. Sure, we end up not seeing all of the talent every week, but at the rate they've been telling their stories, an hour is a good pace for them. If they go to two hours now, they'll burn through their storylines and current match up possibilities faster than Shannon Moore can steal AJ Styles's Mr. TNA plaque. At an hour a week, TNA usually leaves you wanting more, which is a good thing. And it's the opposite of most weeks of RAW and Smackdown, which tend to leave me wanting far, far less.
Originally posted by OliverHere's an interesting thing:
TNA will get to face off against WWE....sort of. On Thursdays, WWE Smackdown is shown on THE SCORE in Canada, and their first hour should be at the same time as hour two of Smackdown. (if the timing is correct).
I wonder how that will do for THE SCORE's ratings and stuff.
I'll record both TNA and The Office and maybe record the encore of Smackdown if the spoilers make it seem interesting.
Originally posted by John OrquiolaI disagree about TNA going to two hours at this point. Sure, we end up not seeing all of the talent every week, but at the rate they've been telling their stories, an hour is a good pace for them.
My hope is that a potential two-hour slot can shift the talking/ringwork ratio. Currently, TNA's show pace is awkward because the talking lasts so long. The skits backstage feel interminable no matter who's involved. This is the pattern even when they aren't selling a PPV as hard as this Saturday's show. On average, it seems as if there is one match per episode that lasts longer than five minutes, including entrances. The rest are three-minute bouts, shorter if Team 3D is involved.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
The way I see it, if they get 2 hours, they can showcase more people and have longer matches every week. The X guys are getting cut off so much more now than they did when they had the weekly PPV's when they first started.
But I look at it this way, it took TNA 4 months of broadcasting on SpikeTV to give them an official, regular prime time slot on Thursday. Its still only an hour, so the next short term goal for them is to get a second hour.
Originally posted by wannaberockstarThe primetime slot will definitely be good, in terms of increasing awareness to the brand, but I wish Spike would of given them an extra hour - they need to have more time to build out storylines and develop interest in their characters.
I don't think the door's shut on an eventual expansion to two hours, but I can see where Spike's coming from on this--as much as TNA wants to create their version of Nitro nownownow, the network doesn't have any reason to believe such a show won't be an embarrassment in the ratings. TNA needs to take what they can get and prove that they deserve a second hour by earning some 2.0s and 3.0s.
I am, however, disappointed that the Saturday timeslot will end up being a replay of the Thursday show. TNA could have turned that into a B-show that would have helped to alleviate the cramped feeling on Impact.
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WHOO-HOO!!!! I was flipping throgh the guide on my TV, and found out that MLW is coming on tomorrow morning at 4:30 am! I am definitley setting up my VCR for it. I'm not expecting it to be anything blowaway.