The WWE tends to show the future in sports media.
As the sports entertainment brand celebrates hitting 100 billion lifetime views on its YouTube channel, the maxim remains true.
Just as when the WWE maximized pay-per-view or made one of the first big moves to streaming, it continues to be a step ahead. Other leagues and networks are just tapping into YouTube’s potential as a marketing vehicle, audience builder, and revenue generator; the WWE is looking down from the mountaintop.
The WWE YouTube channel is the 12th to reach this lifetime-view threshold as the platform becomes a fulcrum of the company’s operations. Since launching the channel in 2008, the pro wrestling brand’s success on the platform puts it on par with the likes of Cocomelon and MrBeast, as well as several foreign music and entertainment profiles.
Nearly a dozen employees run the WWE channel day to day, where the pro wrestling brand posts a variety of videos ranging from match highlights to podcasts and post-event shows to behind-the-scenes promotional materials.
Over the past half-decade, the WWE has embraced a 360-degree view of its superstars’ content output, embracing wrestlers to build digital brands beyond the ring. That could mean delivering consistent Instagram content, hosting a podcast, or filming vlogs. The WWE already has a significant lead over many other sports and entertainment brands in the volume of content it puts out each week, with numerous live shows and a monthly premier live event (PLE). By leading with social and digital content, fans stay in tune with the brand and its stars, close to nonstop.
On its staff, the WWE social media and creative teams also consider YouTube in their strategies. A condensed interview that might appear on a Peacock PLE (or soon, the ESPN App) will often be posted to YouTube in full. Smallish moments in a Monday Night Raw broadcast on Netflix can hit big on YouTube, where the audience looks for standout short-form content just as often as full-length storytelling.
The WWE declined to share revenue metrics for YouTube. However, the digital analytics website Social Blade estimates that the WWE earns between $3 million and $41 million annually in ad-share revenue from the platform.
Of course, the TKO Group Holdings-owned brand also monetizes YouTube content with sponsorships while funneling viewers to watch the live shows, buy merchandise, and subscribe on other digital platforms.
Publishing to an audience of 111 million subscribers, the WWE’s YouTube presence is a massive part of its strategy and success. Reaching the 100 billion-view milestone underscores the pioneering brand’s emphasis on digital video and what is possible when a sports company maximizes YouTube’s value.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.