Wrestling, especially the WWE, is an incredible window into sports drama. Since inception, this American past time has maintained a degree of excitement built upon high-flying athletes, bloody rivalries, infectious personalities, and stylish violence. Business Insider sat down with Michelle Wilson, WWE’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, about the growing amount of digital content they’ve created, and revealed fans may get the chance to leap from the top ropes with VR as the driving force for some new ideas.
The crux of these newer developments, as so put forth by Wilson during the interview, revolves around the company’s understanding that they’re no longer creating content just for those watching on television, but also on other media devices. They’re adapting to Snapchat and Facebook live with their digital team of 100 – 120 people, including many that utilize those types of social platforms regularly. They’ve shifted over the last five years, growing from 750 hours of content every year to 1500 across long-form television production and the short-form stylings that fit on the more quickly consumed formats like YouTube. They may soon be adding another format to their repertoire as well.
“VR is a really interesting thing to watch for us,” Wilson said. “We know that our fans want to be literally in the ring with our superstars. So I think AR and VR is something we’re really paying attention to.” She goes on to point out that “where” fans will be able to experience these is what they’re thinking about and, in response to a question, she said they’re already testing and evaluating VR and AR technology.
The WWE has already embraced 360-degree video, showing off a new perspective on some of the exciting moments from their television broadcasts.
