WWE held its latest quarterly investor’s call on Thursday, shedding some light on the success of WrestleMania 37 and the company’s plans going forward as the COVID-19 pandemic slowly starts winding down. During the call chief financial officer Kristina Salen addressed the timetable for fans to return to the shows full-time, saying, “We look forward to the highly-anticapted return of regular ticketed events. How predicting the pace of that event is challenging and as of this moment we didn’t anticipate seeing such events until the second half of 2021.” This comment fits in with previous comments made in interviews by WWE officials.
Eric Katz from Wolfe Research asks if WWE would hold a residency while phasing in touring. Is the return “full bore” or a phase-in.
Salen says WWE hasn’t decided yet what their plans will be. Their hope is that they will return to full touring, not phase-in.
Salen adds that the current guidance assumes the return of full touring in the second-half of 2021.
David Karnovsky from JPMorgan brings up increase demand for live content. Will some sports like NFL or WWE disproportionately benefit?
