The world of professional wrestling has journeyed across various media platforms for the last century. The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in particular has become the leader of transmedia storytelling with regards to the sports entertainment industry. It is important to discuss the range of conglomerate platforms by which delivers its content and also how it reaches a transcultural audience.
WWE was founded in 1980 and has gone through different name changes in the last 40 years. Ranging from Titan Sports to the World Wrestling Federation and then finally WWE. It has always had a global fanbase which has allowed the company to diversify their media platforms as their media circulation relies heavily on “consumers active participation” (Jenkins, 2006, p.3). It is virtually impossible to distinguish how many media outlets WWE has produced and travelled across during it’s time. From live television to actions figures and video games, the brand has situated itself as a frontrunner for sports entertainment. This has enabled them to stay current in a digital age whereby producing so many texts mean it cannot be contained through one outlet (Jenkins, 2006). However, in recent years, the expansion has moved to broader horizons with social media and the introduction of the WWE Network in 2014. This is a 24/7 streaming networking offering content from the entire history of the company (WWE.com, 2020). Streaming has become increasingly popular in modern times with platforms such as Netflix dominating our screens (Burroughs, 2018) and WWE has made its transition to the more on-demand culture. It is evident that live television broadcasts have decreased in popularity however the fans of WWE have still remained which is why it is vital that the company continue to produce a high standard of transmedia storytelling (Jeffries, 2019).
Due to the company’s extensive media presence, WWE has managed to accumulate a large transcultural audience. It ranges from children to adults in various demographics as each platform enables the consumer to accommodate the content to their own specific needs (Gordon, 2016). According to the 2019 Annual Report, the company exceeded 1 Billion social media followers and 50 million YouTube subscribers (WWE, 2020). The company strives to achieve broadcasting live tv across the globe to maintain an international fanbase. A prime factor that differentiates WWE from other companies is the dedication to different narratives. The plotlines contain entertainers from all demographics and produces new storylines that allow audiences to be interactive and engaged. It gives a sense of glocalization as each persona is tailored towards different ethnicities and backgrounds to appeal to great markets. This is particularly useful in a conglomerate age as it creates different narratives for a “mutli-platform delivery” (Baltruschat, 2010, p.90).
However, it can be argued now that with the prevalence of conglomeration culture has taken away the suspense and anticipation of how things used to be (Jenkins, 2006). For example, WWE relied heavily on the audience’s belief in storylines before the development of social media. Now thanks to backstage politics and ‘spoiler’ culture, it is easier than ever view the world beyond the television and develop a sense of predictability in regard to sports entertainment (Jeffries, 2019).
In conclusion, WWE’s decision to adapt to the digital age proves they are strong leaders in transcultural entertainment. The globalisation of professional wrestling has enabled them to reach wider audiences and gain brand loyalty from a wide range of demographics. Global media as a whole is now enigma that has encouraged the conglomeration of some of the world’s most lucrative businesses in varying sectors. WWE has capitalized on these recent trends which signifies that the use of multi-media platforms has created a culture, which strengthens media as a whole. It is evident that the macrocosm that is global media will continue to strengthen and grow just like the conglomerates it has produced.
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