You don’t even need to watch WWE television anymore

WWE has been dealing with a steady decline in viewership for its main television programs, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, for years now. It hasn’t stopped the company from signing major deals with the likes of NBCUniversal and FOX, respectively, securing its financial future for the next few years. But the decline has been steady.

There are many reasons for this, from a lack of new stars to creative bankruptcy to cord cutting and beyond. For me, I didn’t realize just how easy it is to keep up with WWE without actually watching its weekly shows until this week’s episode of SmackDown.

I have a subscription to YouTube TV, which is how I usually watch the show. This week, technical difficulties prevented my app from broadcasting FOX. That left me scrambling.

I didn’t have to scramble much.

You see, WWE, in its quest to offer as much of its content in as many spaces as possible, posts the most relevant clips of its shows to its social media channels right after they happen. Then, immediately after the show ends, extended clips, including match finishes and the bulk of important promos, are uploaded to YouTube.

You even argue this is the better way to digest WWE content because you don’t have to deal with any of the fluff. In its quest to dominate every medium possible, the company itself is sabotaging its own television ratings by offering a viable alternative to its television viewing experience that takes up way less time and energy.

I may never watch another episode of WWE television, in its entirety, again, and WWE makes that possible.

Incredible.