IndianTelevision.com recently interviewed TNA executive VP of licensing and international TV distribution, Andy Barton. You can check out some highlights of the interview and some comments Barton made about TNA overtaking WWE in the UK below:
Barton on TNA pushing to have a bigger global market and claiming they have surpassed WWE in European markets: “Let me give you a global perspective; we at TNA play the long ball and this strategy relates to the entire world. If we look at the UK market – we have pushed ahead of WWE there and our show is watched more in comparison to WWE week in, week out. Ditto for Germany. In the US of course, it’s going to be tough to carve a space when there is already such an old and established brand and the same is with India. But looking at the history of the wrestling business, there have been a lot of brands that have come and perished like Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and obviously World Championship Wrestling (WCW), that was tremendously successful but it just boggles your mind that a company that was making that kind of money and was hugely popular went bust.”
Barton on TNA and WWE swapping wrestlers on their roster: “Well, it’s something that depends completely on the superstar, in Kurt’s case – he has been with us for an equal amount of time that he was with WWE. Similarly, Gail Kim too was earlier with WWE, then made the shift to TNA, went back to WWE for a short stint, and has ever since been one of our leading superstars. Such movements don’t generally work for everyone, but if you take a look at our wrestlers compared to WWE, we are more on the road than them. So it is really encouraging for young talent that wants to be on the road for 300 days a year. And at the end of the day, it’s all about promoting young talent for the industry and keeping the roster fresh to keep the audience hooked to the show.”
