FITE TV COO Mike Weber Explains Where WWE Buyout Rumor Came From, Discuses Growth of FITE TV, Communications With WWE on Bringing Their Content to FITE

– WrestlingInc.com recently spoke to FITE TV COO Mike Weber. During the chat, he addressed the rumors that WWE was reportedly interested in buying out FITE TV. FITE TV later denied the report. Also, Weber explained how the rumor got started. Below are some highlights.

Weber on the growth of FITE TV: “We now have 1.6 million registered users. We’ve done more than 2,500 live shows since we launched, which comes to a thousand a year roughly. It’s not unusual for us to do 20 shows on a weekend or 7 to 10 shows at the exact same time. You always have something to watch.”

Weber on the landscape for independent wrestling: “It’s fantastic to see where independent wrestling has taken hold. Of course we work with Impact and Ring of Honor, they’ve done well and have been with us since the beginning. We’ve always been there from the start of AEW, airing their programs and working with them. Then there are companies like Game Changer Wrestling, which I don’t think anyone had heard of a year-and-a-half or two years ago. We are sharing them exclusively on FITE pretty much every week…They’ve done a great job with the programming. They have a niche following. We gave them a platform for the fans.”

Weber on Starrcast: “Starrcast was an eye-opener, how well it did. It came off pretty good from a technical standpoint and content standpoint. People seem to like it. Working with Conrad Thompson has been a pleasure. He is a professional who has a knack for this type of event. He is a great leader, so people will get behind him. He has the right foresight and vision with this type of event. We’re just recording it and making it happen. This event coming up in Chicago is a well-organized event with a site survey. We’re also airing a New Japan event called Royal Quest from London. It’s a stellar card they are putting together…We’ve upgraded. So let’s say you’ve tuned into a program and you’re watching it halfway through, you can now go back and watch from the beginning while it was happening live. The next thing we’re going to look for is how we can go ahead in time for live shows. We haven’t figured out that time travel stuff, but give us a little time.”

Weber on talking to WWE on bringing their content to FITE, denying that WWE was trying to buy them: “As a person who’s responsible for getting content on our platform, we talk to everybody. Of course, we’re talking to WWE about getting their pay-per-view programming. A SummerSlam, WrestleMania or Royal Rumble type of event.”

“Outside the WWE Network, they are already available on other pay-per-view platforms. We say why not us also. So, we’ve been in conversations with them to make their programming available and find another way to make more money because we know WWE hasn’t made enough money already. Obviously, someone got wind of that communication and meetings and put two and two together and came up with 17, which I’m pretty sure has happened in wrestling quite often before. A business built on rumors. A great rumor.”