Mark Shapiro Weighs In On Complaints Over WrestleMania 42 Ad Time

Mark Shapiro shared his thoughts on fan pushback about the amount of ads that aired during WrestleMania 42, noting the matter is a “balancing act.” This year’s WrestleMania drew criticism for the amount of ads compared to the in-ring time, with fans complaining about the matter and the likes of Matt Hardy and Eric Bischoff noting concerns about the situation.

Shapiro addressed the matter during TKO’s Q1 earnings call. He noted that they listen to feedback from fans and said it is a “trial and error” situation, but that “our product comes first.” He pointed out that fan pushback is common in such situations but that it’s a change that “takes getting used to.” You can check out highlights from his comments below (per Fightful):

On Fan Complaints Surrounding WrestleMania 42:

“We take any and all feedback, especially from our core fanbase, extremely seriously. High priority. We listen, we learn. At the same time, balancing the fan experience in the business of sports is never easy. Whether you’re talking ticket prices or commercial integration.”

On the Amount Of Ads At WrestleMania:

“It’s as old as time. Frankly, it’s crossing genres. No different than going to movies and you see prices rising for admission, popcorn, and candy, not to mention the 30 minutes of commercials and trailers prior to the film. Change takes getting used to. Back at ESPN, when we took our national ad window on SportsCenter from one minute to two minutes, there was significant backlash. It went on for months. In the NBA, if they even thought about putting a sponsorship patch on their jersey, fans cried out. Now, there are digital boards, the courts have sponsors. The Dodgers just put a naming right on the field at Dodger Stadium. Criticism for commercial breaks in the Final Four, college football, and the NFL, that’s something all those sports have had to manage.

“The WWE, in particular, is truly new to commercial integration and sponsorship. Change will be more glaring for some as we inevitably commercially integrate. There is no magic formula or serum. There is going to be trial and error over time. We have experimented, pushed some boundaries with various events and leaned in, with others we’ve pulled back. What I can tell you, unequivocally, and this is most important, is that our product comes first. Marketers around the world recognize that our product, especially at WWE, is strong. Our audience there is particularly unique. It’s young. It’s diverse. It’s hard to reach. It’s super passionate. Those marketers want access to our IP. We’re working to give them that access while maintaining the balance. As we commercially integrate, that revenue allows us to be more creative with our product and our superstars.”

On Listening To Feedback:

“Remember this: our audience is resilient. We don’t take it for granted. It doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want to do, absolutely not, quite the contrary. Currently, we are experiencing record attendance, record viewership, and record engagement.”