By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Pop TV President Brad Schwartz spoke Deadline.com and explained why Impact Wrestling is no longer airing on the network. “Yes, we had a wrestling show every Thursday night, which by the way was one of our 10 highest-rated shows on the network,” Schwartz said. “They wanted to keep going, obviously. It was two hours of original content every Thursday night, 52 weeks a year that would do 400 thousand-500 thousand viewers every Thursday night.
“We had to really start focusing on brand and expectation, and I think if you’re going to pitch yourself and tell audiences that you’re this place for premium content, Schitt’s Creek, Flack, Florida Girls, this type of stuff, then people need to know what to expect from you when they come to the channel.” Read the full interview at Deadline.com.
Powell’s POV: I guess this means we can cross Pop TV off the list of potential network homes for pro wrestling programming. Schwartz also stated that he ditched soap opera reruns for similar reasons in that the network was looking to “focus in on our core demo.”
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and former WWE Smackdown lead writer Alex Greenfield discussing the NXT call-ups, Stephanie McMahon’s past contributions to WWE creative, the growth of MLW, and much more.
Premium content? The only show on that list I’ve ever heard of is Schitt’s Creek, via Impact.