WWE Network: The Upside
24/7 Live Stream:
The WWE Network's 24/7 live stream is one of the best ideas the company has ever conceived. We've all used Netflix at one time or another, and we've all had one of those moments where, despite endless content at our fingertips, we have no idea what to watch. Sometimes we're just not in the mood for any particular thing, and that's where the live stream's brilliance comes into play.
I do have some issues with the variety the live stream chooses to incorporate, which we discussed at length in the previous section, but overall its the concept behind it that I'm praising. Often I find myself with a spare 30 minutes or hour where I have nothing planned; turn on the WWE Network and see what's playing. With access on my HTC One (cheap plug) through the WWE smart phone application, I've watched ECW Hardcore TV and WWE Countdown on the bus, at the gym, and even while standing in line at the grocery store. The ease of access and compatibility across so many devices makes the Network, and in particular the live stream, so appealing.
While I don't watch them – let's face it, three hours is more than enough – the addition of live pre-show and post-shows for Raw and Smackdown are icing on an already stellar cake. NXT and Main Event are now featured live on the live stream, making it an easy front-runner for the Network's coolest and most used feature.
It's in the Details:
This isn't one particular thing, but rather a collection of small things that the WWE Network executes perfectly. The Devil is in the details, as they say, but in this case "The Devil" is Vince McMahon's trademark polish and production quality. Feel free to make any and all appropriate jokes.
One of the more impressive details that caught my attention was the Network's incredibly handy search feature. Like Netflix, you can search for any actor or film – in this case wrestler or event – and it brings up their corresponding content. However, whoever designed the search function was astute enough to realize that moments are just as important to wrestling fans as people, places and things. So when you search for "CHICAGO" a list of events like Extreme Rules 2012 and Payback 2013 are front and center, but you'll also find "CM PUNK HITS GO TO SLEEP AND PINS JERICHO."
This brings me to the next detail: chapter headings. Not every show is broken into chapters, but a lot of the modern events are, and it makes things so much easier to navigate. It's not often that I want to watch all three hours of a PPV, so having the ability to browse around and pick what I do want to see is so helpful.
There are many other details I like about the WWE Network. The live stream plays instantly when you make your way back to the home page. Links to WWE.com, their tickets page and shop are easy to find. Videos generally remember where you were if you accidentally close out of them, or need to come back later (not always though). Overall these small things add up to one very polished, very fluid WWE Network experience.
The Current Library:
I know I complained about the lack of "VAULT" content before, but realistically you have to be amazed by the amount of programming available at launch. Do I wish I could watch every Raw or Smackdown ever produced? Of course. But the Network is less than two weeks old, and already they've uploaded more content than what we had when it started.
Right now I can watch every WWE, WCW and ECW PPV every produced. That's amazing. If you've ever tried to Google search a random show, attempting to find a low quality copy on YouTube, the Network is a dream come true. I'm more than happy to pay $10 every month to never watch another PPV that looks like it was produced on a toaster oven.
Outside of all those PPV events, the WWE Network has unexpectedly included two years of Raw and Smackdown, as well as a hanful of other treats. Again, there's more now than there was a week ago, so those extra goodies are only getting bigger and better. I know the Network had some brutal (yet expected) issues at launch, but it's so nice to feel compensated by a huge library of promised content, and everyone likes getting more than what's on the advertised card.
