Spike TV Cancels TNA ReAction

[Jack-Hammer]

According to Adam Martin of Wrestleview.com, Spike has officially given the axe to TNA ReAction. To some degree, this is a little bit of a surprise because the show tended to do pretty well for its timeslot and generally retained about half the audience that tuned in for iMPACT!.

At the same time, it'd been reported all over the net that ReAction wasn't listed on Spike's programming list for January so the writing has been on the wall for at least a few days.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure as to why Spike is cancelling the show. For the format they've had, the show pulled in good numbers.

I'm just speculating about this part, but I'm wondering if this could be something of a message to TNA from the honchos at Spike TV. Spike TV is a network that's really only concerned with the male demos of 18-49 and 18-34 and, overall, TNA hasn't been pulling in the kind of numbers in those demos that Spike ultimately wants. Shows like Gangland and 1,000 Ways To Die have stronger numbers in those demos than TNA pulls in. With the cancellation of TNA's second show, I'm wondering if maybe Spike is starting to not view TNA in the same bright light as it used to.

Could Spike's cancellation of TNA ReAction have a deeper meaning? Could it be that Spike is also trying to send TNA a message?

 

[klunderbunker]

Maybe, yeah. Doesn't Spike pay for at least some of the contracts of TNA's bigger names? I remember hearing they did with Sting. If they're paying for others as well, I wouldn't be thrilled with paying for all these people and getting the same results I got without them. Either way, TNA has stayed exactly where they have been for a long time now and maybe Spike isn't happy with it at all.

Granted it could just be that Spike doesn't like doing two and a half hours in a row of the same stuff and they're pulling it back to half an hour. This changes some stuff in TNA, but on the plus side we no longer have to deal with it going into a second show or with having major announcements made on ReAction. The bad part is that it means Impact will be even more crammed in as we clearly need all the promos and random segments like Kendrick rambling and long beatdowns every week right? It's not like that could be used for people that matter or to advance a storyline.

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I'm really shocked that ReAction has been cancelled I don't understand this decision by Spike TV like Jack Hammer said the ratings were really good for a show that airs from 11-12 on a Thursday Night and it almost always retained half of the viewers from Impact. The Only reason I could see why Spike did this because early in the Year there were rumors that Spike was looking to add Xplosion to the lineup now with the Cancelation of ReAction I think its very Possible that Spike might want to Add Xplosion. I thought that ReAction was a Great Show and I'm upset that its cancelled, but the only good thing I can see coming from this is the addition of Xplosion to Spike.

 

[shattered dreams]

I'll remain skeptical as none of these reports seem all that firm. If it is happening then I'll be surprised if it is not a precursor to a different, possibly larger, programming addition by TNA. Do you have a source on that gangland and 1000 ways demo info hammer? I was curious about those numbers.

 

[Mailman]

I'll remain skeptical as none of these reports seem all that firm. If it is happening then I'll be surprised if it is not a precursor to a different, possibly larger, programming addition by TNA. Do you have a source on that gangland and 1000 ways demo info hammer? I was curious about those numbers.

Bischoff confirmed on an online radio show this evening that Reaction has indeed been cancelled. He said they became aware of its cancellation during the last day (I think) of the recent Impact tapings.

A shame to see Spike cancel Reaction. I thought that over the last couple of weeks, Reaction really found its groove and it was hitting all of the key storylines. I enjoyed the show.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I could really care less about ReAction. It should have been spelled the normal way, seeing the show has zero Action. It's boring. Over the last year, I can count on one hand exactly how many quality storylines TNA has given us. Why would I watch a show that only explains storylines when the stories are shit?

I have no clue if this Spike TV's way of telling TNA to get it's shit together or not. I hope so. If TNA believes it's possible that they will lose their TV deal, they may make some changes.

I've said for years (on and off this forum) that TNA needs two shows. However, they need two wrestling shows. Not a show jam-packed with promo's and explanations. Do I think TNA needs a second show at this very moment? Probably not. I don't know if they could handle it. One show seems hard enough for them to book, so God only knows what kind of shit we would get with two shows. I really hope this is Spike TV sending a message, and TNA makes some changes in the creative department. It's needed.

 

[safeco1999]

The only reason I watched ReAction was because I was too lazy to change the channel off a boring TNA show.

I dont think TNA should or is ready to have a second show on tv, nor should they really have a PPV every month. They should cram a bunch of storylines into a single 2-hour show, but give the fans only a little bit into each story, and even intertwine them a bit.

 

[Lt 0reo]

I'm am actually a little shocked by this. I don't watch TNA every week but when I do, I would usually Reaction after Impact. I agree with the OP that Spike might be sending a messege to TNA with the cancellation of Reaction.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Here's what I'm asking and I might make a thread about this once I'm more knowledgeable on the subject, but I bet someone could illuminate me.

Isn't it time for TNA to move to another network? I'm not from the US so I don't know where SpikeTV ranks and how many people watch it, but is it one of the top networks? The network matters a whole lot. Take SmackDown for example. They used to pull 2.5-ers on USA Network, then moved to SyFy and their ratings dropped by a whole point.

ReAction was a fun show to watch, I always enjoyed it and found it compelling. Sad to see it go, if this is permanent.

 

[Tugboat77]

I'm thrilled to see it cancelled for one reason. I'm sick of TNA trying to manipulate people into watching the program by having their main event go long and flow over onto ReAction from Impact. I set my DVR to record Impact every week but I don't record ReAction because of other programming I'd rather watch. So every week when I sit down to watch Impact, I miss the ending of the main event match. I could excuse it if it were a live show because live events often go long but since this is a taped program, it is obviously done on purpose.

 

[Rayne]

ReAction was a noble idea worth trying. Professional wrestling is so interview-centric these days; why not have a show which revolves around interviews to sell the next week's product and the next pay-per-view?

Unfortunately, it didn't pan out for various reasons. A crap-tacular time slot is one of them; 11pm on SpikeTV isn't exactly a great place to be for any show. It helped build resentment amongst the fan base; (most) people are intelligent enough to decide if they want to watch your programming. Forcing them to stick around for the start of ReAction by having Impact run long felt like too much of a strong-arm tactic. It worked for Raw and Nitro in the 90's, but it just doesn't work in the DVR age.

Ratings certainly didn't help. While the show pulled in a .5 regularly, it was far below expectations (obviously- it's cancelled.) It pulled in a .5, but cost more to produce than programs like "1000 Ways to Die" and "Manswers", which can be put together almost entirely in an editing studio. It apparently wasn't worth it to SpikeTV to keep paying The H+E Show to keep producing ReAction.

One bright spot out of this- finally, the "OMG BUT LOOK AT REACTION, IT EXISTS SO IT MUST BE VERY PROFITABLE" argument about TNA's finances is permanently moot.

Now for some fan mail.

Isn't it time for TNA to move to another network? I'm not from the US so I don't know where SpikeTV ranks and how many people watch it, but is it one of the top networks? The network matters a whole lot. Take SmackDown for example. They used to pull 2.5-ers on USA Network, then moved to SyFy and their ratings dropped by a whole point.

SpikeTV and USA Network were roughly equivalent in the cable TV pecking order until recently. USA has gone on an original programming spree, and has scored a series of hits ("Burn Notice", "Psych", "Monk") along with some not quite hits ("Covert Affairs"). Most of these shows would leave someone wondering why USA still has WWE in their lineup; it certainly isn't a natural fit in their network profile.

Spike TV is trying to develop original programming geared towards their demographic, but unfortunately most of it has been awful. Whoever designed "Blue Mountain State" forgot that "Animal House" only worked because it was funny. Whereas USA is using RAW as a strong island because no other regularly scheduled shows are coming close to it on their network, SpikeTV is building around TNA as a strong part of their lineup. (I'm sure they are eagerly awaiting TNA to help fulfill the "strong" part as promised.)

The rough part is there is no other interested networks to go to. The Walt Disney networks wouldn't want to take on TNA, especially at this point in their lack-of-development. News Corp. (Fox) has never shown an interest in professional wrestling, and lacks a channel where TNA would make a nice fit. The most likely option, Time Warner, still has a foul taste in their mouth- especially considering the guys running TNA are the same guys that lost them millions the last time around.

TNA and SpikeTV are two sailors tied to the same mast in a storm. They'll sink, or swim, together.

(An extra about Smackdown, and this isn't pro/con in any way, more just factual- NBC has been trying to beef up the SyFy network over the past couple of years. Acquiring the Smackdown rights from MyNetworkTV and assigning it to SyFy is part of that strategy. I guarantee you that Stamford is not thrilled about airing Smackdown on SyFy, but the WWE is not in a position now where they can strong-arm their network hosts for a better slot, as they did to USA when they moved to TNN for those few years.)

I'll remain skeptical as none of these reports seem all that firm. If it is happening then I'll be surprised if it is not a precursor to a different, possibly larger, programming addition by TNA. Do you have a source on that gangland and 1000 ways demo info hammer? I was curious about those numbers.

Yup. Every time a network cancels a show, it's only because they've got plans for another show by the exact same people. Bigger plans, no matter how much money they spent the first time around. (Yes, ReAction was a money loser for SpikeTV- or, at least, a money loser to the extent that they think they'll be better off with reruns of "1000 Ways to Die". This is why shows get cancelled, because they aren't making money.)

I think SpikeTV will give TNA another programming block, but not at 11pm on Thursday nights. Three hours of TNA proved to be far more than half of their audience could stomach. Most likely, unless it's held up through distribution deals, Xplosion will be brought to the US. It won't cost TNA anything additional to produce, as they are already producing it for other markets. A 10pm Tuesday slot is feasible; since NXT was pulled off of the airwaves, there's an opening in the TV schedule for a wrestling show that isn't too close to their flagship show. Plus, seeing as NXT was a horrible show, you already have fans at that hour who are used to watching disappointing programming. It's a natural fit for a one-hour TNA block.

 

[jameshoover78]

If TNA is still interested in finding a home for ReAction, maybe they will make it a web show.

I really like the idea of TNA moving to a different/better network. In my opinion, a lot of TNA's television ratings problems have little to do with it's actual in-ring product. They have a couple handfulls of talented athletes that put on great matches, so I think the product itself is on solid ground and it's holds a consistant amount of viewers each week. But in order to grow past a consistant 1.1 or 1.2, they need to eventually move off Spike TV. I don't think they're ready for a move like that yet, but it should be the next big step for the company to achieve the next level of success. Right now, they need to find a way to steamline things a little bit more and start making some decent money with the ratings they have. They can't keep making stupid moves like moving to Monday nights (which shows that TNA has some life when they can survive a horrible decision like that). Plus, I think the move to make Jeff Hardy your champion and focal point of your company has now come back to bite them in their asses. They're going to have to put an abrupt end to his title reign and also kill a story that that took months to prepare. But I don't think the cancellation of ReAction is by any means the sign of the TNA apocalypse. If anything, now they can put more money and more man-hours into Impact where the focus should have been all along.

 

[nbkush]

I am surprised for the same reasons that have been previously mentioned. Whie I liked the concept of Reaction, I found it hard to watch the episodes that did not contain any wrestling action. I perferred the episodes that began w/ the main event that carried over from Impact or the ones that contained backstage brawling; and of course the MCMG empty arena brawl. Maybe TNA will go 3 hours and just incorporate the Reaction "concept/style" of story telling throughout their wrestling show.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Here's what I'm asking and I might make a thread about this once I'm more knowledgeable on the subject, but I bet someone could illuminate me.

Isn't it time for TNA to move to another network? I'm not from the US so I don't know where SpikeTV ranks and how many people watch it, but is it one of the top networks? The network matters a whole lot. Take SmackDown for example. They used to pull 2.5-ers on USA Network, then moved to SyFy and their ratings dropped by a whole point.

ReAction was a fun show to watch, I always enjoyed it and found it compelling. Sad to see it go, if this is permanent.

Not so sure if Spike TV is one of the top networks on cable, I don't think it is as they do not run a lot of popular shows. As for Smackdown, they moved from MyNetwork TV (Which was on basic cable here in the US) because the contract was up and MyNetwork chose not to renew it so Vince went to SyFy where they were running NXT or ECW at the time. I don't believe many people have SyFy in their normal cable package which could be the reason for the low ratings because they weren't getting numbers this bad from MyyNetwork.

Onto the OP, I don't want to speculate if it is a warning to TNA. It could be but I think that Reaction was just a dopey gimmick of a show that they saw as pointless and with the low ratings that Impact gets there's really no reason to extend it to a third hour.

I think TNA fans found it interesting because it almost seemed like it gave an inside look to stories going on but it was kinda corny at the same time. Every time I watched it it seemed like the wrestlers were forcing the realism on the camera or trying to act like the camera wasn;t there and it just didn't come off as good as a normal promo on Impact would be. I don't see a problem with it being cancelled.

 

[MisterRob]

I don't find anything surprising about this at all. ReAction wasn't a good show, proven by the ratings it got. The ratings being half of the mediocre ratings Impact gets is exactly why ReAction was cancelled, as it should have been. I don't see why people find that 'surprising'.. why do you expect Spike to keep a show that does low ratings around? How does that benefit the station in any way? I don't know if this is a warning sign for TNA as a whole, although I think they should definitely pay attention to it more. It's definitely a sign that TNA isn't in a good position right now in the programming they're putting out, though.

 

[Rasha]

ReAction wasn't a good show, proven by the ratings it got. The ratings being half of the mediocre ratings Impact gets is exactly why ReAction was cancelled, as it should have been.

On one hand you're wrong; ratings aren't necessarily "proof" of a show's quality. Just this past season there was a brilliant, critically-acclaimed show called "Terriers" on FX that just couldn't pull an audience despite being much better than a show like "Blue Bloods" on ABC which was drawing 10 million viewers. A show's quality can determine the rise/fall of ratings, but it has to get off the ground first and that has way more to do with marketing, timeslots, adjacent/competitive programming, and the star power involved.

The second statement you made is accurate though; Reaction wasn't keeping enough of the Impact audience to justify its existence. Spike expects to lose some viewers at that time as people start watching DVR recordings, televised sports, or simply going to bed. But for Reaction to flow directly out of Impact as a continuation of the TNA product and STILL lose so many viewers tells the Spike that people aren't really feeling it. They must feel they'd be better off trying to hold some of those pro wrestling viewers with maybe some UFC product or one of their niche shows like "Deadliest Warrior."

Personally, I record Reaction and probably watch about 10 mins of it. I find it very redundant and predictable. It was a well-made show and a nice concept, but it was too dependent on the wrestlers' acting skills and ultimately they just aren't cut out for it. I can deal with Matt Morgan cutting a "live" promo in the ring; there's an energy and edge to it and the anticipation of who might interrupt him or what else could happen. But listening to him make some scripted comments sitting in a locker room ever week? It just doesn't work for me (and apparently a lot of other TNA fans). Not trying to pick on Morgan, but he was just the first guy who came to mind.

 

[Vendetta487]

Awesome! I hated that piece of crap program. Now we need only to get Impact yanked and we are all good. Seriously, TNA is TERRIBLE!! It is seriously god awful at the moment. I am not a TNA Basher in fact I have been hoping for years that they would succeed. That doesn't look like it is ever going to happen. Can you blame Spike for cancelling ReAction? It was a bad idea. Who wants to watch a wrestling show with no wrestling? Shit like that should be reserved for the website. Id rather watch 1000 Ways to die re-runs than that shit. It seemed like a bad rip-off of NBA Inside Stuff actually.

I do think Spike is sending TNA a message. It quite obviously "Hey assholes, quit sucking so badly or we will replace you with Gangland re-runs". They need to get their shit together fast. Yank Bischoff and the whole creative staff and find someone with fresh ideas. People like Doug Williams have no business receiving major pushes.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I blame TNA's insistance of making Thursday night a three-hour block instead of moving ReAction to an alternative night. Establishing it on another night would have allowed for the breathe necessary to garner it an audience, IMO, because three hours is simply too much wrestling for even the majority of wrestling fans, especially when the third hour runs through to midnight.

Shame, I really liked the show.

 

[CM11]

vendetta487 u are sayin exactly what i have been sayin for a year now!! jan 4th last year hogan came to TNA, since then storylines worse! ridicolously lack of people gettin over! ratings improved none! a bad REACTION show that shows TNA direction! Direction to cancellation!! I was a TNA lover it was always going the right way over a year ago
MEM (main event mafia) had me hooked fightin Foley n Co but fortune and immortal are disgracefully bad! wat scares me is watchin this until bischoffs contrat runs out next year!! i posted last month mark my words TNA is going to fold!!! this is the start of the end! reaction made TNA look silly!! interviews about storylines show the storylines on impact are comin across as weak!!! thank god this show is cancelled hopefulli this is a wake up call for TNA to focus on makin the impact show good!!! PS tna if makin a second show have some f**king wrestling thats different from the main show!! midcard shows like WWF HEAT or current WWE superstars will give u some decent numbers!!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'll remain skeptical as none of these reports seem all that firm. If it is happening then I'll be surprised if it is not a precursor to a different, possibly larger, programming addition by TNA. Do you have a source on that gangland and 1000 ways demo info hammer? I was curious about those numbers.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_46152.shtml

The first link discusses the ratings demos from an episode of iMPACT! that aired earlier this month and compared their ratings in Spike's target demographics with a Spike show called Auction Hunters.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_45428.shtml

This one talks about the ratings performance in the key demos from an episode that aired in late November, prior to the Thanksgiving episode of iMPACT!. It's compared to the demo ratings Spike targets with shows that aired on the same night, including comparing the 18-34 demo between iMPACT! & Gangland.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_45083.shtml

This link discusses an iMPACT! from early October where the key demos are mentioned and how iMPACT! hovers below what's "acceptable". I do specifically remember an article in which both Gangland and 1,000 Ways to Die were mentioned. I'll have to keep looking for it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Here's what I'm asking and I might make a thread about this once I'm more knowledgeable on the subject, but I bet someone could illuminate me.

Isn't it time for TNA to move to another network? I'm not from the US so I don't know where SpikeTV ranks and how many people watch it, but is it one of the top networks? The network matters a whole lot. Take SmackDown for example. They used to pull 2.5-ers on USA Network, then moved to SyFy and their ratings dropped by a whole point.

ReAction was a fun show to watch, I always enjoyed it and found it compelling. Sad to see it go, if this is permanent.

TNA has a contract with Spike TV. Not long ago, I can't remember exactly when but it was during this year, Dixie Carter announced that she'd signed a contract extention with the network to keep iMPACT! on the network for a further 5 years. At this point, and I'm only guessing, I'd say that the only way for TNA to seek greener pastures elswhere is if Spike agrees to simply tear up the contract. In terms of overall ratings, I'll occassionally run across an article on one of the sites I usually frequent like wrestlinginc.com or pwtorch.com in which they'll tell where Spike as a network ranks each week. I can't remember specific numbers off the top of my head, but I can't recall reading in any of the reports in which Spike finishes the week in the top 40 cable networks. It's hard to remember specific numbers because I don't always run across the articles that talk about that kinda stuff. Without UFC as part of their programming, Spike's overall place among cable networks would be considerably lower than it already is.

SmackDown! originally aired as part of the UPN Network, which eventually became the CW. SmackDown! usually garnered in the mid to upper 2s there before eventually parting ways with CW. SD! also didn't always air on Fridays. When it first started airing, it was on Thursday nights and switched to Fridays in late 2005. UPN merged with the WB Network and became the CW and SD! stayed on that network until 2008 before moving to MyNetwork TV. The ratings for SD! started to slowly dwindle on that network until it started pulling numbers in the upper 1s. MyNetworkTV is basically like scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's available in a lot of homes but it has one of the weakest, if not the weakest, programming schedules on television. Since SD! moved to Syfy, it's done similar numbers as to what it was doing on MNTV, but Syfy is part of NBC Universal just as USA is. SD! gets plugged more, it gets better hype and generally more exposure. The episode of SD! this past Tuesday was the first time it's ever been on the USA Network! and popped a pretty big rating. USA is a powerhouse cable channel, usually ranked #1 among cable networks each week through much of the year. Another thing that helped the live episode of SD! this past Tuesday was that it simply didn't air on Friday nights. More people go out on Fridays than any other night of the week. Friday nights are kinda seen as the beginning of the weekend.

 

[TUFFY54]

I never liked Reaction. To me a wrestling show should have wrestling matches in a wrestling ring with wrestling fans. That was TNA's big problem. They have all this talent that never gets any TV time, and they wasted an hour of TV time a week on backstage interviews. I'm not going to say that the show was a total piece of shit or anything, but it never paid off. They should have just made Impact three hours. I just couldn't get into a show that was nothing but backstage interviews. There was no payoff. The best thing about Reaction being cancelled is the fact that Impact will have to stop at a normal time now. It was so frustrating to hear Taz lie and say they were going to have to go long when everyone and their mother knows that Impact is a tapped and edited show. Thats probably why I didn't like Reaction. They kept running Impact into it to try to get its ratings up.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/TNA/article10015924.shtml

This is a little article I came across just a few minutes ago. David Schwartz, who is President of Communications at Spike TV, says that the plan right now is to broadcast extended TNA telecasts throughout the year in place of ReAction.

To me, that sounds like there'll be a number of 3 hour episodes of iMPACT! in 2010. I just hope that they don't decide to go 3 hours on a regular basis. Of course, I could be wrong about that and they could simply mean that they'll be airing a different TNA program at certain times of the year.

 

[Rasha]

The best thing about Reaction being cancelled is the fact that Impact will have to stop at a normal time now. It was so frustrating to hear Taz lie and say they were going to have to go long when everyone and their mother knows that Impact is a tapped and edited show. Thats probably why I didn't like Reaction. They kept running Impact into it to try to get its ratings up.

Nothing against you personally here, Tuffy... just using your post as a basis.

I've never understood why people have such an issue with this. I know that a big reason for TNA doing this was, as Tuffy said, to boost the Reaction ratings. But at the same time I think TNA was also hoping to create a "live" feel to the show. Everyone who blasts TNA for running Impact long says, "I don't mind when RAW goes long because it's live." Well, the only difference between Impact being taped and RAW being live is your level of awareness. I have no problem with TNA trying to simulate the look and feel of a live show, including running long at times, if it adds some energy to the product.

Getting worked up about Taz "lying" seems kind of silly to me. RAW may be a "live" show but it's also heavily-scripted and timed. If they run long it's usually no less random or planned than when Impact does; they just happen to be presenting it live. If TNA starts going live and occasionally runs long is that going to be any less problematic for people with DVRs? You have the exact same problem, so bitching about it now just because you know TNA is a taped show just seems like a waste of breath. Set your DVR to record an extra 15 mins, like you already probably do for RAW, and your problem's solved.

 

[TUFFY54]

Nothing against you personally here, Tuffy... just using your post as a basis.

I've never understood why people have such an issue with this. I know that a big reason for TNA doing this was, as Tuffy said, to boost the Reaction ratings. But at the same time I think TNA was also hoping to create a "live" feel to the show. Everyone who blasts TNA for running Impact long says, "I don't mind when RAW goes long because it's live." Well, the only difference between Impact being taped and RAW being live is your level of awareness. I have no problem with TNA trying to simulate the look and feel of a live show, including running long at times, if it adds some energy to the product.

Getting worked up about Taz "lying" seems kind of silly to me. RAW may be a "live" show but it's also heavily-scripted and timed. If they run long it's usually no less random or planned than when Impact does; they just happen to be presenting it live. If TNA starts going live and occasionally runs long is that going to be any less problematic for people with DVRs? You have the exact same problem, so bitching about it now just because you know TNA is a taped show just seems like a waste of breath. Set your DVR to record an extra 15 mins, like you already probably do for RAW, and your problem's solved.

I get what your saying, but it just seemed silly to me to pretend your running out of time when it's common knowledge that the show is tapped. It kind of goes along with why I never liked reaction. It they had made it a highlight show that ran on a different night that would be one thing, but all it was was a continuation of Impact. It wasn't an issue of them running long. It just seemed like TNA couldn't simply put on a good wrestling show. Everything constantly has to be a swerve of some kind. Maybe I'm rambling, but Reaction never seemed necessary to me.