What’s in the Cards?
TNA has been struggling for the elusive loyal audience over the years and the recent departure of the Hardy Boyz hasn’t done them any favors. To win back their audience, TNA has attracted Alberto El Patron, better known as Alberto Del Rio, who recently left WWE. The logo has also received an overhaul, but are they doing enough to keep viewers interested?
Unimpressive Ratings in January
Despite a reasonably good line-up in January, the TNA’s ratings left much to be desired. The live show of the wrestling promotor only attracted 290K viewers, with a rating of 0.08. Even though TNA’s ratings have been suffering over the past couple of years, the lack of loyal fans is certainly worrying for the company. The trend also seems to continue across the board, leaving the future uncertain.
Audience Catchers
Looking at it objectively, TNA still has a roster that is worth watching, despite the departure of the Hardy Boyz. TNA has a strong base of wrestlers, yet the production values of TNA doesn’t do them justice. If you are interested in watching TNA, it would be best to wait for their best stars and teams; this includes Rosemary, Alberto El Patron, Cody Rhodes, EC3, and Decay.
A Lack of Defined Storylines
Even though I’ve been watching TNA for years, I find it incredibly difficult to get into the storylines TNA provides. Yes, wrestling is the most important part and you cannot fault the current talent because they put on excellent matches, but as an audience, we want to be engaged in a match and support the wrestler we identify with. Unfortunately, this still seems to be lacking in TNA, despite the recent changes made by the wrestling promotor.
Increasing Production Values
Most promos I’ve seen from TNA over the past couple of months have been cringeworthy. Even the promos made by Matt and Jeff Hardy seemed quite budgeted, and this is certainly a problem if you want to get into a storyline.
Considering the resources TNA already has available, I’m surprised at the lousy quality of promos they keep on delivering. The initial advertisements and posters look great, but once you see a video promo, you lose all interest in what TNA could and can offer. Attracting new viewers is all about telling a story and making them excited about it. Unfortunately, this is still missing despite still having A-list wrestlers on their roster.
Social Media Shock
Matt Hardy is the king of social media, constantly posting updates about future events and possible appearances; this keeps us fans excited and makes us follow them. Unfortunately, TNA itself does not follow this trend and a lack of social media interaction between TNA wrestlers and fans is seriously lacking, leaving many of us disinterested for future matches and events.
What to Do Next
WWE had similar problems and saw their audience dwindle. While Impact Wrestling looks attractive at first glance, once you watch an episode you tend to get disappointed. The lack of interaction through social media, so this could be another reason why TNA loses many viewers to other wrestling promoters such as WWE and Ring of Honor.
Conclusion? TNA needs to listen to their current fan base, but also look at how to attract new viewers and keep them interested by increasing their production value, providing better storylines, and by increasing their social media exposure!