November 29, 2004 Observer Newsletter: TNA struggling financially, WWE financial quarter details

It was the biggest week in TNA history, and now, from all signs, when it didn’t pan out, the company is in critical condition.

Here is the basic financial score. Panda Energy, in the two-plus years it has been funding TNA, has lost approximately $15 million on the venture. This came on the heels of the $1.6 million Health South lost in getting the company off the ground. There may have also been losses that Jerry Jarrett incurred during the interim period between Health South money and Panda Energy money. Because of the cost of buying television time, producing television, and signing higher-priced talent, the losses in recent months have hit $200,000 to $250,000 per week. With the exception of WCW from 1999 on, no wrestling company in history is believed to have ever burned money at anywhere close to this rate. Worse, they’ve done so without really making any mark on the industry or having any significant public visibility.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.