Warner Bros. Executive Explains Decision To Move Forward With ‘Power Slap’

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Power Slap League’s broadcasting partners, Warner Bros. and TBS, have addressed Dana White‘s recent altercation with his wife.
White and his wife made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a video went viral of them getting into a physical altercation at a New Year’s Eve party. In the footage, White and his wife were caught hitting each other at a nightclub in Mexico.
White’s wife, Anne, recently claimed that this was the first time that he hit her in a private or public setting during their marriage. As of the writing of this story, White hasn’t faced any formal punishment from the UFC or Endeavor for the incident.
After the fight with his wife, White’s Power Slap League seemed in jeopardy. But, the league simply pushed back the launch one week and appears set to move forward as scheduled.
Power Slap League moving forward after White was caught slapping his wife in public is arguably poor optics, but the league’s broadcast partner has addressed some criticism of the decision to move forward.
Power Slap Broadcast Partner Addresses Dana White Incident
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During a recent panel with Deadline, Kathleen Finch, chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s US Network Group, admitted there was concern about moving ahead with White’s Power Slap League.
“Of course. Yes,” Finch said on concerns of airing Power Slap after White’s incident. “This is an experiment. The goal is, we are making shows for our fans, that’s who we work for. Fans of wrestling have a lot of overlap with the fans of this and it’s huge on social media so the idea really is, if we can take something that’s huge on social, bring it to a linear audience giving the fans what they want.
“This may surprise you to know that I did not know much about wrestling before I took this job. I know, I seem like a wrestling fan, but I’m not. But I did have to learn a lot about the audience. A lot of families that watch [wrestling], I was very surprised to learn this. I have huge respect for this audience. AEW wrestling airs on two of our networks, TNT and TBS — on both nights it kills. Finding something that speaks to that audience, that would be gold.”
Power Slap League has also been criticized by some over concerns of concussions and other serious injuries from slap fighting. The show has already showcased brutal knockouts and highlights during its launch.
Power Slap League’s postponement was due to a media tour that White was scheduled to partake in before the incident with his wife. After the video went viral, the media tour was canceled, and the league’s launch was pushed back.
For now, it appears Power Slap isn’t in jeopardy of cancelation, although this year could be make-or-break for White’s slap-fighting product.
All quotes from Deadline

Power Slap League’s broadcasting partners, Warner Bros. and TBS, have addressed Dana White‘s recent altercation with his wife.


White and his wife made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a video went viral of them getting into a physical altercation at a New Year’s Eve party. In the footage, White and his wife were caught hitting each other at a nightclub in Mexico.


White’s wife, Anne, recently claimed that this was the first time that he hit her in a private or public setting during their marriage. As of the writing of this story, White hasn’t faced any formal punishment from the UFC or Endeavor for the incident.


After the fight with his wife, White’s Power Slap League seemed in jeopardy. But, the league simply pushed back the launch one week and appears set to move forward as scheduled.


Power Slap League moving forward after White was caught slapping his wife in public is arguably poor optics, but the league’s broadcast partner has addressed some criticism of the decision to move forward.


Power Slap Broadcast Partner Addresses Dana White Incident
Collage-Maker-11-Jan-2023-12.50-PM-1024x576.jpg.optimal.jpg
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During a recent panel with Deadline, Kathleen Finch, chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s US Network Group, admitted there was concern about moving ahead with White’s Power Slap League.


“Of course. Yes,” Finch said on concerns of airing Power Slap after White’s incident. “This is an experiment. The goal is, we are making shows for our fans, that’s who we work for. Fans of wrestling have a lot of overlap with the fans of this and it’s huge on social media so the idea really is, if we can take something that’s huge on social, bring it to a linear audience giving the fans what they want.


“This may surprise you to know that I did not know much about wrestling before I took this job. I know, I seem like a wrestling fan, but I’m not. But I did have to learn a lot about the audience. A lot of families that watch [wrestling], I was very surprised to learn this. I have huge respect for this audience. AEW wrestling airs on two of our networks, TNT and TBS — on both nights it kills. Finding something that speaks to that audience, that would be gold.”


Power Slap League has also been criticized by some over concerns of concussions and other serious injuries from slap fighting. The show has already showcased brutal knockouts and highlights during its launch.


Power Slap League’s postponement was due to a media tour that White was scheduled to partake in before the incident with his wife. After the video went viral, the media tour was canceled, and the league’s launch was pushed back.


For now, it appears Power Slap isn’t in jeopardy of cancelation, although this year could be make-or-break for White’s slap-fighting product.


All quotes from Deadline




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