As reported on earlier, TNA has plans in play for 2011 to run more Impact TV tapings on the road beginning on February 24 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports the current plan is to alternate between two weeks in Orlando and two weeks on the road. What got this plan in motion was Spike TV executives going to a TNA house show in New York City, seeing the strong live energy among the crowd and wanting to replicate that on TV.
Production expenses are expected to increase as regular crew members that reside in Orlando will have to be flown in. Spike is said to be handling most of the increases, but not everything. The belief is that if ratings don’t increase with an added expense that it would be a short-lived change. One thing being discussed within Spike is that with UFC only under contract for one more year and if a renewal doesn’t take place, TNA becomes even more valuable to them.