Basch backs UWW clip crackdown, Mineo questions the money

United World Wrestling's promise to enforce against illegal content reproduction, including clipping, has turned into the loudest media argument of the week. Justin Basch, who flagged the statement ahead of Senior Worlds, came down on UWW's side. Pat Mineo pushed back on the revenue logic, and The Wrestling Nomad said enforcement only works if the rights holder does the posting itself.

Basch calls it the professional move

Basch read the statement as UWW "fighting back against the rise of the clippers," and noted that all content from UWW events, past, present or future, needs written consent before publishing. There is no exception for length in the statement, so even short clips need permission, which Basch said usually means money. His comparison was blunt. Why can you not post a four second video of a UFC knockout.

He also knocked down the idea that clips are promotional. Basch argued the opposite is true, that fans who get the best moments for free have less reason to subscribe or buy the event, and he named RAF as a case where people clip almost full matches. He pointed to UWW's 2.3 million Instagram following and to companies like Flo paying for the streaming and content rights, while random content creators post as many clips and often monetize them without paying. Basch said he pays Tony Rotundo annually to use his photos for the same reason.

Mineo points at the Flo paywall

Mineo accepted UWW's claim that media rights revenue goes back into growing wrestling, then pointed out that UWW sells exclusive US broadcasting rights to FloWrestling, which charges American fans to watch, while fans in some other countries can watch for free. He also read the statement as aimed at the accounts that clip and rip on Instagram rather than as an official change.

The Wrestling Nomad landed in between. He said he has posted clips himself and is well aware the owners of that media have every right to take it down, since they paid for it and he did not. His condition was that if UWW wants rigorous enforcement, it needs to be very active posting video on its own owned and operated channels.

Nobody in the three posts has said how UWW plans to enforce any of it, or what happens to accounts that keep clipping once Astana starts.

What to watch. Whether UWW actually issues takedowns during Senior Worlds, and how much match video lands on UWW's own feeds while the event runs.

The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo)

@MrPatMineo

X

At what point does maximizing revenue come at the expense of growing the sport?

Justin Basch

@JustinJBasch

X

Will start enforcing illegal content reproduction, including clipping.

The Wrestling Nomad

@wrestlingnomad

X

it behooves the rights holder to be VERY active posting videos on their owned and operated channels