Bruce Prichard has shed light on why WWE has deliberately scaled back the size of its Premium Live Event cards, moving away from the marathon lineups that once defined the pay per view era.

Speaking on the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Prichard explained that audiences are no longer served by overloaded shows, especially in an era where content is consumed very differently than it was years ago. According to Prichard, packing ten matches onto one card often leads to diminishing returns, no matter how strong the individual performances might be.

“I go back in time; ten matches on a card is hard to watch,” Prichard said. “When you look at the presentation and you put so many things in a ten match card, at the end of the night, what do you remember? You’re most likely going to remember the main event, but there may have been an angle in the third match and a hell of a match, but you have forgotten because you have seen so much other shit. Good, bad, or indifferent. I think less is more.”

Prichard pointed to the shift from traditional pay per view to streaming as a major factor behind the change, noting that the business model no longer rewards longer shows. With WWE now firmly in the streaming era, including its high profile partnership with Netflix, the incentive to stretch events with filler has disappeared.

“The PLE streaming aspect of the business has changed that completely,” Prichard explained.

He added that performers are no longer compensated based on buy rates, and there is no longer pressure to cram as many matches as possible into a single night. Time limits are also tighter, with the company preferring to keep events around the three hour mark.

“Talent is not paid on pay per view buys. There is no time allotment. They don’t really want more than three hours. It’s a different time and a different way people consume. ‘I need my WrestleMania moment.’ You have a moment next month in the main event. ‘I want to be on WrestleMania.’ Where? It’s going to get lost here and we’re doing this here.”

Prichard also emphasized how valuable weekly television has become, sometimes rivaling the importance of Premium Live Events themselves. With lucrative rights deals in place, being featured on television now carries just as much weight as appearing on a major event.

“There is a lot more territory and avenues. Plus, you’re doing television every week,” Prichard said.

“Television is just as valuable as the PLEs with rights fees. To be on television to a huge number of people versus PLEs, that has changed. Every time you’re on screen is valuable.”