ABEMA TO BECOME HOME OF WWE® IN JAPAN
Raw® And SmackDown® Will Be Broadcast Free-To-Air with Japanese Commentary for First Time
Premium Live Events Including WrestleMania®, SummerSlam®
And Fastlane® To Broadcast Live In Japan
STAMFORD, Conn., September 28, 2023 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and ABEMA have agreed to a new media rights partnership in Japan that will see WWE’s flagship programming broadcast exclusively on ABEMA platforms in Japan beginning October 2023.
Raw and SmackDown will both broadcast free-to-air in Japan every week with Japanese commentary immediately following first broadcast in the U.S., for the first time ever. Starting with Raw on Tuesday, October 3 (and every Tuesday night at 8pm local time) and SmackDown on Saturday, October 7 (and every Saturday night at 8pm local time), both weekly shows will also be available to watch on-demand. The new agreement will also see NXT® available to watch on-demand in Japan via ABEMA Video.
Additionally, all WWE Premium Live Events will air exclusively live on ABEMA, with all past editions of WrestleMania® available to view on-demand via ABEMA Video beginning October 1.
About WWE®
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
About ABEMA
ABEMA is a video distribution business that aims to innovate television and is being developed as a “new future of television”. No registration is required, and approximately 25 channels are broadcast 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in a variety of genres, including Japan’s only 24-hour news channel, original dramas, romantic programmes, animation, sports and more. It also boasts Japan’s No. 1 number of original episodes among video services originating in Japan, and offers a rich line-up of hot new films, popular domestic and international dramas and topical animations, as well as a variety of live music and stage performances online. In addition to being able to enjoy programmes on TV and on-demand at any time and from any location, users can watch programmes on smartphones, PCs, tablets and TV devices to suit their lifestyles. Furthermore, by registering for ABEMA Premium for 960 yen per month, you can enjoy all ABEMA productions and all ABEMA functions, including access to exclusive content, the ‘video download function’ and the ‘missed comment function’.
Media Contact:
Joel Zietcer
Joel.Zietcer@wwecorp.com
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