WWE sent out the following:
WWE® AND PP SPORTS EXTEND PARTNERSHIP
Stamford, Conn., June 24, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and PP Sports have extended their partnership with a new multi-year agreement to continue delivering WWE’s weekly flagship programming live and in Mandarin across China.
In addition to airing Raw and SmackDown, PP Sports will continue to offer WWE Network as a subscription video-on-demand service featuring all of WWE’s monthly pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania®. As part of the extended agreement, PP Sports will also leverage their co-managed sports channels on other popular platforms Youku and Migu, significantly increasing the reach of WWE programming while driving engagement for fans in China.
“As the exclusive digital partner of WWE in China, PP Sports has delivered more than 300 episodes of WWE programming over the past three years. By providing exciting content through localized and targeted promotions, we have seen tremendous growth of WWE fans throughout the country,” said Dongmao Ge, Deputy General Manager of PP Sports. “Our vision is to reach and engage with more fans with WWE’s family-friendly entertainment programming so we are excited to extend this partnership.”
“PP Sports has been a valued partner that has helped us grow WWE’s passionate fanbase in China,” said Jay Li, WWE Vice President & General Manager, Greater China. “We are pleased to renew our partnership and look forward to continuing to provide WWE’s unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment.”
The extension comes as WWE is actively recruiting elite Chinese athletes and performers in advance of its largest tryout in China to date. The tryout takes place in Shanghai from July 15-18 where up to 50 male and female athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their abilities with the goal of being selected to train at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Last month, WWE announced the company’s return to China for the fourth consecutive year when WWE Live Shanghai comes to the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday, September 21. Fans attending WWE Live Shanghai will see their favorite WWE Superstars including Roman Reigns™, Kofi Kingston™, Charlotte Flair™, Asuka™, Finn Bálor™, Xavier Woods™, The IIconics™, Shinsuke Nakamura™ and Kevin Owens™, as well as Chinese nationals Xia Li™ and Boa™, who are currently training at the WWE Performance Center.
About PP Sports
PP Sports is a pioneer in providing sports content streaming service in China. With support and commitment of its holding company Suning Group, PP Sports has acquired broadcast rights to main sports events including CSL, AFC Champions League, EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga, UCL, UEL, WWE and UFC content, forming a sports content matrix, centered around soccer and supplemented by other IPs. PP Sports is dedicated to creating a first-in-class web-based sports platform that integrates content and service delivery through all channels for all sports fans. PP Sports integrates an entire value chain from broadcast, original sports shows, rights distribution and merchandise, to fan club membership operations and will continue to strive to deliver better interactive experiences to users.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global 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, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG, family-friendly programming can be seen in more than 800 million homes worldwide in 28 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercising control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares which are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made, are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them, and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.
