WWE Signs New Japanese TV Deal – Details

TOKYO — WWE (NYSE:WWE) has extended its relationship with J SPORTS Broadcasting Corporation in Japan for five more years. The new agreement, which takes effect immediately, gives J SPORTS the exclusive Pay TV broadcast rights for WWE’s weekly programming in Japan.

Through J Sports, WWE content is available in more than 7.6 million homes across the country. In addition to “RAW”®, “SmackDown”®, and “NXT”™, J SPORTS will add “WWE Superstars” to its programming lineup beginning in February. With this addition, J SPORTS will carry six, first-run hours of WWE weekly programming in high definition.

Announcing the deal, Andrew Whitaker, Executive Vice President of International for WWE, said “J SPORTS has been a trusted partner of WWE since 1998 and, as Japan’s biggest sports channel, together we have pushed the WWE brand to new heights in popularity. We look forward to delivering more content to our fans in Japan and continuing our strong relationship with J SPORTS.”

“We are very pleased to reach an agreement with WWE to renew our deal until 2015,” said Kazushige Sasajima, President of J SPORTS Broadcasting Corporation. “Our experience working with WWE over the years has been tremendous. Based on this firm and long-term partnership, we very much look forward to contributing to the continued growth of world class sports entertainment in Japan.”