Māori Television to Broadcast WWE
Māori Television to Broadcast WWE® Programming on
Free-to-Air TV For the First Time in New
Zealand
AUCKLAND,
New Zealand and STAMFORD, Conn., February 15, 2018 –
WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Māori Television, New
Zealand’s indigenous broadcaster, today announced a new
agreement to broadcast WWE’s flagship programs
Raw® and SmackDown® on free-to-air TV in
English and te reo Māori for the first time in New
Zealand.
Beginning February 24, 2018, Māori Television channel (English and te reo Māori) will televise a one-hour version of Raw at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and a one-hour version of SmackDown at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Te Reo channel will broadcast a te reo Māori version of Raw on Mondays at 9 p.m.
“We are excited to partner with Māori Television to deliver localized WWE content in New Zealand,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Co-President. “This new agreement to televise Raw and SmackDown on free-to-air TV in both English and te reo Māori for the first time allows us to deliver our unique blend of action-packed, family friendly entertainment to our passionate fans in the region.”
“Māori Television is thrilled to embark on
this new relationship with WWE, a leading global
entertainment company as we set to further engage new
audiences with te reo Māori,” said Māori Television.
“All Māori Television WWE content will feature New
Zealand’s indigenous language as a component and we have
engaged with some of the finest te reo Māori experts in the
land to weave reo and tikanga into all platforms of
broadcasts.”
Māori Television
will also broadcast WWE highlight shows WWE
Experience® at 7.30 p.m. and This Week® at
11:10 p.m. on Fridays. Fans can watch all programs on 14-day
authenticated VOD catch up through Māori Television’s
website, www.maoritelevision.com.
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
programming reaches more than 800 million homes worldwide in
20 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/.
About
Māori Television
Māori Television is New
Zealand’s indigenous broadcaster, providing a wide range
of local and international programmes for audiences across
the country. Our vision is for te reo Māori to be valued,
embraced and spoken by all New Zealanders. Our mission is to
contribute to Māori success through te reo me ngā tikanga
Māori.
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.