Groupe AB and WWE® Extend Long-Standing Partnership

PARIS & STAMFORD, Conn.--()--WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Groupe AB will extend their partnership into its 18th year with a new, multi-year agreement to broadcast WWE programming, including WWE’s flagship shows Raw® and SmackDown®, in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco and Andorra.

Richard Maroko, Deputy Director General, Groupe AB, said: “Each week, WWE programs are major events and great successes for audience reach on our channels. We are proud to be a privileged partner of one of the biggest brands in entertainment.”

“Groupe AB shares our vision and passion for engaging and entertaining our fans,” said Ed Wells, Executive Vice President, WWE International. “Groupe AB has been a long-time, valued partner that enables us to showcase our unique blend of action-packed, family friendly entertainment across key markets.”

Groupe AB channels AB1, RTL9, AB3 and AB4 will televise Raw on Thursdays and SmackDown on Fridays and will air all WWE specials live, including WrestleMania®, SummerSlam®, Survivor Series® and Royal Rumble®. All programs will be available with French commentary and on demand.

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 650 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 Groupe AB

Groupe AB is a leading independent content producer and distributor in France. The group is principally involved in producing and distributing television series, TV movies, animations and documentaries as well as editing television channels and digital services. The group has a portfolio of 19 channels, widely distributed in French-speaking areas of Europe and Africa. Groupe AB is one of the biggest and most diverse content providers in France with a catalogue of over 12 000 hours of programs. Recently, Groupe AB has successfully refocused on producing own content, which now reaches over 80 hours per year. Groupe AB is owned by Mediawan.

More information is available on the Groupe AB website: www.groupe-ab.fr

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; the possibility of 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 exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares 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 historical and projected 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 and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Contacts

Media:
WWE
Chris Bellitti, 203-352-8759
Christopher.Bellitti@wwecorp.com
or
Investor:
Michael Weitz, 203-352-8642
Michael.Weitz@wwecorp.com

Contacts

Media:
WWE
Chris Bellitti, 203-352-8759
Christopher.Bellitti@wwecorp.com
or
Investor:
Michael Weitz, 203-352-8642
Michael.Weitz@wwecorp.com