WWE and BT Sport announced a new multi-year pay TV agreement that will make the network the exclusive home of RAW and SmackDown in the UK and Ireland.
Beginning in January 2020, WWE’s weekly flagship programming will available live in the U.K. and Ireland as both Raw and SmackDown will air live every week. WWE and BT Sport will also partner across digital and social media platforms to create new content for fans that will push audience reach and engagement in the countries.
“We are incredibly excited by our new partnership with WWE. It is the most successful sports entertainment brand in the world, with a rich, fun and colorful history, loved by fans across the UK and Ireland. This is a brilliant addition for our customers and we can’t wait to get going in January,” said Andy Haworth, Managing Director Content and Strategy, BT Consumer.
“We are pleased to begin an exciting new chapter for WWE in the region as we join BT Sport’s innovative offering and impressive portfolio of premium sports content,” said Stefan Kastenmüller, WWE Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, EMEA.
WWE’s monthly pay-per-views will also be available through BT Sport Box Office. BT Sport will also feature same day primetime re-airs of Raw on Tuesdays and SmackDown on Saturdays, a two-hour version of Raw, one-hour version of Raw and one-hour version of SmackDown across its portfolio of channels.
The move had been expected, as The Telegraph had reported in May that BT Sport would be taking over as the exclusive broadcast partner in the UK from Sky Sports. According to the report by The Telegraph, Sky’s current five-year deal with WWE was signed in 2014 and was set to expire. At the time of the report, BT Sport declined to comment on the deal. Sky Sports had been partnered with WWE for nearly three decades.
Related: BT Sport Reportedly Taking Over WWE UK Broadcast Rights From Sky Sports
