WWE Extends Italian Television Deal for Five More Years

On Thursday, June 4, WWE issued a press release announcing the extension of a television deal between itself and Sky Italia. Sky Italia, which has been the home of WWE programming in Italy since 2003, will remain so through 2020.

Below is the press release WWE issued:

Sky Italia Secures WWE® For Five More Years

MILAN AND STAMFORD, CONN., June 3, 2015 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) and Sky Italia have extended their partnership for five more years to exclusively broadcast WWE’s flagship programming, WWE Raw®, SmackDown®, NXT®, WWE Experience and WWE Main Event® on Sky Sports through 2020.

In addition, Cielo, Sky Italia’s free-to-air channel which is available in more than 24 million homes, will air one-hour versions of WWE Raw and SmackDown weekly on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. CEST, respectively, and all 12 WWE live, pay-per-view specials, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, will continue to be available on Sky Prima Fila.

“We are thrilled to renew our long-term relationship with WWE, which dates back to 2003, and we are glad that, once again, WWE has recognized the Sky platform as a key driver for maximizing exposure of its brand,” said Matteo Mammi, Rights, Programming and Production Director, Sky Italia. “We look forward to working together and continuing to serve WWE fans in Italy.”

“We are proud of our more than 10-year relationship in Italy with Sky, Europe’s leading media company and largest pay-TV broadcaster,” said Gerrit Meier, Executive Vice President, International, WWE. “This partnership is a testament to the passion Italian fans of all ages have for WWE’s action-packed, family-friendly programming and the global reach of the brand.”