(Sources: Yahoo! Finance)
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 20, 2005–World Wrestling Entertainment® announced today that Cox Communications systems, Blue Ridge Communications, SELCO (Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations) and Click! Network will be rolling out WWE 24/7’s free, enhanced, exclusive broadband content for cable affiliates on their websites in July to both promote the WWE 24/7(TM) Subscription Video On-Demand (SVOD) service, and to assist them in selling more high-speed modems and connectivity.
The WWE 24/7 monthly promotional content is largely video-centric and features a series of game-like activities to engage and delight players. The interactivity of these promotional modules is centered on skill-testing elements that WWE® fans love, including trivia, puzzles and dexterity challenges designed to drive repeat usage and viral online word-of-mouth among fans. Initial titles now available include: WWE Crossword Challenge, Superstar Squares, Memory Mania and Ten Count Video Trivia. More than a dozen different modules are planned through 2006.
To let fans recognize the benefits of superior high-speed connectivity, each module will contain either video, animation, flash or photographic elements dovetailing with the WWE 24/7 featured themes and WWE Legends and Superstars profiled on-air each month. Players who win or successfully complete each activity are rewarded with access to exclusive and some of the rarest or never-before-seen video and matches from WWE’s 75,000-hour library.
This broadband promotional initiative and content is being made available exclusively to those distributors carrying WWE 24/7, with additional operators expected to sign-on this summer. Affiliates can co-brand the promotional activities and display them on their websites to maximize WWE fan visits, with the shared goals of driving digital box and high-speed sales so fans can enjoy both the WWE 24/7 SVOD service as well these proprietary games and tempting video rewards.
“Across the entire company – from Pay-Per-View and WrestleMania® to SVOD and Broadband — WWE is committed to helping our affiliates succeed, grow the VOD digital platform as destination viewing, and reach their other key goals, like high-speed,” said Peter Clifford, Vice President, Affiliate Sales. “We’ve seen tremendous success by offering these types of trivia games on WWE.com. We know our WWE fans will seek out this killer exclusive sports entertainment content on the web and spread the word to others, particularly online.”
During February 2005, a suite of text-based trivia games was offered on WWE.com and more than 1.2 million unique visitors played them monthly, making it one of the most sought after activities at this WWE site that attracts nearly 7 million total monthly visitors on average.
“We know there’s a huge universe of highly interactive wrestling fans,” added Tom Barreca, Senior Vice President, WWE Enterprises. “We also believe that nothing sells the benefits of high-speed better than video, animation and tremendously compelling content and interactivity. Downstream, we believe this killer promotional WWE 24/7 content should lead to other free-standing broadband and iTV projects and services that our fans can play and use through next-generation set-top boxes and other devices.”
Thanks again for reading,
Joe
