TNA Announces Television Deal With SPIKE TV, Full Press Release Inside
On Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 12:35 PM EST Well after weeks of speculation the long rumored TNA/Spike television deal has been finalized and announced. The following press release was issued today and posted on TNAWrestling.com:
TNA iMPACT! TO TELECAST ON SPIKE TV!
New York, NY (July 21, 2005) – TNA Entertainment, LLC has signed a deal with Spike TV to telecast TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling’s weekly action athletic entertainment series “iMPACT!” The weekly one-hour show will join Spike TV’s popular “Slammin’ Saturday Night” programming block starting this Fall, taping at Soundstage 21 at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.
“We are thrilled to be coming to Spike TV,” said Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment, LLC. “We look forward to bringing our exciting style of Total Non-stop Action and entertainment to their male viewers.”
The new wrestling alternative, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s iMPACT! delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, live-action athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes some of the most exciting and recognizable stars in wrestling today such as, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Abyss, Sean Waltman, Christopher Daniels, Monty Brown and others. TNA features the high-flying “X Division,” the “Six-Sided Ring,” and concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Six Sides of Steel.”
TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. TNA programming is currently available in 118 countries. TNA is also available on monthly pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network and TVN as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell ExpressVu and Shaw PPV in Canada. The names of all Total Nonstop Action Wrestling televised programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and all TNA Wrestling logos and trademarks are exclusive property of TNA Entertainment, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.
Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
Contact:
Robert Pini Spike TV 212/846-8074 robert.pini@spiketv.com
Debra Fazio Spike TV 212/846-6240 debra.fazio@spiketv.com
As we have been reporting on all this week, the press release confirms that Impact! will air on Saturday nights. Although the press release doesn't state it, Impact! will replace WWE Velocity when World Wrestling Entertainment returns to USA Network in October. We will continue to have full coverage of the deal here on WrestleView.com as soon as it becomes available.