The following press release was issued by WWE.
WWE COMES TO RUSSIA
London, November 30, 2010: World Wrestling Entertainment® and 2X2 today announced a two-year TV distribution deal for Russia.
WWE’s flagship weekly TV show ‘Raw®’ will premiere on 2X2 in February 2011, bringing WWE’s unique style of action entertainment to more than 24 million homes across Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
WWE ‘Raw’ continues to be one of the most watched regularly scheduled TV programs on ad-supported cable television in the U.S. and is currently distributed to over 100 countries worldwide.
“We are delighted to be bringing WWE ‘Raw’ back to Free TV in Russia and look forward to working with 2X2,” said Andrew Whitaker, Executive Vice President, WWE International. “We are confident that this partnership will be the first step in expanding the WWE brand in Russia.”
“2X2 is proud to present the captivating culture of World Wresting Entertainment for the Russian audience because it perfectly correlates with the interests of our viewers – a young, active audience who prefer fresh and entertaining content, instead of traditional TV programs,” said Roman Sarkisov, General Director of 2X2.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (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/