South Korea: WWE & IB Sports expand content deal
December 11, 2020
By Nik Roseveare
WWE and IB Sports have announced a new multi-year deal to continue delivering WWE’s weekly flagship programming live and in Korean. In addition to airing Raw and SmackDown, IB Sports will now offer NXT as part of the expanded partnership, marking the first time it will be available in South Korea on broadcast television. IB Sports will also continue to offer all of WWE’s monthly pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania, TLC and Royal Rumble.
IB Sports airs Raw live every Tuesday morning (with replays on Saturdays nights) and SmackDown live on Saturdays mornings (with replays on Wednesdays nights). Beginning January 7th 2021, IB Sports will air NXT live every Thursday morning (with replays on Mondays nights).
“We are glad to expand our long-term partnership with WWE and to continue offering the world’s best in sports entertainment programming,” said Jung Hwan Kim, IB Sports CEO. “IB Sports is excited to introduce NXT to fans across South Korea and looks forward to launching on January 7th.”
“IB Sports is a valued partner that shares our vision and passion for engaging and entertaining our fans,” added Jay Li, WWE Vice President & General Manager, North Asia. “We are pleased to expand our partnership with the addition of NXT and look forward to continuing to provide WWE’s unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment throughout the country.”
IB Sports will also air the latest seasons of reality show Total Divas and WWE highlight shows AfterBurn and BottomLine throughout the week. All programmes will be available with Korean voiceover commentary and on IB Sports’ TV Everywhere platform, as well as via its 14-day VoD catch-up window.