The greatest show in sports entertainment is coming to China.
WWE will launch the WWE Network in the world’s most populous country for the first time after striking an exclusive deal with Suning Sports Media. Starting Aug. 18, the WWE Network will be available on Suning’s PPTV platform as a subscription video-on-demand service that will include a raft of WWE content, all live pay-per-view events including the marquee promotions Wrestlemania and Summerslam.
PPTV, which has the China rights to UFC and the English Premier League, is pushing WWE Network wide on its digital platform offering Chinese customers a chance to watch pro wrestling through smart TVs and set-top boxes, as well as mobile devices and tablets. The launch date comes a few days before Summerslam 2017, which will be broadcast live with Mandarin commentary on Aug. 21, 7 a.m. Beijing time.
In 2016, Suning and WWE signed a deal to show the weekly Raw and Smackdown programs live on PPTV with Mandarin commentary and in April, PPTV made offered Wrestlemania 33 as a pay-per-view event, the first time the WWE’s biggest event was broadcast live in China.
Through the agreement, Chinese fans will now have access to a wider variety of WWE content including NXT, 205 Live, Total Divas as well as the vast library of classic matches. The China deal brought the number of countries with access to the WWE Network to more than 180.
