BT Sport has confirmed it will become the new UK and Irish home of WWE from January.
Rumours that the broadcaster had poached the sport from rival Sky after more than 20 years were first reported by the Telegraph last month.
Under its multi-year deal, BT Sport will air WWE’s Raw and SmackDown programmes exclusively live every week while WWE’s monthly pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania, will be available on BT Sport Box Office.
BT Sport will also carry same day primetime re-airs of Raw on Tuesdays and SmackDown on Saturdays, a two-hour version of Raw, one-hour version of Raw and one-hour version of SmackDown across its portfolio of channels.
In a statement WWE and BT Sport say they will “partner across digital and social media platforms to create new content for fans that will increase reach for WWE and drive engagement across the UK and Ireland.”
“We are incredibly excited by our new partnership with WWE. It is the most successful sports entertainment brand in the world, with a rich, fun and colorful history, loved by fans across the UK and Ireland,” said Andy Haworth, Managing Director Content and Strategy, BT Consumer.
“This is a brilliant addition for our customers and we can’t wait to get going in January.”
Stefan Kastenmüller, WWE Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, EMEA, added: “We are pleased to begin an exciting new chapter for WWE in the region as we join BT Sport’s innovative offering and impressive portfolio of premium sports content.”