Haus of Wrestling has received the following press release from WWE announcing their new streaming deal with Japanese platform ABEMA.
ABEMA TO BECOME HOME OF WWE® IN JAPAN
Raw® And SmackDown® Will Be Broadcast Free-To-Air with Japanese Commentary for First Time
Premium Live Events Including WrestleMania®, SummerSlam® And Fastlane® To Broadcast Live In Japan
STAMFORD, Conn., September 28, 2023 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and ABEMA have agreed to a new media rights partnership in Japan that will see WWE’s flagship programming broadcast exclusively on ABEMA platforms in Japan beginning October 2023.
Raw and SmackDown will both broadcast free-to-air in Japan every week with Japanese commentary immediately following the first broadcast in the U.S., for the first time ever. Starting with Raw on Tuesday, October 3 (and every Tuesday night at 8 pm local time) and SmackDown on Saturday, October 7 (and every Saturday night at 8 pm local time), both weekly shows will also be available to watch on-demand. The new agreement will also see NXT® available to watch on-demand in Japan via ABEMA Video.
Additionally, all WWE Premium Live Events will air exclusively live on ABEMA, with all past editions of WrestleMania® available to view on-demand via ABEMA Video beginning October 1.
In an interview with Tokyo Sports, WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura weighed in on the new partnership. (Note: His comments have been translated using Google Translate.)
“At ABEMA, Smackdown, RAW, and premium live events… Please immerse yourself in WWE at ABEMA,” he said. “We Japanese are also active in WWE all over the world. So, I appreciate your support.”
Their report states that a special program titled “Emergency Special! The entire WWE is coming to ABEMA!” will air at 9 p.m. on September 29. It was also noted that Japan’s sports channel J Sport, which has been the home for WWE shows in Japan for many years, will no longer carry WWE content.
Haus of Wrestling has partnered with Inside The Ropes to present An Afternoon With Kevin Nash And Sean Waltman on November 25 at Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL, ten minutes from the All-State Arena. Tickets are now available at JoesLiveRosemont.com.