MUMBAI: As reported first by indiantelevision.com, Taj TV and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) have reached a new agreement starting January 2015 during which WWE will be available exclusively on the Ten Sports Network for a further five years till 2019. WWE has been broadcasted on Ten Sports since the launch of the channel in 2002.

Established flagship shows: RAW and Smackdown will air on prime time for Indian audiences featuring top superstars. WWE show NXT which brings the best action from the rising WWE superstars and total divas, a WWE reality show will also be aired on the network. Ten Sports will also offer these flagship shows in new shorter versions including a customised one hour RAW programme with a local flavour tailor-made for the Indian audience.

“Monthly specials including Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series etc. have gained extreme popularity among viewers in India with high viewership numbers and increased viewer interaction and engagement across platforms,” says the channel. These specials along with the weekly RAW show will for the first time be carried live in India on the network which will also include the popular Main Event.

On acquiring the property in this genre, Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi said, “We are very delighted to extend our long standing successful partnership with WWE for the Indian subcontinent. WWE shows are enormously popular in the region and WWE broadcasts are synonymous with the Ten Sports Network having been broadcasted on our channels since 2002. With this new deal till 2019, we promise to offer more hi-quality entertainment and breakthrough programming and engagement opportunities for fans.”

WWE executive vice president international Gerrit Meier said that India remains a strategically important market for WWE. He added, “We are thrilled to continue our long-term partnership with Ten Sports, the region’s leader in sports programming. As the value of the WWE brand and our content continues to increase around the world, the scale and scope of this new agreement illustrates our ability to drive a passionate and engaged audience as well as the potential we have for future growth.”

Ten Sports will also air WWE content in multiple Indian languages for the first time and bring WWE live events back to India in 2015.

Sethi said, “We have the key building blocks in place to consolidate our position as a leading sports network in the sub-continent and we are confident of increasing our market share in times to come. With the retention of WWE rights, we are well on the path to achieve and exceed our planned success."

The agreement marks another major coup for Ten Sports Network that recently announced major acquisitions including UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Rights, Commonwealth Games 2018, English Football Rights, German Cup amongst others.