NEW YORK & STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Ringer, a Spotify Studio (NYSE: SPOT), and WWE (NYSE: WWE) will launch an exclusive audio network as part of a multi-year audio content partnership, the companies announced today. As part of the deal, The Ringer and WWE will also collaborate to develop new, original audio content exclusively for the Spotify platform and Ringer website. In addition, existing WWE audio programming, which offers a unique look at the world of WWE both in the ring and beyond, will become available exclusively on Spotify.
The Ringer will be expanding its existing wrestling coverage. The current feed for The Masked Man Show hosted by David Shoemaker and Kaz, will rebrand to The Ringer Wrestling Show and will continue on that feed, alongside new programming from WWE personalities. Together, The Ringer and WWE will collaborate on new original podcast series, including a series from WWE personality Evan Mack, MackMania, and a narrative series produced by Bill Simmons. Utilizing Spotify Greenroom, hosts will be going live after every major WWE pay-per-view event with the final rooms becoming podcasts for The Ringer Wrestling Show.
To kick off the partnership, The Ringer will be on-site in Las Vegas leading into WWE’s biggest event of 2021, SummerSlam, taking place this Saturday, August 21. This includes new episodes of The Ringer Wrestling Show with David Shoemaker, Evan Mack making his Ringer debut, and Spotify Greenroom live conversations. On site, there will be a co-branded footprint in the MGM Grand where fans will have the chance to get free Ringer/WWE SummerSlam merch and a photo opportunity.
“The Ringer is the premier destination for sports fandom, and WWE has used amazing storytelling and iconic characters to establish a global audience of loyal and passionate fans, making this partnership a perfect match,” said Bill Simmons, Founder of The Ringer. “As a lifelong WWE fan, I couldn’t be more excited to work with them to take a fresh perspective on their most iconic moments and superstars, and leverage Spotify’s global scale to share content that we believe everyone will enjoy.”
“Bill and his team at The Ringer consistently find ways to create premium content that drives conversation and appeals to fans of sports, entertainment and pop culture,” said Nick Khan, WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer. “We believe this collaboration will deliver a podcast slate that excites existing fans while also introducing WWE content to the millions of Spotify listeners.”
In 2020, Spotify acquired The Ringer, a leading creator of sports, entertainment and pop culture content founded by Bill Simmons in 2016. With The Ringer-WWE partnership, Spotify continues to deliver against its goal to become the world’s leading audio platform. Today, Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of more than 365 million Monthly Active Users and 165 million Premium Subscribers. With a presence in 178 markets, and 2.9 million podcast titles, it has transformed the way people access and enjoy music and podcasts.
WWE has a substantial social reach with more than 1 billion social media followers across all platforms. After returning to live event touring in July, SummerSlam will take place from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday, August 21, marking the first time the annual event has been held at an NFL stadium. The event will stream live at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.
About Spotify
Spotify transformed music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators. Everything we do is driven by our love for music and podcasts.
Discover, manage, and share over 70 million tracks, including more than 2.9 million podcast titles, for free, or upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features for music including improved sound quality and an on-demand, offline, and ad-free listening experience.
Today, we are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of more than 365 million users, including 165 million Spotify Premium subscribers, across 178 markets.
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About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 900 million homes worldwide in 28 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. The Company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Dubai, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Riyadh, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business, results of operations and financial condition; entering, maintaining and renewing major distribution agreements; a rapidly evolving media landscape; WWE Network (including the risk that we are unable to attract, retain and renew subscribers); our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets including possible disruptions and reputational risks; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including without limitation, claims alleging traumatic brain injury; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; privacy norms and regulations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our indebtedness including our convertible notes; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the volatility of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
