WWE Releases Q2 Results

STAMFORD, August 5: While profit was stable at $7 million
for the second quarter, World Wrestling Entertainment saw its revenues fall 6
percent to $129.7 million as compared with the year-ago period.

Revenues from live and televised entertainment were down
almost 16 percent to $86.8 million. Live events—83 in total in the
period, with 31 outside of the U.S.—delivered $35.3 million. Of this,
$9.2 million came from international events. Pay-per-view revenues were $17.9
million, versus $39.8 million in the year-ago period, which included the WrestleMania
23 special that contributed $24.6 million
in revenues. This year’s WrestleMania, held in the first quarter, generated revenues of $23.8 million.
Excluding WrestleMania,
pay-per-view revenues from the quarter’s four events were 6 percent higher.

TV rights revenues were up slightly to $24.7 million, and
WWE 24/7 On Demand’s intake increased from $1.3 million to $1.8 million.
Revenues from consumer products increased 22 percent to $32.4 million, while
home video was up to $18.5 million and licensing increased to $9 million. There
was a 4-percent drop in digital media revenues to $7.9 million.

By region, while North American revenues fell from $104
million to $86.4 million, business in EMEA was up to $29.2 million, Asia
Pacific grew to $12.7 million and emerging markets (including Latin America and
China) soared to $1.4 million from $300,000.

—By Mansha Daswani