WWE re-signs with USA
World Wrestling Entertainment in Stamford has renewed its contracts with the USA Network for four years. The deal will keep the ratings juggernaut “WWE Monday Night Raw” on the network through fall 2014.
“USA Network is a true partner and not just a network that distributes WWE”™s premiere television show, ”˜WWE Monday Night Raw,”™” said Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of WWE. “I am thrilled to have a long term deal with USA Network.”
“WWE Monday Night Raw,” a cable mainstay for more than 16 years, continues to be one of the most watched regularly scheduled programs on ad-supported cable television. The program is currently averaging 5.5 million total viewers. The USA Network is a division of NBC Universal.
“I couldn’t be happier about continuing one of the most successful collaborations in television history,” said Bonnie Hammer, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. “Vince McMahon and his entire team are an invaluable part of the USA family.””
In recent months “WWE Monday Night Raw” has featured celebrity guest hosts which have produced an 11 percent increase in total viewers. Guests have included Shaquille O”™Neal, Jeremy Piven, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Barker, Snoop Dogg, Ben Roethlisberger and the Rev. Al Sharpton.