The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has just announced WWE Network, a 24/7 streaming service. Wrestling fans with a passion for late nights will be particularly pleased about this announcement as it effectively allows subscribers to sit in front of the WWE’s superstars on a 24-hour basis for a relatively small monthly outlay. The subscription based service will be billed at $9.99 per month and will require a minimum six month commitment from those wanting to get in on the action in the United States.
The revolutionary service will launch in the United States on Monday, February 24 and will include both live and on-demand based offerings, providing a great mix of content for fans. Subscribers will get access to all 12 annual live WWE events that are normally only accessible through pay-per-view, including the always exciting WrestleMania and Royal Rumble. Purchasing those individual events alone on an annual basis would cost in excess of $600, making the $9.99 a month seem like a no-brainer for those interested in some wrestling action.
In addition to the live pay-per-view broadcasts, users will also be entitled to a host of original programming that will include documentaries, newly created reality shows and more than 1,500 hours of on-demand video from the WWE archives. WWE Network will also appeal to wrestling fans of yesteryear thanks to the frequent reruns of some of the most iconic wrestling matches in history, such as Hulk Hogan against Andre The Giant at the WrestleMania 3. Who wouldn’t want to relive the moment when the unbeatable champ power slammed the unbeatable giant?
Fans who opt to get in on the subscription action at launch will be offered a one week free trial to test out the service. The WWE is also keen to bring the network to as many users as possible in the United States by making the service available through desktop computers at WWE.com as well as through the WWE mobile app for Android and iOS. Roku users will also be able to access the content, as will console gamers with immediate access from the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360. Support for Microsoft’s Xbox One and the latest influx of smart TV sets will be added later in the year according to the WWE press release.
WWE Network will also be taken beyond the United States after a settling in period. The service and underlying content will be extended to included the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong by the beginning of next year.
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