WWE extends with Malaysian rights partner

Malaysian pay-television operator Astro has renewed its rights agreement with US wrestling organisation the WWE.

The new deal, the length of which was not disclosed, extends the two parties’ relationship into its 17th year and grants Astro continued rights to WWE programming, such as flagship programs Raw and Smackdown.

Astro will also retain carriage of the WWE Network channel, which includes special events such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble.

Astro’s SuperSport channels 1-4 will air Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Afterburn, Bottomline, This Week and Main Event, with additional airings on Astro’s Arena sports channel.

Lee Choong Khay, Astro’s vice-president of sports business, said: “The response from the passionate fan base has been tremendous, with nearly five million viewers in 2017 alone, and we hope to serve more fans in years to come.”