Consumer Products
We offer a wide variety of consumer products through a licensing program and an integrated direct sales effort.
Licensing
We have established a worldwide licensing program using our World Wrestling Entertainment marks and logos, copyrighted works and characters on a large variety of retail products, including toys, video games, apparel and books. Currently, we maintain licenses with approximately 160 licensees worldwide that provide products for sale at retailers, including Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Toys R Us, AAFES (Army Air Force Exchange Service), Target and Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear.
WWE video games have sold more than 39.7 million units since 1999, generating more than $1 billion in revenues. "WWE SmackDown vs. RAW2008" has sold close to 6.4 million units since its release in November2007 and is available onPlayStation3, PlayStation 2, PSP,Nintendo Wii and DS and the Xbox 360 platforms. In addition, "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw2008"was also released on wireless handsets, simultaneous to the console and handheld releases.
WWE has produced biographies of our Superstars and wrestling legends, historical anthologies, children’s books, fitness guides, fiction, photo journals, and many others. Twenty-two, or more than half, of our books have appeared on “The New York Times Best Seller List,” including three that have reached No. 1.
Home Video
Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, Genius Products, LLC is the exclusive U.S. distributor for all WWE home video releases.
Through June 30, 2008, WWE Home Video has released 15 new titles this year and shipped approximately 2.5 million units, including more than 125 catalog titles. According to Nielsen Video Scan (week ending 6/29/08), WWE has nine of the top 10 titles in the Sports DVD charts in 2008, and has a commanding No. 1 position and 43.6% market share in the Sports DVD category. Total net revenues for the second quarter increased 24.7% vs. the prior year quarter.
Outside the United States, our new video releases and catalog titles are distributed through international licensing agreements in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Canada, Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand, Brunei, South Africa, and the Philippines. A recent deal was signed to expand our international presence into Mexico via a licensing agreement with Tycoon Entertainment.
Magazine Publishing
WWE Magazine is a leading men’s lifestyle publication that delivers unique, behind-the-scenes content to WWE fans and new enthusiasts. Packed with features, photos, exclusive interviews and access, the publication focuses on what fans won’t see on television. Read by more than four million readers every month, WWE Magazine is ranked “top-5” in retail revenue for the men’s category with more than $1 million in newsstand sales every month. WWE Magazine has recently launched in Germany, Greece, Spain and South Africa with each magazine printed in the respective native language. Our new WWE Kids magazine published its first issue in April, with an approximate circulation of 100,000.
Music
Music is an integral part of the entertainment experience linking the WWE brand with popular music across all media platforms including television, film, radio, video games, live events, ring tones and other emerging digital technologies. In addition to composing, producing, and recording most of our music, including Superstar entrance themes, WWE Music Group licenses commercial music for use across a variety of cable television and pay-per-view programming needs.
WWE Music continues to collaborate with top artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin, Ozzy Osbourne, Snoop Dog, Lifehouse, Timbaland, The Hives, John Legend, Seether, and, most recently, with Shinedown, Lostprophets, Kid Rock, and Rev Theory, among many others.
Following in the footsteps of our December 2007 smash release, “RAW Greatest Hits: The Music,” WWE released “WWE: The Music, Volume 8” on March 25, 2008, debuting on the Billboard Top 200 Chart at No. 24. It is a collection of never before released WWE Superstar entrance themes featuring Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Beth Phoenix, Shelton Benjamin and Mr. Kennedy, many recorded by well-known artistssuch as Saliva, Airbourne, Collie Buddz and Brent Smith of Shinedown.
In the upcoming quarter, WWE pay-per-views will feature theme songs from up and comers American Bang and Jet Black Stare, and the return of rock band P.O.D. providing the theme song for Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC.