WWE® Friday Night SmackDown® Makes TV History
-- World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
STAMFORD, Conn., Mar 10, 2009 -- WWE® Friday Night SmackDown celebrates its 500th episode on Friday, March 20 at 8PM ET/7PM CT on MyNetworkTV with a theme centered around “SmackDown 500 – Road to WrestleMania.” By accomplishing this in 10 years, SmackDown becomes the fastest weekly episodic to reach this milestone in United States primetime broadcast television history.
Greg Meidel, President of MyNetworkTV stated: "We are thrilled to celebrate this and future milestones with World Wrestling Entertainment®. As demonstrated by the network's continued record breaking 'SmackDown' viewership, the road to the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania is clearly traveling right through MyNetworkTV."
Friday Night SmackDown debuted on August 26, 1999 and has been watched more than 2.6 billion times by viewers in the U.S. Since Friday Night SmackDown joined MyNetworkTV in October 2008, it is the most watched broadcast television program on Friday nights among Males age 50 and younger. SmackDown dominates the 18-49 demographic and has been instrumental in the success of each of the networks that have aired the program.
Friday Night SmackDown can be seen every Friday night at 8PM ET on MyNetworkTV.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/
MyNetworkTV is a primetime general entertainment broadcast television network. Reaching over 97% of the country and targeted to adults 18-49, MyNetworkTV provides its affiliates 12 hours of diverse programming Monday through Saturday, including “WWE Friday Night SmackDown®” and Langley Productions’ “Jail” and “Street Patrol.” For more information, please visit www.mynetworktv.com.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, copyrights and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the conditions of the markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view, Internet, feature films, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed merchandise; acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with producing live events both domestically and internationally; uncertainties associated with international markets; risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television distribution agreements; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition to these risks and uncertainties, our dividend is based on a number of factors, including our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan, our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends and such other factors as our board of directors may consider relevant.