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 September 30, 2008, WWE Home Video has released 22 new titles this year and shipped approximately 3.2 million units, including more than 125 catalog titles. According to Nielsen Video Scan (week ending 9/28/08), 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 third quarter increased 95% 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. Recent deals were signed to expand our international presence into Mexico via Tycoon Entertainment, and into Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Chile via Synergex.
Magazine Publishing
WWE Magazine is a global men’s lifestyle publication, with native language editions in Spain, Mexico, France, Germany, South Africa and Greece.� Every issue is filled with features, photos, exclusive interviews and access that fans won’t see on television. In the United States, WWE Magazine is ranked “top-5” in retail revenue for the men’s category with approximately $7 million in annual newsstand sales.�
Our new WWE Kids magazine was launched in April 2008 and will publish five issues in 2008. A WWE Kids UK edition will launch in November 2008.
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.
In our continuing efforts to work with current and established artists along with developing artists, we are presently working with AC/DC, Metallica, and Guns N’ Roses tying their newest album releases and music into our programming and web content. These bands are part of along list of artists involved with the WWE Music Group family which include, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin, Ozzy Osbourne, Snoop Dogg, Lifehouse, Timbaland, The Hives, John Legend, and most recently U2, Kid Rock, Three 6 Mafia, and DMX.
Finishing touches are being put on our newest album, WWE The Music “Volume 9” to be released January 27, 2009, via our partner, Columbia Records. This album will be loaded with unreleased WWE Superstar entrance themes, as well as themes from the past 25 years, to commemorate the milestone of the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania.
In the upcoming quarter, WWE pay-per-views will feature music from rockers AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses using their singles as the official PPV theme songs. Also, our annual Tribute To The Troops special will feature music from John Lennon, Bob Dylan and other artists.