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 million units since 1999, generating more than $1 billion in revenues. "WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008" has sold close to 5.9 million units since its release in November 2007 and is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo Wii and DS and the Xbox 360 platforms. In addition, "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008" 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.
In 2007, WWE Home Video released 31 new titles and shipped approximately 4.0 million units including more than 125 catalog titles. Fifteen of the 31 new releases reached No. 1 on the Sports DVD charts with “WrestleMania 23” holding the No. 1 spot for the year. Total net revenues increased 7.5%.
Outside the United States, our new 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.
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 and Spain with each respective magazine printed in the respective native language. Our new WWE Kids magazine published its first issue in April, with an approximate circulation on 100,000 and has been well received.
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. We compose and record most of our music; which includes the entrance themes for our Superstars that are used across all stages of WWE business incorporating that Superstars’ theme.
Most recently WWE Music has worked with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, John Lennon, Aretha Franklin , Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Daughtry (American Idol), Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Peter Gabriel, Jagged Edge, Timbaland, The Hives, Alterbridge, Static – X, Kat DeLuna, Fuel and Seether, 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 #24 and is a collection of never before released WWE Superstar entrance themes featuring Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Beth Phoenix, Shelton Benjamin and Mr. Kennedy. The themes on this album have been recorded by well-known artists and bands including Saliva, Airbourne, Collie Buddz and Brent Smith of Shinedown.
In the upcoming quarter, WWE’s pay-per-view theme songs will feature new music from Superstar acts and past WWE Music artists’ Kid Rock and ShineDown, both Atlantic Records recording artists. Due to the tremendous momentum that started at WrestleMania 24 with their song “Light It Up”, Interscope Recording artist Rev Theory chose WWE Diva Ashley to star in their upcoming music video.