LICENSING
Our worldwide licensing program builds partnerships with companies around the globe to create products featuring our marks and logos, copyrighted works and characters in diverse categories, including toys, video games, apparel, housewares, collectibles, sporting goods, books and more. WWE licensed products, created by our more than 100 licensees in more than 100 countries worldwide, are available at all major retailers, including: Walmart, Target, Amazon, GameStop, Walgreens, Barnes & Noble, Hot Topic, Asda and Smyths. WWE is a $1 billion global brand at retail annually.
Mattel has been WWE’s global master toy partner since 2010. WWE is currently the #1 item in the Action Figure class in the US with its non-battling Elite Collection according to NPD. WWE is the #1 best-selling fighting video game franchise in console history with over 95M units sold and is a top performing mobile gaming brand with 150M downloads across its gaming portfolio.
The success of WWE is due primarily to the continuing popularity of our Superstars. We have nearly 250 Superstars under exclusive contracts, ranging from multi-year guaranteed contracts with established Superstars to developmental contracts with our Superstars in training. In addition, we continually seek to identify, recruit and develop additional talent for our business.
Superstars are highly trained and motivated independent contractors, whose compensation is tied to the revenue that they help generate. We own the rights of substantially all of our characters and exclusively license the rights we do not own through agreements with our Superstars.
WWE Books has placed 25 titles on The New York Times Best Sellers list since 1999, including DK’s WWE 50 and WWE Encyclopedia. With DK as our core publisher and key partners BOOM! Studios, St. Martin’s Press, ECW Press and Quarto, WWE’s publishing slate includes: Superstar bios; historical guides; children’s books; sticker books; coloring and activity books, comic books; graphic novels and many others.
MUSIC – Music plays an essential role in all aspects of WWE—then, now, forever, together. These include artist partnerships in programming, live music performances and original Superstar and brand theme songs. Recent partnerships with global artists include Cardi B, Bad Bunny, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, The Weeknd, Metallica, Pitbull, Diddy, Little Mix, Kid Rock, Joan Jett, Florida Georgia Line, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, and Bebe Rexha.
WWE releases music worldwide on digital stores and streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. Partnerships with Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora have resulted in both flagship playlists and Superstar-curated material, which have engaged fans across different media channels in a new way.
DIRECT TO CONSUMER
Our direct-to-consumer merchandise operation, which consists of our global network of WWE Shop e-commerce sites and venue merchandising business, designs, sources, markets and distributes numerous WWE-branded products, such as apparel, accessories, toys, replica championship titles and many other novelty items.