South African free-to-air broadcaster e.tv has agreed a multi-year rights deal with US wrestling promotion Impact.
The exclusive deal, which takes effect from January, covers more than 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The agreement will showcase Impact Wrestling’s flagship weekly shows Impact! and Xplosion, plus four annual pay-per-views, its new Impact Plus Presents monthly event series and library content.
Commencing in January, Impact! will air weekly on e.tv and repeat specific programme content on e.tv’s free-to-air satellite platform Openview.
Programming from the wrestling series is already aired across sub-Saharan African by pay-TV broadcaster SuperSport.
Ed Nordholm, chief corporate officer of promotion owner Anthem Sports & Entertainment and president of Impact Wrestling, said: “Africa has always been a strong market for Impact Wrestling, where our passionate fans continue to engage with our content on multiple platforms. We are thrilled to bring professional wrestling back to e.tv, where the sport has a long history and track record of success.”
Earlier this month, the NBA basketball league agreed a rights deal in South Africa with e.tv. The multi-year agreement named e.tv as the official free-to-air partner of the NBA in South Africa and the broadcaster will air more than 65 games throughout the 2019-20 NBA season.