Anthem Sports & Entertainment, owners of Impact Wrestling, have agreed a deal for the US wrestling series to be televised exclusively by the Spike channel in the UK and Ireland.
The deal, negotiated by London-based agency RDA, makes TNA’s flagship weekly show available on a free-to-air basis throughout the UK and Ireland.
From spring 2017, Impact Wrestling and TNA pay-per-views, including One Night Only specials, will air on Spike UK, and TNA Xplosion will be available exclusively on My5, the on-demand service of commercial broadcaster Channel 5.
New episodes of Impact Wrestling will premiere on Friday nights, less than 24 hours after they are first shown in the US. The length of the new agreement was not disclosed.
“Since our acquisition of Impact Wrestling, growing the brand in the UK has been one of our most important initiatives,” Ed Nordholm, president of Impact Wrestling, said. “As one of the hottest wrestling scenes in the world right now, we look forward to taking an active role in the market, both on television and with live events.”
TNA Wrestling said in November that it hoped to reveal a new UK rights partner in the near future after digital-terrestrial television channel Challenge announced it would end its long-running coverage. Challenge had broadcast TNA Wrestling events in the UK since 2011 until its deal expired at the end of 2016.