US wrestling organisation WWE has teamed up with social media platform Facebook to launch a new in-ring series, Mixed Match Challenge.
The series will stream exclusively live on Facebook in the US on Tuesday nights from January 16.
The 12-episode series will be showcased through the Facebook Watch video platform, which launched in August. Mixed Match Challenge will feature WWE stars from the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters.
Competitors will do battle in a single-elimination mixed tag-team tournament to win $100,000 (€85,000) for the charity of their choice.
WWE said that the series would be produced with elements that are optimised for mobile consumption, experimentation and social interaction. Fans will also be given the chance to select match-ups and match stipulations through Facebook.
Dan Reed, head of global sports partnerships at Facebook, said: “As a leader in entertainment innovation, WWE is an ideal partner to demonstrate how the live sports viewing experience can be reimagined on Facebook Watch.
“Mixed Match Challenge is a new competition produced specifically to take advantage of the reach, interaction and ongoing engagement enabled by our platform. Fans will be able to directly influence and interact with the in-ring action, follow the rivalries and storylines in between events, and connect with one another as the drama unfolds. “
Between episodes, WWE’s Facebook pages will feature short-form videos and social content, while the organisation will also promote the series across its various digital and social channels. A new Facebook Watch show page will also be set up for the series.
WWE superstar John Cena is the most-followed active US athlete on Facebook with more than 45 million likes.