WWE announces new media rights deal for Japan
WWE has found a new broadcast partner in Japan.
It was announced today that WWE and ABEMA have agreed to a media rights partnership. Starting this October, WWE programming will stream exclusively on ABEMA platforms in Japan. ABEMA platforms will carry Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, along with WWE premium live events.
Raw and SmackDown will both broadcast free-to-air in Japan every week with Japanese commentary immediately following first broadcast in the U.S., for the first time ever. Starting with Raw on Tuesday, October 3 (and every Tuesday night at 8pm local time) and SmackDown on Saturday, October 7 (and every Saturday night at 8pm local time), both weekly shows will also be available to watch on-demand. The new agreement will also see NXT available to watch on-demand in Japan via ABEMA Video.
Additionally, all WWE Premium Live Events will air exclusively live on ABEMA, with all past editions of WrestleMania available to view on-demand via ABEMA Video beginning October 1.
A special program about the deal will be shown on ABEMA this Friday. Keiji Muto (The Great Muta), who is an ABEMA ambassador, noted that he’ll be involved in that broadcast.
Following his retirement from in-ring competition, Muto was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year. He was shown sitting in the crowd when Seth Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Payback this month.
With the ABEMA deal, WWE broadcasts are returning to Japan for the first time since 2021. WWE’s partnership with J Sports ended at the conclusion of that year.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.