FITE Continues Global Partnership Expansion Through Deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd.
FITE secures exclusive rights for two major wrestling events this summer
New York, NY (June 5th, 2019) -- FITE, the largest digital combat sports streaming platform, announced today it has partnered with New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. (NJPW) to bring fans several high-profile events New Japan will offer this summer, two of which will air live on FITE.
New Japan Pro Wrestling, based in Tokyo, is the second largest wrestling promotion in the world. Its annual flagship event, Wrestle Kingdom, is consistently one of the highest regarded and most well attended events of the year, routinely filling the Tokyo Dome. New Japan has seldom partnered with a digital platform before, making this partnership with FITE one of the first for the company, and a continuation of the two companies partnering in January 2019 to air Wrestle Kingdom.
NJPW Dominion will air live on FITE from Osaka, Japan, airing Sunday, June 9 at 3a.m.EST. FITE will also air exclusively live: NJPW Southern Showdown Melbourne, Australia, set to air on Saturday, June 29 at 5a.m.EST.
"We are excited to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling, the second largest professional wrestling company in the world," said Michael Weber, COO of FITE. "We launched our company with NJPW Wrestle Kingdom and it only makes sense to start a bigger relationship with them. At FITE, we're always striving to offer bigger and better options for our viewers, so this partnership will really expand our offerings and allow subscribers to branch out into new content. We're excited for the start of this long-term deal with such a high caliber wrestling organization."
New Japan Pro Wrestling experienced a surge in growth over the last decade, and in 2018 gained global attention with a series of events in the United States and through the leadership of New Japan's CEO, H.G. Meij. In April 2019, New Japan and Ring of Honor Wrestling hosted their first event at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City during WrestleMania weekend with the G1 Supercard, solidifying New Japan as a major player in the US wrestling world.
"We've been fortunate to grow awareness of New Japan throughout the United States and have been looking for the right digital platform to partner with to allow more viewers to tune into our events, so working with FITE was a natural choice," said H.G. Meij, CEO of New Japan Pro Wresting. "At New Japan, we're looking to bring forth the newest generation of wrestling fans and want the entire world to be given the opportunity to see what we have to offer."
FITE is the destination combat sports streaming platform for 1.4 million viewers to watch novel and unique pro wrestling shows – which include All Elite Wrestling, Ring on Honor Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and hundreds of other organizations.
FITE will share additional details surrounding the upcoming New Japan events on its website and mobile app. The FITE Digital Television Network is a free app download and is available on all major digital platforms including its website www.FITE.tv, Apple and Android mobile apps, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, and Amazon Fire. The FITE mobile app features the patented technology to cast the program to any connected television set and is available worldwide.
This announcement comes on the heels of FITE's recent success partnering with All Elite Wrestling to broadcast the premiere "Double or Nothing" event to international viewers.
About FITE
FITE is the largest independent digital streaming platform for combat sports featuring over 1,000 pay per view events per year available a-la-carte. FITE is free to join through its downloadable apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Android TV, ROKU and Amazon Fire or at www.FITE.tv. FITE streams live events from the MMA, Boxing and Pro Wrestling world to its community of 1.4 million registered viewers. For more information go to www.FITE.tv
About New Japan Pro Wrestling
Founded in 1972, New Japan Pro Wrestling has reigned as Japan's premier pro-wrestling promotion for nearly 50 years. With over 150 events staged each year NJPW consistently provides thrilling content to a dedicated and growing fanbase. With increased global interest in major events such as WRESTLE KINGDOM and G1 CLIMAX, NJPW's international audience is growing rapidly, and immense demand is being met with more events in America, Europe, Australia and beyond. @njpwglobal
For more information:
Michael Webermichael.weber@FITE.tv