The following was issued from WWE:
STAMFORD, Conn. -- (Business Wire) -- March 23, 2004
Coming Off of WrestleMania(R) XX, WWE(R) Continues to Build on its Theme Where It All Begins...Again(TM)
World Wrestling Entertainment(R)'s (NYSE: WWE) flagship cable program, WWE Monday Night RAW(R), delivered its highest cable ratings since April 2002 last night.
A special RAW that featured WWE Superstars from RAW and WWE SmackDown!(TM) (UPN Thursday's at 8 p.m. ET/PT) participating in alottery to determine to which program they would be assigned beat all primetime broadcast television programs among male teens, and ranked second versus broadcast primetime among Men 18-24. RAW experienced week-to-week increases among all key demo areas, particularly younger demos.
"WrestleMania XX was a spectacular success, and achieved our goal of gaining the attention of fans that are, fans that were and fans that will be. It was also meant to be a platform from which we would re-energize the WWE brand and foster ongoing interest in our television programming," said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. "Based on (Monday's) ratings for RAW, I think we are off to a strong start in achieving our goals and retaining the interest of fans who were hooked by WrestleMania XX."
In a cliffhanger episode, RAW Superstar Triple H(R) was moved from RAW to SmackDown!, seeming to break-up the clique Evolution(TM), and it was announced that WWE Superstar Edge(R) would return from injuries, not to SmackDown!, but to RAW. In addition, SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman(TM) was moved to RAW and promptly quit, leaving WWE SmackDown! without a general manager. Who will be his replacement? How will Triple H take to a new environment and a new locker room? Will Evolution de-evolve without its leader, Triple H, or is rising Superstar Randy Orton(TM) up to the task of keeping the group together? "These are the types of storylines our fans love," noted Schneider. "Part of the reason that we created two stand-alone television programs (RAW and SmackDown!) was to provide more plot twists, new rivalries and intrigue, and we're just starting to realize that creative potential. All I can say is stay tuned. It's going to be a wild ride!"
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. Information on television ratings and community activities can be found at parents.wwe.com.
Contacts:
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Media Contact:
Gary Davis, 203-353-5066
or
Investor Contact:
Michele Goldstein, 203-352-8642
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[ Source: Yahoo News ]
