iQIYI Announces Partnership with WWE® , Delivering Entertainment Experience to Chinese Audiences

Rhea-AI Summary

iQIYI Sports, a joint venture of iQIYI and Super Sports Media, announced a partnership with WWE to stream live WWE programming in Mandarin in China starting September 22, 2020. The collaboration includes popular WWE shows like Raw and SmackDown, along with a subscription service for pay-per-view events such as WrestleMania. Content will feature HD video and dual commentaries. iQIYI Sports aims to enhance user engagement with innovative technologies and interactive content, catering to the growing WWE fan base in the region.

Positive

• Partnership with WWE to stream live content in Mandarin expands market presence in China.
• Access to popular WWE shows and events increases user engagement and subscription potential.
• Innovative features like Bullet Subtitles enhance viewing experience.

Negative

• None.

BEIJING, Sept. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI Sports (the "Platform"), a joint venture between iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ:IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, and Super Sports Media, today announced it has reached a partnership with WWE^® (NYSE: WWE) in which WWE's weekly flagship programming will be released live and in mandarin to audiences in China's Mainland starting September 22. Under the partnership, iQIYI Sports will offer on its platform content from the popular WWE brands Raw® and SmackDown®, as well as a WWE subscription video-on-demand service featuring all of WWE's monthly pay-per-view events, including classic matches such as Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Survivor Serie.

WWE content on iQIYI Sports will be made available to viewers in HD while dual Chinese and English commentaries will also be available for viewers to choose from. iQIYI Sports' WWE content will be accessible to users who have the regular iQIYI Sports membership or the iQIYI Sports boxing membership.

WWE is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company boasts an extensive business portfolio that creates and delivers original content all year round to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is available in more than 800 million households worldwide and broadcasts to more than 180 countries and in 28 languages. The company has helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne "The Rock^®" Johnson, John Cena^®, Triple H^®, "Stone Cold^®" Steve Austin^® and The Bella Twins.

"We are thrilled to begin an exciting new chapter for WWE in the region as we bring our unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly sports entertainment to iQIYI Sport's impressive portfolio of premium sports content," said Jay Li, WWE Vice President & General Manager, Greater China.

"I have full confidence in this partnership," said Lingxiao Yu, CEO of iQIYI Sports. "WWE is loved by many fans around the world and has a huge fan base in China. We are pleased to become partners with WWE. We will leverage the resources of our platform to ensure that top quality WWE content is delivered to Chinese audiences as an unbeatable entertainment experience."

Going forward, iQIYI Sports will incorporate innovative technologies into the livestreams of WWE content. In addition to introducing user interaction features such as Bullet Subtitles, widely known as Danmu, during WWE livestreams, iQIYI Sports will also be collaborating with WWE to develop interactive content.

For more information, please visit iQIYI Sports' WWE Channel at:
https://sports.iqiyi.com/sport/channel.html?categoryId=49394326&topicId=21787

About iQIYI, Inc.

iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user-generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.

About iQIYI Sports

As a leading sports video streaming platform in China, iQIYI Sports has always been committed to building a multi-dimensional content ecosystem to provide users with high-quality sports content. At present, iQIYI Sports holds a large number of top-tier sports properties including LaLiga, UEFA EURO 2020, FIFA World Cup qualification-AFC, major tennis and golf tournaments, world-class fighting games and many other popular sporting events. In addition, iQIYI Sports is also dedicated to producing original high-quality sports programs to meet the personalized needs of pan-sports users and vertical sports users from different perspectives. In the future, iQIYI Sports will continue to innovate product technical forms and user interaction methods to provide a more customized experience to every sports fan on the platform.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 800 million homes worldwide in 28 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/. 

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SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.

FAQ

What is the date when WWE content will start streaming on iQIYI Sports?

WWE content will start streaming on iQIYI Sports on September 22, 2020.

What types of WWE programming will be available on iQIYI Sports?

iQIYI Sports will feature WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and a subscription service for pay-per-view events.

What languages will the WWE content be available in on iQIYI Sports?

WWE content will be available in Mandarin with dual Chinese and English commentaries.

How does this partnership impact iQIYI (IQ) shareholders?

The partnership with WWE is expected to enhance user engagement, positively impacting subscriber growth and revenue potential for iQIYI.