Japanese Broadcaster J Sport Announces The End Of Their Longtime Partnership With WWE
WWE’s time on J Sports in Japan is coming to an end.
The network put out a statement via Twitter saying that they will no longer be airing WWE Raw and SmackDown once this year comes to an end. The channel plays both English and Japanese subtitled versions of WWE’s two flagship shows along with a highlight show. All of the aforementioned programmings will end effective December 27th.
【重要なお知らせ】
「WWEロウ」「WWEスマックダウン」が放送終了、及びJ SPORTSオンデマンドの「WWEパック」がサービス終了となります。
「WWEパック」ご加入者の方は解約手続きが必要となります。
本件に関する詳細は下記ページにてご確認ください。https://t.co/7YUKBKpD2B@WWEJapan #wwe_jp— J SPORTS WWE【公式】 (@jsports_WWE) November 25, 2021
Furthermore, the “WWE Pack” on J-Sports’ on-demand service will expire on January 31, 2022. This pack allowed fans to order WWE’s monthly PPV events.
Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics commented on the news, saying the following:
Other than 30-minute “This Week in WWE” updates on SamuraiTV and maybe syndicated regionally in some areas, I think WWE may be without a TV distributor in Japan in 2022. https://t.co/pAZy1i32gR
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) November 25, 2021
WWE had been partners with J Sport for over 20 years and had not that long ago touted the extension of their long-time relationship.
Fightful will continue to monitor the situation and provide any and all updates.
