MBC to launch WWE channel on streaming platform Shahid

The news comes on the back of a new agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment

Xavier Woods arrives for his match during the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view event in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

Big E in action against Drew McIntyre. Reuters

Becky Lynch arrives for her match. AFP

Brock Lesnar lies in the ring after his defeat.

Bobby Lashley arrives for his match.

Roman Reigns greets the fans ahead of his match. AFP

Randy Orton, left, and Riddle, right, arrive for their tag team match.

Zelina Vega celebrates a win.

The WWE champion belts are shown ahead of the tournament. Reuters

MBC is the Mena region's new exclusive broadcaster for all World Wrestling Entertainment content.

As part of the deal, the pan-Arab broadcaster will launch a dedicated WWE channel under the subscription tier of its streaming platform Shahid, from Saturday.

The channel will show live weekly episodes, with Arabic subtitles, of Smackdown on Saturdays at 5am in the UAE and Raw on Tuesdays, also at 5am.

WWE’s annual marquee event, WrestleMania, will also stream on the platform on April 3 and 4 with broadcast times to be announced soon.

Up to 10,000 hours of content will be made available to Shahid subscribers, sourced from the WWE Network’s 40-year catalogue of new and archival content.

Those not subscribed to Shahid will also benefit from the agreement with free-to-air channel MBC Action, broadcasting one-hour highlights packages of Raw and Smackdown each week, including WWE magazine shows Afterburn and Main Event.

Natasha Hemingway, Shahid chief commercial and marketing office, said the move comes on the back of WWE's growing popularity in the kingdom, including the recent staging of three live WWE Crown Jewel wrestling events in Riyadh.

“It’s no secret that WWE is massively popular in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Mena region,” she said.

“This new partnership is sure to be incredibly exciting for fans, and with more and more live sporting events — including WWE — coming to the kingdom, we cannot wait to see where this partnership takes us.”

WWE president Nick Khan said: “By delivering our premium live events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, our weekly programming including Raw and SmackDown, as well as WWE’s massive library, we believe we will expand our reach throughout the Middle East and North Africa.”

The announcement also comes as Shahid previews some of its Ramadan line-up of series on social media channels, including the thriller Mishwar, starring Egyptian actor and rapper Mohamed Ramadan, and the third season of Saudi period drama Al Asouf with Nasser Al Qasabi.

More information is available at shahid.mbc.net.

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