Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When was the WWE Network created?
WWE Network is an over-the-top streaming service and television network owned by the WWE. In Malaysia and MENA it operates as a television network,[1] and in the rest of the world as a streaming service using the infrastructure of BAMTech.[2] It was originally announced in 2011. On January 8, 2014, WWE announced the network would launch on February 24 in the United States. The company stated on July 31 that the service was expected to go live in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, the Nordics, the Middle East and North Africa, Worldwide among other countries starting on August 17.[3] It was unexpectedly made available in the UK and Ireland a week earlier than planned, on January 13, 2015, after a delay from the previous November.[4][5] The WWE Network consists of both a 24-hour linear streaming channel and on-demand programming from WWE's library.
WWE Network is a Canadian English language specialty service programmed by WWE and distributed by Rogers Media. Its programming consists entirely of the linear feed offered as part of the WWE Network video streaming service.
On March 31, 2017, Jim Cornette made his first appearance with WWE in 12 years when he inducted The Rock 'n' Roll Express into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Cornette was also featured in an episode of the WWE Network Original series "Table For 3" alongside Eric Bischoff and Michael Hayes. Since then Cornette made another appearance for WWE, starring in an episode of the WWE Network Original Series "Photo Shoot" in March 2018.
During WrestleMania 31, WWE announced that new shows will air on the WWE Network, including a returning "WWE Diva Search", which was expected to premiere in the fall of 2015. There was no additional information given until July 2016, when WWE surveyed fans about potential new WWE Network shows, including a new season of Diva Search under a new name ("WWE Superstar Search") due to the fact that the term "Diva" was ultimately phased out that year. In addition, the show would've been hosted by Lita and Trish Stratus.
As the result of an online poll, WrestleMania Rewind was chosen as a name for a new WWE Network show on October 17, 2011.[11] The original launch date was set for April 1, 2012, which would have coincided with WrestleMania XXVIII, and WWE's official website featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1. The clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised.[12] WWE chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson allayed fears about the future of the WWE Network, saying "There will be a WWE network in some shape or form. We are in late-stage negotiations with distributors", and confirmed that WWE Legends' House had been filmed.[13] In April 2013, WWE had switched plans and aimed to release the WWE Network as a premium pay-TV outlet, with a potential price of $15 a month.[14]
The Edge and Christian Show - A comedy series and variety show starring Edge and Christian. Camp WWE - A TV-MA animated short-form comedy series produced by Seth Green. WWE Story Time - An animated series featuring WWE wrestlers telling stories from the past, narrated by "Mean" Gene Okerlund. First Look - A first look at upcoming WWE Home Video releases. This Week in WWE - A weekly 30-minute recap of the past week's WWE programs, hosted by Scott Stanford and Charly Caruso. WWE Ride Along - A show following WWE personalities as they drive from city to city. WWE Breaking News - Breaking news from WWE. Southpaw Regional Wrestling - A miniseries based on a southern wrestling promotion set in the year 1987. Also airs on YouTube. Table for 3 - Three WWE personalities share stories over dinner. WWE Original Specials - A series of specials on the WWE Network. WWE Beyond the Ring - Documentary portions of previously-released WWE DVDs featuring various performers, organizations, and storylines. WWE 24 - A documentary show that goes behind the scenes of WWE events and personnel. WWE 365 - A documentary series that reviews a year in the career of a WWE talent. WWE Music Power 10 - A top 10 WWE Music countdown show. WWE Photo Shoot - A show where current and former WWE personnel sit down to explain the stories behind photos of their careers and lives. Also airs on YouTube. WWE Chronicle - A documentary series that chronicles a WWE personnel and their journey through personal interviews and candid moments. Also airs on YouTube. WWE Collections Spotlight - A preview show that offers a sampling of exclusive WWE Collections that are available on the WWE Network.[61] WWE Marquee Matches - Prominent matches in WWE history are showcased.[62] Superstar Picks - WWE wrestlers present their favorite matches in their entirety.[63]
The name was also used when WWE released its 2015 film "" and WWE Network's show "Kitchen SmackDown!".
On July 31, 2014, Rogers announced an agreement with professional wrestling promotion WWE whereby Rogers would become the exclusive Canadian distribution partner for WWE's pay-per-view events as well as the WWE Network, which in most countries is distributed as an over-the-top streaming service. As part of the agreement, a "preview" version of WWE Network launched in Canada as a linear channel under the Sportsnet PPV licence on August 12, similar to how Sportsnet World was distributed when it was first launched, while Rogers seeks CRTC approval to add WWE Network to the CRTC's list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution.
"Heat" and "Velocity" were not picked up by the USA Network when WWE moved its programming over to that network in October 2005, leaving Americans no way to watch WWE weekend shows on television. To solve this problem, WWE decided to stream the shows on their website exclusively for the U.S. audience, with new editions posted every Friday afternoon. Additionally, prior to every PPV event, WWE would continue to air a live bonus 30-minute "Heat" pre-show on the PPV channel. Backlash 2006 would be the final PPV event to feature a live "Heat" pre-show before that particular version of "Heat" was discontinued. "Sunday Night Heat" was soon renamed to "WWE Heat", as it no longer aired on Sundays.
On Old School Raw in January 2014, WWE ran teasers promoting an announcement on January 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,[15] later confirming that the announcement concerned the WWE Network.[16] At the Consumer Electronics Show, WWE revealed a comprehensive plan which would see a launch date of February 24, 2014 in the United States.[17][18][19] WWE Classics on Demand closed on January 31, 2014 to make way for the WWE Network.[20] A free trial period was offered during the week of the launch.[21] The logo initially used for the WWE Network eventually became the standard logo used by the WWE corporation in August 2014.[22]
In April 2014, ahead of WrestleMania XXX, the Network received acclaim, with The New York Times saying that WWE had "positioned themselves on the cutting edge of Internet television."[23] Later that month, the company announced that the network had 667,000 subscribers, short of the one million subscribers they needed to break even.[24] As WWE's stock fell 50% the following month, Forbes described low subscription numbers as being of "additional concern" for investors after WWE's underwhelming NBCUniversal renewal deal.[25] WWE offered a second free preview week of the WWE Network, which started July 7, in an attempt to sign new subscribers.[26] A second report released at the end of July indicated that the network had reached 700,000 subscribers.[27] WWE's goal was to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2014.[27][28]
At the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, 2014, WWE announced the WWE Network would launch on February 24, 2014 in the United States. WWE called the network "the first-ever 24/7 streaming network".[101][102] On February 27, 2014, the WWE Network aired its first ever live event, NXT Arrival, which featured three championship matches and a well-received match between Cesaro and Sami Zayn.[103]
CFO$ made their musical debut during "WWE Raw 1000" on July 23, 2012 as Kromestatik when their song "The Night" was selected as the show's official main theme. Shortly after, they began contributing themes for main roster WWE talent such as Jack Swagger, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus, Kane and A.J. Styles. CFO$ became the executive producers for the WWE Music Group and the duo has been the driving creative force behind the music of NXT, securing #1 singles in the iTunes Soundtrack category with "The Rising Sun" (Shinsuke Nakamura) and "Glorious Domination" (Bobby Roode). In addition, CFO$ have developed and contributed musical content for the WWE's streaming service, the WWE Network. CFO$ also contribute themes to WWE Network original shows such as "Swerved", "The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness", "Legends House" and "Camp WWE".
On March 10, 2005, Viacom and WWE decided not to go on with the agreement with Spike TV, effectively ending "Raw" and other WWE programs's tenure on the network when their deal expired in September 2005. On April 4, 2005, WWE announced a three-year deal with NBCUniversal to bring "Raw" back to its former home, the USA Network, with two yearly specials on NBC and a Spanish "Raw" on Telemundo. On the same week as "Raw"s return to the USA Network, Spike TV scheduled Ultimate Fighting Championship's live "Ultimate Fight Night" in "Raw"'s old timeslot in an attempt to go head-to-head with "Raw".
The Beast in the East was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, an American-based promotion, that aired live on the WWE Network. It took place on July 4, 2015, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It aired live internationally on the WWE Network and live on J Sports in Japan. The replays of the event aired on J Sports 4 in Japan. Additionally, it would be available on demand on both the WWE Network and J Sports. It was also the first WWE event to be broadcast live from Japan. The Beast in the East was available to subscribers of the WWE Network, in over 140 countries.
WWE has been broadcasting pay-per-view events since the 1980s, when its classic "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were first established. However, the company's pay-per-view business began to drastically change with the launch of the WWE Network on February 24, 2014. While most of the WWE events still air in many parts of the world on traditional pay-per-view channels, WWE's focus has shifted away from delivering their events on pay-per-view channels. Their main focus now is delivering all of the events on the WWE Network, including some that are exclusively on the Network. WWE has pushed the Network's launching price of $9.99 USD as a way to lure potential customers away from traditional pay-per-view which, on average, costs five to six times as much (in the United States) as the Network. The WWE Network also features the back catalog of WWE, WCW, and ECW pay-per-view events, as well as all WWE Network events from NXT Arrival onwards in their on-demand section. All WWE Network events that have aired since the launch of the Network have been broadcast in high-definition.
Yuke's studios in Yokohama, Japan worked with WWE writers to create storylines for the season modes of each game. When "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007" was released for more than one console, Yuke's had to port their original game codes that make up each game mode and graphic designs to a new game engine that supported the new consoles. When new features are added to "WWE 2K" games, developers have to create new gaming codes for the features. Along with the features, the developers have to test the game for any errors. An improvement done yearly by Yuke's with each release of a "WWE 2K" game is the polygon count for the 3D models of the superstars in each game. Technical limitations had occurred through the series which lead the developers to adjust custom characters while loading. Beginning with WWE '12, promotion render art photos were used up to WWE 2K16; from WWE 2K17 on, the promotion render art was replaced with in-game rendering to accommodate created characters to lessen loading times. The in-game announcer calls out the names when selecting the wrestler beginning in WWE 2K17 and continues through WWE 2K18 (now in WWE 2K19); as for the in game render photos in the 2k19 title, the wrestlers stand still without posing differently than the previous two installments. During the Wrestlers' entrances (whether solo tag team or trio tag team) the commentary is expanded to an extensive library of words relative to the real life counterparts of WWE superstars.
Sportsnet 360 is the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of WWE programs; the programs have been mainstays of the network since its period as The Score. As of August 14, 2014, WWE programming include "Raw", "SmackDown Live", "Main Event", "The WWE Experience", along with the weekly recap show "Aftermath"; "NXT" is now seen on the WWE Network. Rogers' current contract with WWE began in 2014 and runs through 2024; the contract also gave Rogers exclusive Canadian distribution rights to WWE Network.
On February 24, 2014, WWE launched a 24/7 streaming network. The network includes past and present WWE shows, pay-per-views, and shows from the WWE Library. The network reached 1,000,000 subscribers on January 27, 2015 in less than one year of its launch, with WWE claiming that it was thus "the fastest-growing digital subscription service ever".
The origins of the WWE Network can trace back to 2000 when USA Network filed the lawsuit against the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as the WWE) due to breach of contract which saw most of its programming moved to Viacom-owned TNN and MTV. The Delaware Chancery Court ruled in favor of the WWF in June 2000.[6][7] Then CEO, Linda McMahon, revealed that WWF wanted its own cable network and testified that before WWF signed a rights deal with Viacom, the company had floated the idea of acquiring USA's Sci-Fi Channel, and reformatting it as a dedicated wrestling network. USA executives rejected the idea, and McMahon said that former USA Networks President Barry Baker encouraged her to talk to other programmers about potential deals. "I can tell you right now, Linda, you're not going to get anybody to give you a network," McMahon testified.[6] In 2005, USA Network re-acquired the rights to all WWE programming.
On January 27, 2015, WWE announced that the WWE Network had reached 1 million subscribers,[41] with Vince McMahon saying that WWE would "remain focused on delivering an outstanding value proposition for ours fans by adding new content and new features in the coming year."[42] On February 12, 2015, WWE announced a five-year partnership with television provider OSN to bring the WWE Network to the Middle East and North Africa as a premium service.[43]
WWE Roadblock was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the WWE, an American–based promotion. It was broadcast live and available on PPV and the WWE Network. The event was established in March 2016, debuting as a WWE Network-only exclusive. The second event, now a Raw brand exclusive event, was moved to December 2016 where it not only aired on the WWE Network, but also traditional PPV outlets as well. The event's name was a reference to its original March position on the "Road to WrestleMania".
The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's WWE Women's Championship. Michelle McCool became the inaugural champion on July 20, 2008, when she defeated Natalya at The Great American Bash. After then-WWE Divas Champion Maryse was drafted to Raw as part of the 2009 WWE draft, she took the title with her. McCool won a match against Melina to unify the WWE Divas and Women's titles at the Night of Champions pay-per-view on September 19, 2010, creating the Unified WWE Divas Championship; it eventually dropped the "Unified" moniker.
On November 19, 2008, WWE officially launched their online social network, WWE Universe. It opened in April as WWE Fan Nation, and adopted the name WWE Universe a few months later. The website was similar to MySpace, with blogs, forums, photos, videos, and other features.[90][91] Despite a heightened popularity the site was shut down on January 1, 2011 and has since replaced with WWE InterAction.[92] Since closing down their social media website, WWE has created accounts on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tout, and Instagram, with executive vice president of digital media Perkins Miller stating that "social media is going to transform our company".[93]
In 2010, Styles' announcing contract expired, but he remained with WWE as a non-contracted employee and continued to host "History of ECW" on WWE Classics On Demand TV service until it was discontinued in January 2014 because of the launch of WWE Network. Episodes of ECW "Hardcore TV" which aired in syndication from 1993-2000 and was hosted and announced by Styles are available on WWE Network along with all ECW pay-per-views. Due to music licensing issues, some of the commentary by Styles from ECW pay-per-views on the WWE Network has been re-recorded by Styles. Styles continued to host the "ECW Unreleased" WWE home video series. On November 11, 2014, Styles and Paul Heyman hosted WWE Network special "ECW Exposed".