IMPACT making plays.
With 'Slammiversary XVI' a mere two days away the company made a quick stop to announce that their weekly television show will be featured in the United Kingdom on Fight Network which is a television channel based in Canada. The channel is owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment which has IMPACT Wrestling under their banner.
Fight Network in Canada featured IMPACT Wrestling after Fight Network's parent company Anthem put a great amount of stake into the company when they purchased it. IMPACT Wrestling at the time had money troubles and those very troubles resulted in studio programming cuts having to be made. There were a number of cutbacks and layoffs which stemmed from IMPACT's financial troubles that put Anthem in a bit of a rut.
To help alleviate the troubles of what was mentioned in the previous paragraph, it was announced that Fight Network launched in the United Kingdom and among the many channels that will be broadcast to those in the U.K., they will also have access to IMPACT Wrestling as well.
Weekly IMPACT! Wrestling premiere broadcast anchors programming line-up on Fridays at 1:00 a.m.
LONDON TORONTO – "Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced it has launched on Channel 192 on SKY and Channel 161 on Freesat across the UK.
“We are delighted to expand Fight Network’s global footprint to the UK,” said Peter Einstein, COO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of Fight Network. “The UK is rooted in combat sports tradition, producing many world champions and memorable personalities over the years. Our diverse programming line-up will showcase premium combat sports content from around the world, while highlighting local stars and events, and we plan to bolster our schedule with more exciting content over the next few months.”
“Based on popular demand, we are excited to announce that IMPACT Wrestling fans in the UK can now watch our weekly show contemporaneous with its North American broadcast premiere, as well as replays in primetime,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling.
Fight Network will broadcast on Showcase TV in the UK starting at 9:00 p.m. every night.
Fight Network is currently available on cable, satellite and digital platforms in the U.S., Canada and select countries in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
Some of the featured programming on Fight Network in the UK will include:
• IMPACT! – Live weekly simulcast Fridays at 1:00 a.m. of IMPACT Wrestling’s flagship show with primetime repeats on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. IMPACT! showcases top professional wrestling stars such as Austin Aries, Johnny Impact, Moose, Eli Drake, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Rich Swann, Matt Sydal, Brian Cage, local UK stars such as Grado and Joe Hendry, the high-flying X-Division, plus the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Su Yung, Rosemary, Allie, Madison Rayne and Tessa Blanchard.
• Ultimate Challenge MMA – Based in London, UCMMA is one of Europe’s leading MMA promotions. Events deliver a bigger, faster and tougher experience with all the drama, glory and full contact fighting that UK MMA fans demand.
• Abu Dhabi Grand Slam – Coverage of grappling events from the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, showcasing the best submission specialists in tournaments held around the world, including London.
• WGP Kickboxing – South America’s premier kickboxing league based in Brazil, featuring hard-hitting knockouts from some of the best strikers in the world.
• Wrestling at the Chase – Iconic professional wrestling series from St. Louis from the 1950s to 1980s, featuring past legends such as Ric Flair, Harley Race and Lou Thesz.
• Retrospective – Original Fight Network series highlighting combat sports fighters and personalities as they relive pivotal career moments.
• Xplosion – Weekly show from IMPACT Wrestling featuring exclusive matches only seen internationally, plus behind-the-scenes footage, original sitdown interviews and throwback matches highlighting memorable historical moments.
• British Boot Camp – Series documenting the careers of British professional wrestlers seeking a contract with IMPACT Wrestling, featuring next generation stars such as Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll and Grado, as they train under the mentorship of legends such as Hulk Hogan and Sting.
To watch Fight Network on Showcase TV online, please visit www.information.tv/showcase and click “Press Play” on the Showcase TV icon.
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
IMPACT's 'Slammiversary XVI' PPV is this upcoming Sunday and eight matches are on tap for the show including three championship bouts. To take a look at the match card for the event, click here.
