Last year, WWE made waves when they partnered with EVOLVE Wrestling, which is part of the WWNLive network of promotions that includes SHINE and Full Impact Pro. EVOLVE honcho Gabe Sapolsky has worked closely with Triple H and NXT over the past year, with WWNLive talent helping to shape the Cruiserweight Classic and WWE talents appearing at their shows for meet and greets. William Regal has been involved in talent scouting and seminars, and wrestlers have gone back and forth across WWE and EVOLVE with increasing regularity. The partnership with WWE has understandably helped make EVOLVE and WWNLive a major deal on the independent scene.
On Monday, FloSports — a startup based in Austin — announced a five-year partnership with WWNLive to bring all of that network’s content (which includes their promotions’ acclaimed iPPVs) to fans for $20 a month. FloSports also promises to bring other independent wrestling promotions to their FloSlam service, which could become a major force in bringing independent wrestling to a whole bunch of households.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that WWE was one of the investors in FloSports’ last round of funding, which means they have some undisclosed stake in the company and in the new streaming platform, although Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has noted that FloSports and WWE Network are, of course, completely separate entities.
Speculation has been running rampant about what other companies might come on board as part of the FloSlam wrestling package. WWNLive is certainly a great start, and if one or two other major indies get involved, that $20 expense will be a no-brainer for a whole lot of wrestling fans.
Here is the full joint press release from WWNLive and Flo Sports:
FloSports Announces Five-Year Agreement With WWNLive To Live Stream All Events on FloSlam.tv
Exclusive Worldwide Partnership Includes EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro, and WWN Supershow
Austin, TX (Oct. 24, 2016) – FloSports today announced a five-year partnership with World Wrestling Network Live (WWNLive) to make FloSlam.tv the exclusive worldwide streaming partner of all WWNLive properties, including EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro and WWN Supershow.
The agreement begins Friday, Nov. 4, with live coverage of SHINE 38 from Ybor City, Fla. There will be live coverage of approximately 60 events annually on FloSlam as part of this deal.
“We’re excited to serve die-hard pro wrestling fans with live streams of some of the best independent promotions in the world,” FloSports co-founder and CEO Martin Floreani said. “This is a groundbreaking agreement that will take WWNLive to new heights.”
In addition to live coverage and replays of all future WWNLive promotions, FloSlam will host archives from all WWNLive events dating back to 2003 and will produce a series of original documentaries focusing on the lives and stories of the athletes who compete in pro wrestling events across the world.
“Everyone at WWN is excited to be partnering with such an innovative and groundbreaking company like FloSports,” said Sal Hamaoui, President of WWN, Inc. “I recently had the opportunity to meet and speak with their senior management and take a firsthand look at their operations in Austin, Texas. To say that I was impressed with the overall knowledge of their team, the quality of their live streams and their user-friendly platforms would be an understatement. This relationship will allow us to continue to serve and expand our loyal, passionate fan base who will have access to all WWN-branded events at a very affordable monthly or annual price.”
Top independent pro wrestling stars including Timothy Thatcher, Matt Riddle, Zack Sabre Jr., Tony Nese, and Drew Gulak will be featured in upcoming events.
FloSlam users can access all live streams and premium content on the site via monthly ($20/month introductory price) or annual ($150/year) FloPRO subscription. Annual subscribers to FloSlam receive a universal pass to all premium content across the FloSports network, including FloWrestling, FloGrappling, FloCombat, FloKO and others.
In addition, FloSlam content is available on all screens now with the recent launch of the FloSports’ Roku and Apple TV apps.
ABOUT FLOSPORTS
FloSports is a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based sports media company based in Austin, Texas, that partners with event rights holders and governing bodies to unlock a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows, FloSports is growing the sports, the athletes and the fans. Current verticals under the FloSports header are Wrestling, Grappling, MMA, Elite Fitness, Boxing, Softball, Tennis, Gymnastics, Marching, Basketball, Volleyball, eSports, Pro Wrestling, Cheerleading, and Track.
ABOUT WWN
World Wrestling Network (WWN) is the destination for the finest wrestling and highest quality streams on the Internet. WWN was founded in 2001 by Sal Hamaoui and was immediately at the forefront of Internet streaming and video-on-demand (VOD) platforms. In 2003, WWN moved its efforts to DVD production and replication with the once acclaimed Ring of Honor series and currently with DGUSA, EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro and SHIMMER. WWN returned to streaming video, with live iPPV and Video On Demand.
