Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of Impact Wrestling, announced that it has acquired the majority interest in HDNet LLC, which operates and runs the AXS TV and HDNet Movies channels.
The deal will include Anthem taking over in running both channels as well as the AXS TV library of owned programming, including wrestling, MMA and entertainment content. AXS TV airs both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Women of Wrestling.
With the acquisition, it’s more likely that Impact Wrestling will end up airing on AXS TV, moving away from The Pursuit Channel. AXS TV is in more than 50 million homes in the United States, a big difference from The Pursuit Channel.
“We are very excited to add these two successful channels to our portfolio,” Anthem Sports & Entertainment CEO Leonard Asper said. “Anthem was founded with a mission to deliver compelling, targeted content and experiences to passionate fans globally on the platform of their choice. The music, sports and entertainment communities served by these channels are a natural extension and perfect complement to our existing properties. The addition of AXS TV and HDNet Movies will allow for increased content ownership, digital expansion and even more compelling programming for consumers and our distribution partners.”
Mark Cuban and AEG will continue to participate as equity partners, and AEG Global Partnerships, AEG’s advertising and sponsorship sales unit, will continue to support the channels in conjunction with Anthem’s sales team.
“Anthem’s combination of targeted brands, enthusiastic audiences, operational expertise, international footprint and vision makes them an ideal partner to take AXS TV and HDNet Movies to their next levels,” Cuban said. “Given Anthem’s portfolio of premium content and complementary programming networks, we could not ask for a better home, and we are looking forward to the results we will collectively generate for this new partnership.”
