WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced a multi-year partnership with INFLCR, a Teamworks product and industry leading brand building, content and name, image and likeness (“NIL”) business management platform for college athletes, to increase the scope and scale of WWE’s NIL program called “Next In Line™”.
Through the partnership, WWE will leverage INFLCR’s technology and alliances with more than 200 NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities to reach thousands of INFLCR student-athletes looking to monetize their name, image and likeness. Together, WWE and INFLCR will innovate how student-athletes engage with the WWE brand while maintaining their NCAA eligibility.
WWE launched its official NIL (program in December 2021 to establish a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE. The inaugural 15-person NIL class, which included athletes from 13 universities, seven NCAA conferences and four sports, joined the program’s first-ever signee, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. The comprehensive program serves to recruit and develop potential future WWE Superstars, and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.
“We are excited about the opportunities that this partnership with INFLCR will create as we continue to expand our Next In Line program and identify student-athletes with an interest in becoming WWE Superstars,” said Paul Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development. “The Next In Line program is a unique opportunity that creates a clear pathway into WWE and partnering with INFLCR will help to bolster our efforts and resources in the NIL space.”
INFLCR’s recently-launched Global Exchange product will allow WWE to connect and execute directly with student-athletes across a myriad of sports backgrounds. The platform provides all parties a frictionless experience through streamlining communications and processes associated with NIL partnerships within a single ecosystem.
“INFLCR’s partnership with WWE opens a new door for the way student-athletes interact with companies looking to provide monetization opportunities,” said INFLCR Founder Jim Cavale. “The technology offers a seamless experience for both WWE and student-athletes in a safe and compliant environment.”
Learn more about the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com/nil and INFLCR at inflcr.com.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live event, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 30 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
About INFLCR
INFLCR, a Teamworks product, is the leading athlete brand-building and NIL business management app for elite athletic organizations. The INFLCR athlete app educates collegiate student-athletes, coaches and staff for the NIL era in a safe and compliant environment, all powered by best-in-class content delivery for student-athletes to access and share content to their social media channels. INFLCR works with more than 4,000 collegiate and professional sports teams with a network of over 75,000 athlete users.
Impactful new features like the INFLCR Local & Global Exchange, provide local and national companies with the ability to find, communicate, pay, and report NIL transactions with collegiate student-athletes, maximizing their NIL earning potential with streamlined reporting for their institution and their personal tax returns.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business, results of operations and financial condition; entering, maintaining and renewing major distribution agreements; a rapidly evolving media landscape; WWE Network (including the risk that we are unable to attract, retain and renew subscribers); our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets including possible disruptions and reputational risks; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including without limitation, claims alleging traumatic brain injury; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; privacy norms and regulations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our indebtedness including our convertible notes; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the volatility of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
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Contacts
WWE Media Contact
Greg Domino
973-620-1025
Greg.Domino@wwecorp.com
WWE Investor Contact
Seth Zaslow
203-352-1026
Seth.Zaslow@wwecorp.com
INFLCR Media Contact
Steve Delsohn
805-358-3318
steve@delsohn.com