WWE and MBC Group Announce Broadcast Partnership in Middle East and North AfricaWWE and MBC Group Announce Broadcast Partnership in Middle East and North Africa

WWE and MBC Group have announced a major broadcast partnership that will see MBC’s video-on-demand streaming service, Shahid, become the new home of WWE in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) region. 

The partnership includes all WWE live events, kicking off with “WrestleMania 38” on April 3-4, live episodes of “Raw” and “SmackDown” and WWE Network’s library of original programming and archived content. 

MBC Action, a free-to-air television channel by MBC Group, will broadcast one-hour highlight versions of “Raw” and “SmackDown” each week, in addition to WWE magazine shows “Afterburn” and “Main Event.” 

“MBC Goup is a market leader in the region and a great partner for WWE,” says Nick Khan, president, WWE. “By delivering our premium live events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, our weekly programming including Raw and SmackDown, as well as WWE’s massive library, we believe we will expand our reach throughout the Middle East and North Africa.” 

“It’s no secret that WWE is massively popular in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the MENA region,” says Natasha Hemingway, chief commercial and marketing officer, Shahid. “This new partnership is sure to be incredibly exciting for fans, and with more and more live sporting events – including WWE – coming to the Kingdom, we cannot wait to see where this partnership takes us. We’re delighted that Shahid will be the home of WWE!” 

Beginning March 26, Shahid will air “SmackDown” live on Saturdays at 4 a.m. KSA in Arabic, with a one-hour version of “SmackDown” then airing the same-day with Arabic subtitles on MBC Action at 9PM KSA. Beginning on March 29, Shahid will air “Raw” live on Tuesdays at 4 a.m. KSA in Arabic, with a one-hour version of “Raw” then airing the same day with Arabic subtitles on MBC Action at 9 p.m. KSA. 

The weekly programming will be broadcast 52 weeks a year. In addition to weekly programming, Shahid will launch a dedicated WWE channel making the entire WWE Network archive – more than 10,000 hours of content – available to stream on-demand.