WWE, NBC Tag-Team To Amp Up Advertising

Home to famous wrestlers like Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker and John Cena, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

has strengthened its partnership with NBCUniversal

for advertising and marketing purposes. WWE wrestling has been watched by audiences on NBCU's USA Network and Syfy for years now. NBCU has always taken responsibility for television ads, while WWE itself has focused on maintaining and improving its digital and social marketing platforms. Last year, it was decided by the two companies to renew their agreement so that WWE programs like 'SmackDown' and 'Raw' would still air on NBC channels in exchange for almost $200 million in licensing fees. Now, the new advertising deal has been created as advertisers are beginning to "focus more on upfronts, where TV nets sell most of their ad inventory." NBCU and WWE working together in this aspect will give them a better advantage. As part of the deal, Paramount has signed up with the two companies to promote its new movie "Terminator: Genisys" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie's promos will be shown at WWE's annual "Wrestlemania" event in March, "and on NBCU and in WWE properties through the movie's July release." According to Michelle Wilson, WWE's chief marketing and revenue officer, "They get ad units, and they get integration in 'Raw' and 'SmackDown,' pulsing it from now until the film release...I don't think we would have gotten a deal like this done without this new collaboration, this new strategy." Moreover, the duo wants to attract more of those advertisers that target family audiences. NBCU has come up with a WWE promo that will "not only show WWE stars in action, but highlight many of their charitable works. "We need to tell the world that we are not just 'rasslin.'" Wilson stated.