Sports Media Report
World Armwrestling League (WAL) today announced the expansion of its national and international footprint by strategically aligning with broadcast partners Anthem Sports & Entertainment and Fanseat who will air its 2019 Supermatch Showdown series. The preeminent armwrestling league worldwide already boasts a robust broadcast deal with Turner Sports’ B/R LIVE, and will now offer fans additional streaming options to catch WAL’s Supermatch Showdown Series regional events and the Supermatch Showdown Championship in September.
“Armwrestling has seen tremendous growth in the past couple years and we’re extremely fortunate to continue building equity in the sport and with the fans by adding these powerful broadcast partners,” said Steve Kaplan, WAL president and commissioner. “With reputable broadcast partners like Anthem Sports and Fanseat, WAL fans have more streaming options available at their fingertips both on the domestic and international front than ever before, and we couldn’t be more excited for the future of the sport.”
Armwrestling has an impressive legion of support and fandom from all around the world. Its meteoric rise in popularity over the past several years necessitated additional broadcast support as a logical next step in the sports growth trajectory. Fans from around the world are continually searching for the latest and greatest sports content, making WAL’s non-stop, “mano a mano”-type action a critical point of emphasis for broadcast partners looking for the next big thing to move the ratings needle. Further details on WAL’s new broadcast partners are included below:
Anthem Sports & Entertainment – WAL events air on their Fight Network and Game+ linear TV Channels
Fanseat – All WAL 2019 events will be streamed to subscribers in over 140 countries around the world outside of the U.S. and Canada
“We are thrilled to add events from the world’s preeminent authority in professional armwrestling to our diverse programming line-up on GAME+,” said Chad Midgley, VP of GAME+. “Armwrestling has a very broad global appeal and draws competitors from all walks of life. As we look to diversify our programming line-up with innovative content not currently available on traditional broadcast platforms, WAL is the perfect fit.”
“We are delighted to partner with WAL adding yet another fast-growing league to our global streaming service,” said Jean-Maël Gineste, managing director of Fanseat. “WAL has many competitors from Europe, where the sport is highly evolved, as well as around the globe and this partnership will allow our company to continue exploring new and relevant content for our subscribers while providing sports fans around the globe with a never-seen-before level of live WAL coverage.”
Adding to the powerful lineup of broadcast partners and its YouTube channel boasting more than 186 million impressions and 100 million viewed minutes over the past year, WAL has joined the podcast world with “WAL This Week,” hosted by iconic British armwreslter, Neil Pickup. The podcast, distributed by iHeartRadio, Spotify, iTunes, Google podcasts, Pandora and ReVolver, highlights the most current issues and action in the sport. WAL This Week features lively debates and conversations with the sport’s biggest superstars and previews upcoming matches.
These additional broadcast partners and “WAL This Week” are joining forces with Turner Sports’ B/R Live at the perfect time, as WAL’s 2019 season is in full swing. The remainder of WAL’s 2019 season features four more two-hour, live primetime events on Thursday nights, comprising the “WAL Supermatch Showdown Series,” including:
WAL 503 – June 20 – Richmond: The National 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT
WAL 504 – July 18 – Los Angeles: The Novo 9:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET
WAL 505 – August 15 – Tulsa: Cain’s Ballroom 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET
WAL Championship – September 25 – Atlanta: Turner Arena 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT
The “Supermatch Showdown Series” will see men and women competing head-to-head in best-out-of-five matches, featuring the top armwrestling athletes in the world. Each matchup is based on style, technique, and ranking, while abiding by several key rules, including; an elbow must stay on the table, athletes must hold the peg with their opposite hand, one foot must remain on the floor and the shoulders must stay above the table at all times. The 2019 WAL season will culminate in the “Supermatch Showdown” championship event taking place at Turner Sports state-of-the-art studio in Atlanta. The series’ payout exceeds $250,000 in total prize money to the best “pullers.”
For more information on the World Armwrestling League, including information on how to watch, where to stream and to find details about upcoming events, please visit http://www.walunderground.com.
