DirecTV, WWFE Reach Agreement
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 2/11/2002 7:32:00 AM
DirecTV Inc. will carry World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc.'s Feb. 17 No Way Out and its March 17 WrestleMania X-8 pay-per-view events as part of a distribution deal reached between the two companies.
Sources close to the situation said the agreement ends a four-month stalemate between the two parties, although it's unclear whether the deal -- which also includes ancillary WWFE PPV events -- extends beyond March.
Neither party would comment on the matter, but the WWF's Web site, wwf.com, posted a note announcing DirecTV's carriage of the two PPV shows.
Last October, WWFE pulled its PPV events from DirecTV -- which represents 15 percent of the wrestling outfit's PPV business -- after the two parties failed to reach terms on a new PPV-licensing deal.
While neither side revealed specifics of the dispute, sources said it revolves around a disagreement over license-fee splits.
On top of its 50 percent split, sources said, DirecTV wants to receive an additional 7 percent to 10 percent 'middleman' fee from WWFE -- similar to what cable PPV network In Demand L.L.C. receives -- for distributing the company's live professional-wrestling and other related WWFE events.
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