WWE Pins Down HD Capabilities

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

World Wrestling Entertainment will finally showcase all of its elbow smashes, body slams and pins in high definition beginning with the Jan. 21 episode of USA Network’s Monday Night Raw series.

Along with its original cable and broadcast series – USA’s Monday Night Raw and A.M. Raw; Sci Fi Channel’s ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling and The CW’s Friday Night SmackDown – the WWE will also deliver in HD all of its pay-per-view shows beginning with the Jan. 27 Royal Rumble event. 


The company recently completed $20 million HD renovation of its Stanford, Conn. Television studios, allowing the WWE to broadcast in HD.

“The move to high-definition programming is another step in WWE’s ongoing mission to provide fans with the most engaging, exciting product possible, and our programs look spectacular in HD,” said Mike Grossman, Senior Vice President, Television Operations in a statement. “This upgrade will be the first of many technological advances for our brand in 2008.”

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.