– WWE posted their fourth quarter financial results today, and not only did they report a strong fourth quarter, but also that they recorded the highest revenue for a year in company’s history. Here is a breakdown…

Fourth-Quarter 2015 Highlights

* Revenue increased 18% to $166.2 million driving a $6.0 million increase in Adjusted OIBDA1 to $11.1 million

* WWE Network had 1.22 million ending paid subscribers, representing a 49% increase from the fourth quarter 2014; WWE Network hit an all-time high of 1.24 million average paid subscribers for the quarter

* WWE Network was recognized as the fifth largest direct-to-consumer (“OTT”) subscription service in the U.S. according to Parks Associates, ranking alongside Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu and MLB.TV

* WWE was added to the S&P SmallCap 600 Index (effective January 20, 2016)

Full Year 2015 Highlights

* Revenue increased 21% to $658.8 million, the highest in the Company’s history, including record levels of revenue from WWE’s Network, Television, Live event, Venue Merchandise, and WWE Shop businesses

* Total international revenue increased by 46% to a record $169.8 million

* Adjusted OIBDA1 reached $68.7 million, representing an $80.3 million increase from 2014

* Network segment generated revenue of $159.4 million and OIBDA1 of $48.4 million that nearly doubled the average annual revenue of the Company’s pay-per-view business before network launch

* WWE Network subscribers watched an estimated total of 256 million hours of content, representing an average of 188 hours per household placing it among the top cable and broadcast networks

* WWE content garnered more than 8 billion views on YouTube; WWE was the most followed sports channel on YouTube and the second most followed sports brand on Facebook

* WWE generated 790 million social media fan engagements in 20152; Sprinklr’s Social Business Index ranked WWE as the 6th most social brand worldwide, alongside Disney, Time Warner and Google

– Vince McMahon had the following to say about the results…

“Our record revenue in 2015 reflected innovation across all of our businesses, which was highlighted by the successful execution of our network strategy. Over the next year, we will continue to focus on producing engaging content across all platforms, investing in emerging markets, and deploying technology across the enterprise to drive our long-term growth.”