Impact Parent Company Anthem Media Acquires Majority Interest in AXS TV

– In a major move, Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem Media has acquired a majority interest in AXS TV. Anthem announced on Monday that they have acquired a majority interest in HDNet LLC, which is the parent company of AXS TV and HDNet movies. The announcement notes that Anthem “will assume operating management of the two popular channels that cater to music, sports, entertainment and lifestyle audiences,” and that the deal “also includes AXS TV’s extensive library of owned programming, including wrestling, MMA and entertainment content.”

The move comes following a report last week in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a sale to AXS was discussed during talks about putting Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. AXS TV is the US broadcast network for NJPW and WOW – Women of Wrestling, which air on Saturday. The announcement does not state that Impact will be moving to AXS TV, though that would seem to be a logical consequence of the situation.

The announcement notes that AEG and Mark Cuban will continue to operate as equity partners and that AEG’s advertising and sponsorship sales unit work with Anthem’s sales team to support the channels. Comedian and entertainer Steve Harvey is joining as an investor, and Steve Harvey Glocal will have a seat on the Anthem board of directors. AXS TV and HDNet will continue to operate from their existing facilities in Denver and Los Angeles. The deal will put Anthem channels in nearly 150 million TV homes worldwide, with over 110 million in the US and Canada.

which will also include Ted Goldthorpe, head of BC Partners Credit, a lead financier on the acquisition; Rick Ehrman, a former senior executive at Univision and NBC Universal; Robert Foster, founder and CEO of Capital Canada; Scott Honour, founding principal of Northern Pacific Group; and Loudon Owen, chairman and CEO of DLT Labs.

“We are very excited to add these two successful channels to our portfolio,” said Leonard Asper, CEO, Anthem Sports & Entertainment. “Anthem was founded with a mission to deliver compelling, targeted content and experiences to passionate fans globally on the platform of their choice. The music, sports and entertainment communities served by these channels are a natural extension and perfect complement to our existing properties. The addition of AXS TV and HDNet Movies will allow for increased content ownership, digital expansion and even more compelling programming for consumers and our distribution partners.”

“Anthem’s combination of targeted brands, enthusiastic audiences, operational expertise, international footprint and vision makes them an ideal partner to take AXS TV and HDNet Movies to their next levels,” Mark Cuban said. “Given Anthem’s portfolio of premium content and complementary programming networks, we could not ask for a better home, and we are looking forward to the results we will collectively generate for this new partnership.”

“My team and I see great opportunity in Anthem,” Steve Harvey said. “They have incredible shows, experiential entertainment, and a huge reach. We look forward to collaborating with Anthem on content development that will surprise and delight this newly expanded audience.”