Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Mass media |
Founded | December 2010 |
Founder | Leonard Asper |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Area served | Canada, United States, United Kingdom |
Key people | Leonard Asper (President/Chief executive officer) Ed Nordholm (Chief corporate officer) |
Products | Broadcasting Television Production Digital media Live event promotion |
Production output | Sports programming combo |
Owners | Sygnus Corp. (72.95%) Fight Holdings Inc. (25.62%) |
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | anthemse |
Anthem Sports & Entertainment (formerly Anthem Media Group) is a Canadian multinational media company based in Toronto, Ontario and founded by Leonard Asper.
Anthem is majority-controlled by Asper via his Sygnus Corporation. Fight Holdings, Inc. holds the remaining ownership stake, via the investors Mayhem Capital (59.01%), North American Bond Company (7.19%), Goldfarb Management Services (7.19%), and Slaight Communications (7.19%). [1]
Anthem Media Group was founded in December 2010 by former Canwest president Leonard Asper, through his acquisition of a majority stake in Fight Network. [2]
On January 10, 2013, Anthem purchased an equity stake in the U.S-based Pursuit Channel. [3] In August 2013, the company would acquire My Combat Channel. [4]
In August 2013, Anthem acquired the fantasy sports websites RotoExperts and SportsGrid, as part of efforts to launch a dedicated fantasy sports-oriented channel. [5] [6] The following year, FNTSY Sports Network launched in March 2014. [6] In January 2015, Anthem acquired the daily fantasy sports website LuDawgs.com, [7] and relaunched the site as DailyRoto. [8]
Anthem Media Group was renamed to Anthem Sports & Entertainment in May 2015. [1] In August 2016, Anthem announced its intent to acquire the Canadian specialty channel GameTV, pending CRTC approval. [9]
In October 2016, Anthem invested in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Fight Network was its Canadian broadcast partner, and Anthem would loan the company money throughout 2016. [10]
On January 4, 2017, Anthem acquired a majority stake in TNA, forming the subsidiary Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions; [11] the promotion would then rebrand as Impact Wrestling, after its flagship weekly program Impact!. Impact founder Jeff Jarrett rejoined the promotion as chief creative director and, during tapings for the April 20, 2017 episode of Impact, it was announced that Impact Wrestling would merge with Jarrett's own Global Force Wrestling (GFW) promotion under the "GFW" name. [12] Anthem later announced its intent to formally acquire GFW's assets, [13] but by October 23, 2017, Anthem had cut its ties with Jarrett and Global Force. [14] [15]
In October 2017, Anthem launched the Global Wrestling Network, a streaming service featuring archive content from Impact as well as other independent promotions. [16]
On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Peter Einstein would become the new Chief Operating Officer of Anthem. [17]
On August 14, 2018, Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Anthem in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee for copyright infringement over the rights to GFW content, as Jarrett owned all Global Force Wrestling properties since its creation in 2014. [18] [19] A mistrial was declared after a 2020 trial but Jarrett and Anthem settled the case in January 2021. [20]
On September 9, 2019, Anthem announced that it had acquired a majority stake in the U.S. cable networks AXS TV and HDNet Movies, with existing stakeholders Mark Cuban and Anschutz Entertainment Group maintaining equity stakes. [21] [22]
On April 13, 2021, Anthem acquired the women's mixed martial arts promotion Invicta Fighting Championships. [23]
On November 16, 2021, Anthem acquired Cleveland-based film distributor Gravitas Ventures from Red Arrow Studios, the content production and distribution arm of German company ProSiebenSat.1 Media, for US$73 million in a cash-and-stock deal. The company stated that it planned to use its library across its linear television properties, as well as future free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) businesses. [24] [25]
In June 2022, Anthem announced that it would launch AXS TV Now and Fight Network channels on Xumo. [26]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Canada's Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, following the end of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001, the promotion was initially known as NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA) and was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body. In 2004, the promotion dropped "NWA" from its name, becoming Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Despite leaving the NWA's membership, it continued to use the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team championships as part of its agreement with the governing body. After the agreement ended in 2007, the company created its own TNA World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team championships. The promotion was purchased by Anthem at the beginning of 2017 and, in March of that year, was rebranded to Impact Wrestling after its flagship weekly television series. The promotion returned to the TNA name starting in January 2024.
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling under the ring name Sonjay Dutt. He also worked for WWE as a producer from 2019 to 2021.
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming and combat sports—including boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.
Scott Francis D'Amore is a Canadian professional wrestling manager, promoter, booker and retired professional wrestler, best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he served as the president and an on-screen personality.
TNA Impact! is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that debuted on June 4, 2004. The series currently airs on AXS TV as well as streaming on TNA+ in the United States, owned by parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Dixie Carter-Salinas is an American businesswoman. She is best known for her time as president of the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by the American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via pinfall or submission. The current champion is Nic Nemeth, who is in his first reign.
Fight Network is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The network broadcasts programming related to combat sports, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, and professional wrestling.
Karen Jarrett is an American professional wrestling valet and personality currently appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is the former wife of professional wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle and the current wife of AEW wrestler Jeff Jarrett.
Pursuit Channel is an American television network that airs programming geared to hunting, fishing, shooting and outdoor recreation. It is based in Glenwood, Alabama and was launched on April 23, 2008.
Nicholas Harry Aldis is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a producer and the on-screen general manager of the SmackDown brand. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Magnus from 2008 to 2015, and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2017 to 2022.
AXS TV Fights is the brand name of AXS TV's live mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai and kickboxing broadcasts. Formerly known as HDNET Fights, the program's name was changed to AXS TV Fights in July 2012, following the network's rebrand from HDNET to AXS TV.
The TNA Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It was introduced on the October 23, 2008 episode of TNA's television program TNA Impact! as the TNA Legends Championship. It was later known as the TNA Global Championship and the TNA King of the Mountain Championship. The title appeared in Global Force Wrestling (GFW), during a talent exchange partnership.
Global Wrestling Network (GWN) was a digital streaming service and mobile app owned by Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and parent company of Impact Wrestling. It primarily featured content from the Impact video library, along with original programming and content from independent and international promotions. The service ceased operating on May 1, 2019, when it was replaced by Impact Plus.
Global Force Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by Jeff Jarrett, the co-founder and former President of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and his wife Karen Jarrett. It was owned and operated via its parent company Global Force Entertainment, LLC.
TNA+ is a professional wrestling video streaming service that launched on May 1, 2019. It is owned and operated by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Triller TV is a Bulgarian-based American digital video streaming service, formerly known as FITE.