The following was issued by Dragon Gate USA:
INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING PHENOMENON DRAGON GATE USA LAUNCHES PPV SERIES THIS FRIDAY
?ENTER THE DRAGON? DEBUTS SEPTEMBER 4
DISH NETWORK ADDED TO PPV PARTNER LINEUP BRINGING DGUSA PPV
TO OVER 75 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS IN NORTH AMERICA
New York, August 31, 2009 – Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), in association with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment (G-Funk), will launch its first pay-per-view (PPV) event this Friday, September 4 with ?Enter The Dragon.? The two-hour event will be available in over 75 million homes throughout North America, distributed in association with iN DEMAND Networks, Avail-TVN and DISH Network in the United States, and Bell TV and Viewers Choice in Canada. DGUSA’s agreement with DISH Network was finalized late last week.
DGUSA’s agreements calls for a card from North America’s newest, most cutting-edge wrestling company approximately every 60 days from shows filmed in the United States. A total of six cards are planned throughout ?09/?10 and will be available on a PPV and Video On Demand (VOD) basis.
DGUSA Vice President Gabe Sapolsky is excited to share ?today’s best wrestling, tomorrow’s styles? with the debut of ?Enter The Dragon.?
“I saw an opportunity to bring something new, fresh and exciting to pay-per-view with Dragon Gate USA. The athleticism and wrestling style displayed on “Enter The Dragon” has never been seen before on North American television. Cutting edge wrestling with charismatic stars and innovative athletes is finally here.”
Long revered by a loyal underground fan base, Dragon Gate has been one of the hottest wrestling promotions in Japan over the past few years. The company started out as a local promotion in 2004 and has quickly risen up the ranks, regularly packing houses in excess of 10,000 fans and producing more than 250 shows a year nationwide in Japan. Dragon Gate has been a staple on Gaora TV and produced pay-per-view events in its home country.
?Wrestling fans around the world know the Dragon Gate stars, ? DGUSA President Satoshi Oji stated. ?The next logical step was to launch Dragon Gate USA and showcase these athletes in North America. We are excited to partner with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment and look forward to bringing the next evolution of wrestling to pay-per-view throughout the United States and Canada.?
In celebration of the PPV launch and as a way to give even more value back to the fans, DGUSA announced a special PPV promotion today: Fans that purchase the first three PPV events (September’s ?Enter The Dragon?, November’s ?Untouchable? and January’s ?Freedom Fight?) will receive a limited edition wall-size poster featuring exclusive DGUSA PPV artwork. Full details are available on the DGUSA website: www.dgusa.tv
G-Funk Sports and Entertainment represented DGUSA in its negotiations with the PPV companies and the company will also handle all affiliate relations for the wrestling programs moving forward. DGUSA PPV affiliates now have access to a newly created affiliate website, www.dgusa.tv/affiliates containing easy-to-implement marketing materials and all event information. Each show will also be supported by a range of targeted national consumer advertising and promotion.
According to Mr. Gelman, ?Dragon Gate USA will offer wrestling fans throughout North America a reason to celebrate. These distinctive programs will present a showcase for the most talented and athletic wrestlers on the planet and provide a popular new option for cable operators and satellite providers as they expand their transactional offerings.?
About Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA recently launched on April 15th of this year and received an immediate following. The combination of Sapolsky and a talent roster focused on Japan’s renowned Dragon Gate athletes saw the company’s website (www.DGUSA.tv) gain 20,000 unique visitors in just its first week and DGUSA’s debut event, July 25, 2009 in Philadelphia, was a sellout. Dragon Gate USA is based on a motto of “Evolve, Progress and Appreciation.”
Dragon Gate USA is the North American brand of Dragon Gate in Japan. Dragon Gate is now Japan’s hottest promotion with regular PPVs, 250-300 live events per year and attendances that top 10,000 fans.
About G-Funk Sports & Entertainment
G-Funk Sports & Entertainment (www.g-funksports.com) is a full-service agency dedicated to brand activation, strategic integration and driving maximum return on investment for its clients, headed up by Award-winning NHL and WWE marketing and television veteran Ken Gelman. G-Funk’s strengths center on three primary areas, Marketing Services (consumer promotion, affiliate activation and events), Partnership Alliances and Content Management (including distribution drives and launch strategies). Client partners include the National Football League, Ring Of Honor and Strikeforce.
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