Today, Impact Wrestling announced that it’s moving to a new network starting in January 2019. The wrestling promotion has called Pop TV its home since November 2015. It first premiered on the channel in January 2016, which indicates the company is ending a fairly long partnership with Pop TV.
Impact Wrestling is moving to Pursuit Channel for its broadcasts going forward, and it’s moving to Friday night, with the first episode set to premiere Friday, January 11 at 10 p.m. ET. This episode will feature the fallout of the company’s big Homecoming PPV event, so it should be an interesting show for the first one on the new network.
The Pursuit Channel is the most widely distributed outdoor network in the U.S. According to the press release issued by Impact Wrestling, it’s one of the fastest growing channels in the country, which could make it a fantastic home for the wrestling promotion.
The wrestling company is currently owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. In a press release, Ed Nordholm, president of Impact Wrestling, talked about the new partnership and how it will benefit both parties.
“Pursuit Channel is a natural fit for IMPACT!” said Ed Nordholm, president of Impact Wrestling.
“It has a passionate viewership base that correlates strongly with our core audience, and is one of the few broadcast destinations that is expanding its footprint, enjoying a 15 percent increase in broadcast distribution this year alone.”
The CEO and founder of Pursuit Channel also spoke out about the partnership, and it sounds like both parties are invested in making Impact as successful as possible.
“Pursuit Channel is pleased to welcome IMPACT Wrestling into our Friday night lineup of popular shows,” said Rusty Faulk, CEO and founder of Pursuit Channel.
“IMPACT Wrestling programming is perfect for our audience, which enjoys adventurous content to feed their wild side. We look forward to a long partnership and providing our fans with new and exciting world-class content while expanding IMPACT Wrestling’s audience to a new base.”
BREAKING: IMPACT is moving to Pursuit Channel!
Beginning on Friday Jan. 11 IMPACT! will air weekly on Pursuit Channel on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET. @PursuitChannel
FULL DETAILS: https://t.co/cED0CooJ93 pic.twitter.com/3FkiDC5kUo
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) December 21, 2018
Right now the Impact roster consists of names like Johnny Impact, Brian Cage, Eli Drake, Moose, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Rich Swann, and plenty of other well-known performers. Landing on a new network could be just what the company needs to gain a little more popularity.
Towards the end of Impact Wrestling’s run on Pop TV, the company’s titular flagship show moved from Tuesday to Thursday. The move to Friday will be the first time the company has aired on the day since the end of its Destination America run.
Right now, the only wrestling show that airs on Friday night is MLW on BeIn Sports, but when the WWE moves SmackDown Live to Fox, it’ll also air on Friday night, making for some heavy competition for Impact.
