MUMBAI: WWE and Baltijos TV (BTV) have announced a television distribution deal that will bring WWE?s flagship weekly television programme, WWE Raw, to Lithuania.

Under this new agreement, a one-hour international version of WWE Raw will be available immediately in one million Lithuanian households every Friday. The WWE Raw franchise mixes in-ring action and compelling storylines featuring WWE Superstars like John Cena, CM Punk and The Miz that have become global icons.

In the US, WWE Raw is the longest running weekly episodic programme and is consistently among the top five most-watched, regularly scheduled entertainment programmes on cable television.

BTV CEO Liutauras Elkimavicius said, "This new agreement with BTV significantly bolsters WWE?s presence across the Baltic region,? said senior vice president & managing director of WWE International, Dominic Hayes. ?WWE Raw airing on a free-to-air network enables WWE to expand our brand and build strong business relationships throughout Lithuania.?

MUMBAI: WWE has announced that WrestleMania XXVII generated $62.1 million in economic impact for the city of Atlanta, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation.

This is a new record for WrestleMania?s economic impact, and a $17 million increase over WrestleMania XXVI. WrestleMania XXVII also generated approximately $7.8 million in local, state and county taxes.

A capacity crowd of 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries attended WWE?s pop culture extravaganza this past April. Key highlights from the study included:

-- $62.1 million of direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by non-locals visiting specifically for WrestleMania XXVII.

-- 75 per cent of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the Atlanta area, with 61% staying three nights or more.

-- The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week equated to the creation of 621 full-time jobs for the area.

-- 52 per cent of fans that attended WrestleMania were between the ages of 20 and 34, 21 per cent were under the age of 20 and 20 per cent were between the ages of 35 and 49.

Next year, WrestleMania XXVIII will take place on 1 April at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The main event will feature John Cena taking on The Rock. The event will be broadcast on pay-per-view, and viewed in more than 100 countries.