Lagardère Sports Signs To Sell Int'l Sponsorships For WWE

WWE hired Lagardère Sports as its int'l sponsorship sales agency in a multi-year agreement, according to Liz Mullen of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As is "typical in these types of agreements," Lagardère Sports will receive a fee as well as a percentage of sales. WWE hired Lagardère, a subsidiary of Paris-based Lagardère Group, to build its sponsorship revenue in Europe and Asia. In the last two years, WWE's new U.S. deals have included Mars brands Snickers and Combos, Nestle brand DiGiorno, AT&T's Cricket Wireless and KFC. The entertainment company, "built on professional wrestling," hosts 500 live events a year, 60 of which are overseas. WWE programming is available in more than 650 million homes worldwide in 180 countries and in 20 languages (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/17 issue).