Nashville, Tenn. -- The pay-per-view fortunes of upstart
pro-wrestling outfit Extreme Championship Wrestling should benefit greatly from an
expected distribution deal with The Nashville Network.
ECW -- which offers a more "extreme" wrestling
experience than the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling -- is
close to reaching an agreement with 72 million-subscriber TNN to have its product
distributed on a weekly basis, according to sources close to the situation.
An announcement could come during ECW's May 16 PPV
event, sources said.
ECW representatives could not be reached for comment, while
TNN officials declined comment.
ECW's events, which currently run on alternating
months, generate "steady" buy-rates, but they fall way short of those from the
more established WCW and WWF. However, this could change with TNN's basic-cable
exposure.
